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On November 8, Jacob Yerkes was arrested on charges of aggravated stalking and harassment.
The arrest took place after an investigation against him was launched by the Lenoir City Police Department in response to reports that Yerkes was threatening a former co-worker. A Facebook post from the Loudon County Sheriff's Office stated:
"During the investigation, it was determined that Mr. Yerkes was making unsolicited contact with a co-worker."
Jacob Yerkes posted a video online, days before his arrest
WATE 6 reported that Yerkes' obsession with his female co-worker began sometime around mid-June. After she rejected his advances at a Cracker Barrel restaurant, he followed her down the street, resulting in his arrest.
A video of the Cracker Barrel incident, posted by Yerkes himself is also now circulating online. In it, Yerkes can be seen speaking to police officers, telling them that he followed his female colleague into the restaurant in an attempt to woo her by playing music that she might like.
Yerkes is seen in the video trying to convince law enforcement officers that he was just innocently flirting with "someone he knew." He claimed that he was playing a song that he wanted her to hear, so he followed her down for "a couple of blocks" and did not think his actions counted as harassment.
When the officer asked Yerkes why he was following the woman, Yerkes replied by saying:
"Women like that. That's fun to women, they like that little bit of excitement."
He even claimed that the woman's father called him using a "restricted phone number" and threatened to stab him if he continued to follow his daughter. Jacob Yerkes is seen asking the police to seek out the man and keep "his name on file."
As the policeman tried to convince Yerkes not to pursue following the woman, he kept claiming that she had free will and the decision should be left to her. He ended the video by threatening the woman, saying:
"You know what happens when women don't come to terms with themselves? Bad sh*t happens."
Officials from the Loudon County Sheriff's office announced that Yerkes posted videos on social media where he made violent threats. The posts by Jacob Yerkes gained massive attention, garnering over 8.2 million views and counting.
He even posted these disturbing videos on websites like YouTube.
It is reported that due to the public interest, the Federal Bureau of Investigation Joint Terrorism Task Force is also involved in the case.
The Loudon County Sheriff's department announced that there is a possibility for Jacob Yerkes to attain additional charges, but as of now, they see no potential threat to the public.
