My question involves restraining orders in the State of: Washington
I am a male. I had a female living with me several months ago. She wasn't my girlfriend. She was just a roommate with her own separate room that she rented in my house. We were friends as well. Until...
After a while, she divulged that she had romantic feelings for me. I was understanding, but firm in letting her know that I was not interested. She did not take it well. She began calling me virtually nonstop and showing up outside of my work while I was on breaks. She was going through my things.Also, she did not pay rent. I asked her to leave.
After she moved out, I continued to receive calls. I changed my number. I ran into her twice at the local bar, and both times had to leave because she would not leave me alone in her attempts to apologize. Then I heard nothing for weeks and thought it was finally over.
I was leaving for work one day and a sheriff was outside waiting for me. He served me an anti-harassment order protecting HER from ME! In the report were tons of emails that she claimed were from me. The address they were from was a derivative of my name, but it sure as hell wasn't my email address. The content was basically me professing my love for her and asking why she hated me, etc. It made it look like I was stalking her.
I explained my story to the sheriff. He basically said that it wasn't up to him, but he offered some advice. He said if you really don't want contact with her then don't fight the order. If I didn't show up to the hearing, he said, it would automatically be in place for one year. It meant she wouldn't be able to contact me either. I didn't go and it went just like he said.
I thought it was over again, until I got another bomb, this time via the mail. It said I was scheduled for an arraignment. Criminal charges were filed for violating the order. More emails were claimed to have been sent as well as claims that I was following her. I just went to the arraignment on thursday. Unfortunately, I couldn't speak about any details of the case according to the public defender. I told him my story figuring that in a situation like this an exception could be made and the whole thing would be dropped right there. Still no he said. So I just sat there and he said not guilty and that was it. I have another hearing next month.
What can I possibly do about this? i don't have any witnesses to anything, except maybe one person I barely know that was with me at the bar one of nights. I don't know how to prove that this was not my email address. Can I file a police report against her for using a restraining order as a bullet as opposed to the body armor it's meant to be? I was treated like a criminal! The public defender told me not to do anything stupid and to stop emailing her. This is so frustrating.

