The Horrifying Reason Why This Former Twitch Moderator Was Arrested
The following article includes allegations of stalking and harassment.
One of the shadiest aspects of Twitch and online content creation is that sometimes viewers become too attached to the streamers involved. This can result in harassment and stalking. While Twitch has released new tools on multiple occasions to try and lessen the problem, the platform itself can be extremely violent, both in the chat section and in real life. One example of these types of situations involves former "World of Warcraft” streamer Nalipls, who retired from streaming in February 2021. In January of this year, she alleged in a tweet that one of her former moderators had been stalking her.
In the post, Nalipls claimed that a long-time viewer and moderator going by the handle propain targeted her after they met in person in 2019. Following that encounter, she said that he increased his bids to get her attention, including attempting to visit her in Canada. She further alleged that he left harassing messages on her photos using a different account. After ceasing contact with propain and removing him as a moderator, she said he photoshopped her face on images of naked women and shared them online. She even mentioned an incident where he tried (and failed) to get her swatted. Nalipls asserted that the harassment has been ongoing for over two years; however, she might finally get some relief.
FBI arrests man suspected of stalking and harassing Nalipls
On May 24, Nailpls retweeted a post about a man in Orange County getting arrested, stating that the man in question is her stalker. According to a press release by the Central District of California, FBI agents arrested and charged 29-year-old Evan Baltierra with one count of stalking. The press release lines up with the tweet Nalipls shared, in which she claimed Baltierra met her and then proceeded to harass her, her boyfriend, her friends, and even her boyfriend's family.
The release alleged that despite a temporary restraining order in February 2021 that Baltierra agreed to, he continued his online harassment campaign after the fact. It also said that the FBI seized multiple items from Baltierra's home, including a thumb drive filled with photoshopped images of Nalipls's head on the bodies of nude women and the phone connected to multiple email accounts used to harass her. While the case has not been resolved, Baltierra faces a maximum of five years in federal prison if convicted.
If you or someone you know is dealing with stalking, you can call or text the VictimConnect Resource Center Hotline at 1-855-484-2846. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.