The Herald-Zeitung

If you don’t believe in ghosts, Stephen Hock might be able to change your mind.

He’s a paranormal investigator.

A school administrator in Schertz and Cibolo by day, Hock spends his nights in some of the spookiest places in the nation, chasing what most people run from.

Hock is a historical analyst with Everyday Paranormal, a six-member team based in Schertz. Armed with video recorders and thermal-imaging and temperature-measuring devices, the team travels to sites where paranormal activity has been reported. Hock said his experiences confirmed what he has always known.

“I have always had an interest in paranormal activity and ghost stories,” Hock said. “I just think there’s a lot more to it than anybody knows.

“I think it’s everywhere, all the time.”

To see Hock’s investigations for yourself, turn on your television.

The Discovery Channel show, “Ghost Lab” airs on Tuesday nights, and follows Everyday Paranormal on their most recent 24 investigations.

A production company in Los Angeles sponsored the group’s expeditions around the nation over the past year. The team visited Alcatraz Island, the pirate Blackbeard’s home in North Carolina, a morgue in New Orleans and Tombstone, Ariz.

Hock takes the job seriously.

“We gather data and declare it paranormal or we debunk it,” he said. “Not everything (people report) is paranormal. It may be weird or out of place, but not paranormal.”

Though paranormal investigation is a field treated with much skepticism by the public, the expeditions have been successful, Hock said. Out of 24 sites visited, the team found something paranormal at every one.

“There have been a couple of incidents that totally freaked me out,” he said. “In Tombstone, we caught a ‘shadow person’ on camera.”

A shadow person looks like a person covered from head to toe in a black leotard, Hock said. He said experts have been unable to debunk the image.

“Anytime we catch something super hot, we always go to national experts in whatever field we need to, whether it’s audio, video or heat sensing,” Hock said.

Hock said he has been pushed down a flight of stairs, touched on the neck and another crew member was scratched on the neck during filming — all in addition to a host of strange sounds and sightings they have recorded.

Hock said disbelievers of paranormal activity are entitled to their opinion, but should check out the show.

The first episode of “Ghost Lab” aired Oct. 6. Ten remaining episodes will broadcast 9 p.m. Tuesdays on the Discovery Channel.

‘Ghost Lab’

When: 9 p.m. Tuesdays (central)

Channel: Discovery

Info: The first episode of “Ghost Lab” aired Oct. 6.; 10 episodes are left