GIG HARBOR, Wash. — The woman was shaking Saturday when she spoke with a Gig Harbor police sergeant, according to court records.
She told the sergeant she had a restraining order against her 37-year-old ex-boyfriend and that he’d shown up at three places she’d been that day — a coffee shop, a hardware store and a grocery store.
The woman said she was afraid he’d tracked her through her phone. But when she and the police sergeant took it to a cellphone store, the employees said they couldn’t see any sign that it was being used for that purpose.
One of the workers suggested that the woman have an auto-store check her car for a tracking device.
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The next day, a car dealership employee found a GPS device in a magnetic, waterproof case attached to the undercarriage.
Police spoke with the ex-boyfriend, who allegedly acknowledged being at the places the woman saw him. It was just a coincidence, he said.
Pierce County prosecutors thought otherwise and charged him with stalking and violating the restraining order.
According to charging papers:
He initially said the woman had framed him. He later admitted he bought the GPS device and put it on her car outside her home, once he figured out where she was living.
Then he was able to track her for several days with a computer program and an application on his phone.
He was using the information to try to avoid running into her, he said.
The man pleaded not guilty at arraignment Monday, posted $30,000 bail and was released.
Click here to read the article on the Tacoma News Tribune.
Tacoma News Tribune
