The Alligator’s Smile

In 2019 Kristi (30) and her coworker, Brian (48), initially bonded over their shared belief that work should be fun, focusing heavily on camaraderie and humor. Since Kristi was his manager, she appreciated Brian, an older crew member, for helping cultivate a positive environment. Their friendship, however, took a sharp, uncomfortable turn. Brian developed an intense crush on Kristi, and the initial easygoing rapport quickly devolved into awkwardness, then obsession.
When Brian's comments became flirty and inappropriate—like the time he jokingly said he wanted to push her into the closet to kiss her—Kristi firmly told him they needed to keep their interactions professional. Brian’s reaction was immediate and manipulative; he guilted her for setting the boundary. This pattern intensified. He started demanding her attention, wanting to talk all the time, and would become angry if she didn't respond exactly as he wished. To draw her back in, he’d guilt her again by saying negative things about himself, forcing Kristi to feel sorry for him.
Even after Kristi blocked him across all social media, the cycle of harassment continued. Brian created new profiles to cyber stalk her. He found increasingly desperate ways to maintain contact, once using a colleague named Alex to call her, claiming he was checking on her safety after a tornado was spotted near their town. Another time, he had a different coworker ask about her, feigning interest in workplace food preparation training.
The hostility spilled into the workplace. Brian began lying and manipulating other employees, twisting the narrative until they and, critically, their bosses believed his version of events over hers. Despite the clear evidence contradicting his claims, including several back-to-back phone calls he left with detailed voicemails, the management unjustly put the blame on Kristi for being friends with a crew person.
The harassment reached a terrifying peak after Kristi left the job. Brian indirectly threatened her on social media. He posted menacing messages, using the crocodile emoji—a nod to their old, casual farewell, "See you later, alligator, after a while, crocodile." The posts contained explicit violence: he stated he wanted to "punch her lights out" and included a picture of a gun, making the threat chillingly real.