Holmans, Sorensen testify before Wyoming House Judicial Committee on HB 8, HB 9 to change stalking to felony, make grooming minor a crime

Cathy and Dan Holman and their teenage daughter, Gillian, testified Feb. 10-11 before the Wyoming Legislature House Joint Committee on behalf of House Bill 8, working to convince legislators to change language in the bill and making it a felony for an adult to stalk a minor. 

It is presently a misdemeanor.

And, Brandi Sorensen is leading the charge to change Wyoming law to recognize grooming a minor as a crime. HB 8 and HB 9 are headed to the Wyoming Senate floor next, having passed the House Judicial Committee and floor votes Friday. 

Gillian, 17, and Preston Sorensen, 18, are Glenrock High School seniors. They were stalked by Glenrock resident Marcie Smith between Nov. 20, 2023 and Oct. 20, 2024 (Douglas Budget, March 26, 2025, “Mothers urge change to law regarding adults stalking minors”) when they each were 15 years old.

Last March, Smith changed her plea in Converse County Circuit Court. Born in 1983, Smith pleaded no contest to charges related to stalking Preston and Gillian. Smith’s two convictions are being served concurrently: two years of unsupervised probation and $1,390 in fees and fines.

TESTIFYING

Gillian addressed legislators about the mental health aspect of being stalked – and how it continues to affect her today.

“I was told by our victim advocate that the human brain will often forget or not form memories when it is experiencing something traumatic. It is a well-known coping mechanism and one of the ways our bodies help us survive difficult times. I never thought that it would happen to me, but it did. When I look back on the year I was being stalked, it’s hard to remember a lot of what happened, both good and bad. When I look back on my sophomore year of high school, it feels like a fever dream. When discussing (with friends or family) the year I was being stalked, I realized that I can’t remember conversations, important moments and details of day-to-day life,” she said.

She vividly remembers how she felt, however. She lived in a constant state of terror and she wasn’t allowed to leave the house “that much,” as her parents and eventually Gillian herself, feared for her safety.

“I didn’t want to go to school or to any events around town. I hated competing in sports because those moments in my life were often targeted by my stalker, and I would receive texts from her while I was competing. My mind was frequently focused on being stalked and it affected how I performed. Wrestling is a mentally strenuous sport. If you lose a match, you can often find yourself having to wrestle again within an hour. I was struggling to recover mentally from losses . . . even while competing, I was thinking about my stalker and if they would use that specific moment against me. I remember the point when I finally realized how bad being stalked had affected me. I was at State FFA, and I received texts (from the stalker) that were so specific and vulgar, I thought I was about to get raped or killed,” she stated.

She was scared enough at that moment in time that she was shaking, crying and trying not to vomit. She wouldn’t leave her hotel room without a trusted friend by her side, a behavior that continues even now, she testified at the committee hearing.

“Once we found out who was stalking me, I assumed that life would be easier and I would feel safer. In some ways (it) was easier. I knew who to look for. I knew that law enforcement was on our side. What got harder was facing the truth: being stalked had changed me.”

That emotional fear and mental havoc returned recently when Gillian sat down to write her testimony. She was shaking and crying as she recollected the affects.

“No one should ever feel as scared as I felt, and no child should have to suffer the mental toll of an adult’s criminal actions. If it wasn’t for the support of my family, my boyfriend’s family and law enforcement, this story could have ended differently. 

“I can’t imagine what it must be like for younger victims of stalking who don’t have access to the support and resources I did. We need to protect Wyoming’s minors and one way to do that is to vote yes on House Bill 8 and to encourage your fellow legislators to do the same. This isn’t about making the punishment fit the crime. It’s about protecting Wyoming’s children from adults who abuse their position of power, and seek to harm them mentally in ways that will continue to affect them for the rest of their lives,” she stated.

WHERE THE BILLS ARE 

HB 8 and HB 9 both survived introduction in the House, which requires a two-thirds affirmative vote during a budget session. 

“It was 100% on HB 8 and you had a two-thirds majority on HB 9, which then was sent to the House Judiciary Committee for discussion. That’s what happened Feb. 11, was testimony in front of them to say, ‘No, this is important, we need to keep this.’ Next they will present it on the House floor for it to be voted on,and it needs to then be voted on three times,” Cathy said prior to the full House vote Friday.

HB 8 and HB 9 were both approved in the House on 61-0-1 votes Friday.

Cathy said Sunday they have no idea when the families will need to be back in Cheyenne to testify before the Senate.

While the bills appear to be making progress in the Legislature, the Holmans’ and Sorensens’ concerns regarding the perpetrator are not over. 

Cathy told legislators that immediately after the trial in March, “On our way out of the courthouse, one of Marcie’s family members looked at us and told us, ‘You better sleep with one eye open, because we’re coming for you.’ 

“Our protection order is simply a piece of paper and assumes that someone who has already broken the law will follow the order to stay away.

“Our family continues to be targeted, but we have slowly but surely, through faith and sheer willpower, refused to let that change who we are at our core. We have found a new normal, yet I dread the day our protection order ends. Because of Wyoming’s laws, our daughter’s stalker can work in schools. With only misdemeanor charges, she can return to volunteering at the school where my other children attend, serve as an advisor and join them on overnight trips.”

Cathy explained to legislators that adults in Wyoming who have been found guilty of stalking a child would pass most background checks for coaching and teaching positions. 

“I believe that if our stalker had been convicted of a felony, our story over the last year-and-a-half would be entirely different. We wouldn’t have had to go back to court multiple times to fight for our daughter’s safety. I can’t help but feel that if Marcie Smith were in jail, my family and I would have felt safer sooner, and been able to find our new normal quicker. House Bill 8 has been the focus of our family’s work with (legislators) over the last year, but I strongly encourage you after this current legislative session is over to take a closer look at our stalking laws as a whole, and how the victims of this crime are treated when they seek help,” she said. 

Before addressing the legislators on HB 9 later that day, Brandi was obviously nervous.

“I went in scared . . . but after testifying and then seeing the support of victims’ advocacy groups and Moms for Liberty and other representatives . . . it was very good. I very much appreciated those people being able to speak on what I feel like I have been shouting from the rooftops, that, no, all those laws that are on the books do not fit this crime. And we do need it . . . so it was very uplifting. I loved seeing that support and people working together.”

Cathy said the families continue to be grateful for “all of the people who have taken time to respond to our emails, all the community members who have written emails on our behalf. It works. We are here less than a year after we went public because our state, our community and so many of our legislators rallied behind us.”

Converse County Commissioner Robert Short also testified Feb. 11 before the legislators on HB 8 in support of making stalking a felony, and in support of the Holman and Sorensen families.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Anyone who is interested in HB 8 and HB 9 are encouraged to email their legislators, Cathy stated.

Brandi said they’re all trying to do whatever they can to keep Wyoming’s children safe.