Former Whittell and Washoe County teacher sentenced in Lake Tahoe stalking case

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Nev. - In a one-day trial Monday, former Whittell High School teacher Michael John Ismari was given a sentence of 180 days for the stalking of an ex-girlfriend. He will serve 30 days with 150 days suspended for two years.

Tahoe Township Justice of the Peace Michael Johnson imposed the sentence after hearing from the victim, her friends, deputies from the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, and Ismari himself. Through his attorney, Ismari asked to start the sentence in ten days, but Johnson had him remanded into custody as soon as sentenced.

During the two years of suspended sentence, Ismari must obey all laws, wear a GPS device, not have any contact with the victim, and be subject to search and seizure, as well as a long list of other

Ismari and the victim met on a dating website and started dating in the fall of 2022. After five months of dating, the victim said she had concerns, saying Ismari wasn't respecting her boundaries and became pushy. She ended things officially on February 27, 2023, even though she was starting to cut things off before then.

ismari didn't want to end things and was texting the victim, and leaving a note on her car. The victim obtained a temporary restraining order (TRO) in March 2023 after she asked him to stop contacting her. She didn't hear from him during that time though he opened his post office box at Round Hill adjacent to her gym on March 2. He signed a lease on a Tahoe Sierra home "on February 14 or 15." Since the victim hadn't heard from Ismari, she let the TRO expire. It was not renewed when it expired on May 4, then Ismari started his attempts to reconnect by May 6 - showing up at her gym and going to her favorite places like the end of Nevada Beach, and went to a show by her favorite band, facing her during the AleWorx performance with his back to the band.

On May 13, Ismari approached the victim at the gym.

On June 7, he called her after saying he thought the look she gave him while she was riding her bike by him meant she wanted to reconnect.

On the morning of June 11, 2023, the victim went to the Douglas County Sheriff's substation in Stateline to get another TRO as she was fearful for her safety. The day before, Ismari left a card in the windshield of her car as it was parked at her home, and drove by the gym, looking in the windows, she said.

That afternoon, the victim was driving her vehicle on US50 and heading to her gym at Round Hill Mall when she spotted Ismari driving the car behind her. Her friends were driving nearby and followed Insari's vehicle to see where he has headed. He parked near the gym and went into the Dollar Tree. Ismari was photographed watching the gym from inside the store and the sheriff's office was called. They came and Ismari was arrested on June 11, 2023 at the Round Hill Mall.

Deputy District Attorney Chelsea Mazza said the victim hasn't been able to sleep or eat during the ordeal and is fearful and terrorized. During the sheriff's office interview of Ismari at the time of his arrest, he told deputies he saw himself as a "hopeless romantic" in his pursuit of the victim, even after she said "no" on multiple occasions.

In court, it was revealed that Ismari had prior stalking charges in 1998 in Reno.

During the sentencing, Johnson told Ismari that allowing a TRO to expire is not an indication they want to have a relationship.

"This person didn’t want to have contact with you and was clear about that in a variety of ways,” said the judge.

Ismari resigned from Washoe County School District where he was teaching on Dec 23, 2022 and started with Douglas County School District about the same time when he filled a critical need shortage at Whittell High School. Ismari was suspended when arrested on June 11, then employment ended on July 13, 2023.