Wisconsin science fiction author Patrick Tomlinson and his wife have been living a nightmare, enduring years of terror as cyber stalkers repeatedly sent police to their doorstep in a relentless "swatting" campaign. The couple, who claim to have experienced this terrifying ordeal 42 times, describes the chilling encounters with officers storming their home with guns drawn, handcuffing Tomlinson in his front yard, and even alleging that he had killed his wife. The reason for this campaign of terror, they say, stems from a trivial online criticism of the late comedian Norm Macdonald, leading to a series of threatening messages encouraging the author to take his own life.

Listen to all 4 episodes early and ad-free:

PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/pretendradio

PRETEND+ (Apple Podcast): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/channel/pretend/id6443456985

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices