New Sandy DVD helps fight date violence

SANDY — He was Megan Prebble's first real boyfriend — a popular student at Alta High School who was part of the "in" crowd and a standout player on the basketball team.

The first year of their relationship was like a fairy tale of high school romance and of first loves. The final two years, however, were a nightmare neither Prebble nor her family saw coming.

The boyfriend became possessive and manipulative. He grew increasingly violent, to the point Prebble said he strangled her and constantly threatened her over simple things such as not calling him on time, being somewhere on time or simply talking to other boys.

Despite the abuse, Prebble stayed with him.

"He would cry and I would feel bad. I almost felt that I had to take care of him," she said.

Now, Prebble and her mother are victim advocates helping to educate teenagers, and in some cases adults, on how to see the signs of dating and domestic violence and how to end the relationship.

During a press conference Thursday at Jordan Commons, Sandy police and victim advocates introduced a new DVD they produced on teenage dating violence. The movie was written and directed by Sandy police officer Ben Derrick.

Nationally, the highest rate of relationship violence among females is for those ages 16-24, Sandy Police Chief Stephen Chapman said. Between 50 percent and 80 percent of high school students say they know someone who has been a victim of dating violence.

In the 25-minute movie, Prebble, now 21, and others tell their story, which also includes actors in abuse scenarios.

In Prebble's real-life situation, she said the final straw came when the boyfriend saw another car parked in her driveway. Believing she was seeing another man, the boyfriend bashed in the car window.

Despite the relationship ending four years ago, Prebble said, the former boyfriend still calls her and she has been forced to change all of her numbers and keep them unlisted.

Debi Johnson, Megan's mother, said she had no idea her daughter was being abused. But after she found out, she realized there were red flags she could have noticed, such as Megan becoming secluded from her family.

"For me, as a mother not to recognize the symptoms ... I really would have said, 'This would never happen in my home,"' Johnson said. "It's been a nightmare for my family. There is no reason anyone should be punched or hit."