URGENT: Heather Sargent Needs Immediate Protection—Act Now

Heather Sargent, my best friend, is in immediate danger. She is facing an escalating and terrifying situation involving ongoing threats from her ex-boyfriend. These threats have reached a critical point, and she can no longer live her daily life without fear. Her safety is at serious risk, and we need swift, decisive action now.

Heather lives in Aberdeen, South Dakota, and we are urgently calling on the Aberdeen Police Department to issue a Temporary Restraining Order (TPO) against her ex-boyfriend. She applied for one on Friday, July 11th, but it was denied. This legal order would prohibit him from contacting or approaching her and is absolutely essential to prevent potential harm.

Every hour that passes without this protection increases the danger she faces. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, protective orders like TPOs are one of the most effective tools to reduce the risk of violence from intimate partners. Heather needs this protection—today, not tomorrow.

We are pleading with the Aberdeen Police Department: Please prioritize Heather’s safety and take immediate action to issue a TPO. With these types of threats, the TPO should not have been denied previously. That is simply unacceptable. No one deserves to live in fear, and Heather’s right to feel safe in her own home, her own community, must be upheld.

Sign this petition now to demand urgent action. Your signature could make all the difference—it could help protect Heather, and it could save her life.

Picture: Heather with her dog.