Crime Library: Criminal Minds and Methods

The BTK Story

Rader Uncovered

Many Park City residents have complained that Dennis Rader used his position as a city compliance officer to try and assert authority and control over them. Some complained that he went so far as to harass them. See Chapter 20 "Excercising Power and Control" for more details.

A former Park City resident and mother of two, Misty King, was one such person who lived in fear of Rader's strange behavior.

According to a KAKE-TV article by Susan Peters, Rader began stalking King after she divorced from her husband and when another male friend took up residence with her. Rader became increasingly irritated. He came to her house on a continuous basis and bombarded her with numerous citations for not complying with trivial Park City code regulations, such as keeping her grass under a certain height, putting a tarp on the car, stacking a woodpile in her backyard and having an inoperable vehicle in her driveway, the report stated.

Rader listens to Attorney Sarah McKinnon
Rader listens to Attorney Sarah McKinnon

Peters quoted King who said that when she asked Rader what she did that was so wrong, he purportedly responded "Get rid of the boyfriend and everything will go back to the way it was."

Matters got worse when he allegedly started peeping into her windows on occasion and banging on her door wanting to speak with her. King also suggested in the article that Rader could have even attempted to gain entry to her house. Yet the pinnacle was when Rader confiscated the family dog and put him to sleep, which prompted her to flee Park City with her family. 

Rader's boss told Peters "'I don't know why I was never notified of the situation...I would have taken it very seriously.'"

King did notify the police when she caught Rader peeping, but the police dismissed her complaint. She told Peters "'I'm angry because they allowed it to happen. They believed 'if you work for the city, you can do no wrong.'"

 

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