A woman who said she met a man through the dating app Bumble and went out with him only a handful of times ended up calling police after she began noticing a frightening pattern: he kept appearing wherever she went, including while she was on dates with other men.
In a bodycam analysis video, retired police sergeant Christopher Curtis of Sergeant Curtis walked viewers through the November 2, 2024 stalking investigation, calling it an unusually strong case because officers allegedly found tracking devices on the woman’s vehicle while the suspect was still nearby.
According to Curtis, stalking cases are often difficult to prove because investigators must establish a repeated pattern of unwanted contact, surveillance, harassment, or threats. In this case, he said, police had a complainant, a suspected stalker, text messages, a prior police report, and eventually multiple GPS trackers connected to the investigation.
The suspect was charged with unlawfully installing a tracking device or application, along with stalking and cyberstalking-related counts, according to the video description. Like all criminal defendants, he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
A Few Dates Turn Into Unwanted Contact
The woman told officers she had dated the man for about two months and had gone out with him five or six times.
She said they were never in a serious boyfriend-and-girlfriend relationship. But after getting what she described as bad vibes and signs that he could become aggressive, she told him in late June that she did not want further contact.
“I told him, ‘Stop. I don’t want to talk to you,’” she said in the bodycam footage.
The woman said she blocked him on her phone and through the Bumble app. But according to her account, he continued calling and messaging her from other numbers and even used different Bumble accounts to monitor changes to her profile.
Curtis said that kind of behavior is often a key part of stalking cases. A blocked number is not just a minor inconvenience; it is a clear sign that contact is unwanted. Switching to alternate numbers, new accounts, or new platforms can turn one rejected message into a repeated course of conduct.
The woman also said she had previously filed a police report in Melbourne after the man allegedly followed her there.
The Strange Appearances Started Adding Up
The woman told officers she kept seeing the man in places where she was spending time with other people.
On the night of the police encounter, she was on a date at Fourth Street Filling Station in Cocoa Beach. She said the suspect showed up at the restaurant, approached her, and made comments about her being on another Bumble date.
After she and her date left, she said they went to the beach. About an hour and a half later, while she was rinsing sand from her feet in a parking area, she said the man drove up beside them and waved.
“It was just creepy stuff,” she told police.
Curtis pointed out that stalking cases usually do not come down to one strange encounter. They are built from a chain of incidents, and each incident can look harmless when viewed separately.
A person showing up at a public restaurant may not be illegal. Driving through a parking lot may not be illegal. Sending one message may not be illegal. But when those actions happen after repeated requests to stop, after a block, after a prior report, and alongside apparent tracking, the total picture can look very different.
That is one of the hardest things about stalking. The conduct may be made up of small acts that only become terrifying when the victim realizes they are not coincidences.
Officers Stop the Suspect Nearby
Police located the man after the woman reported that he had driven past them several times.
Officers told him he was being investigated for stalking and that he was not free to leave. The suspect acknowledged that he had seen the woman at the restaurant and admitted approaching her.
“I made a bad move by walking up to them,” he said.
He also admitted using an alternate number to contact her after she blocked his main number. Officers challenged him when he first said he had not contacted her in months, then changed his answer to weeks.
One officer asked why he would create another number to contact someone who had blocked him. The suspect replied that he had made a bad decision.
Curtis noted that the interview raised legal questions about whether Miranda warnings should have been given sooner. He said the edited video did not show enough to make a firm conclusion, but he discussed the importance of officers being careful when a person is effectively detained and being asked accusatory questions.
That commentary is useful because it shows that even when police believe they have a strong case, procedure still matters. Evidence can be powerful, but constitutional protections and careful interviewing are also part of what makes a case hold up in court.
A Search Finds GPS Devices
The investigation changed dramatically when officers searched the suspect’s vehicle.
In the footage, an officer finds what appears to be a GPS tracking device and identifies it as a “SpyTec GPS” device. Police also found a receipt for a recently purchased tracker.
Curtis said officers were right to focus on the possibility of vehicle tracking because the woman had changed cars and believed the man should not have known which vehicle she was now using.
That was one of the clearest warning signs. If someone continues finding a person after they change routines, addresses, or cars, there may be more than social media or chance involved.
Police then searched the woman’s vehicle and found at least one tracking device attached underneath it. Later in the video, officers say they found an additional device on the passenger side of the car.
Curtis stressed that evidence like this should be photographed in place before removal whenever possible. That helps document where it was hidden and can make it harder for a suspect to claim the device had nothing to do with them.
He also noted that investigators may need to preserve fingerprints, DNA, receipts, purchase records, phone data, and GPS account information. In a stalking case, the smallest item can help turn a victim’s fear into evidence a court can understand.
Why Stalking Cases Can Be So Difficult
Curtis, who previously worked domestic violence cases, said stalking investigations often require sensitive questions about personal relationships, sexual history, dating patterns, digital contact, and prior conflict.
That can be uncomfortable for victims, especially when they have to explain why they ignored messages, gave someone another chance, or did not report the behavior earlier.
But Curtis said detailed documentation is vital. He encouraged people who feel they are being stalked to save messages, take screenshots, record dates and locations, secure their phones and online accounts, and tell trusted friends, family, employers, or coworkers what is happening.
He also advised people to check vehicles and homes for tracking devices, change passwords, strengthen security at home and work, and not dismiss things that feel suspicious.
That advice is not meant to blame victims for what happens to them. The responsibility belongs to the person allegedly doing the stalking. But documentation can help police see the pattern sooner and give prosecutors stronger evidence if charges are filed.
The fear created by stalking is often invisible to people who have never experienced it. Curtis described it as a form of terror that can disrupt sleep, work, relationships, and a person’s sense of safety.
Arrested on Stalking and Cyberstalking Charges
By the end of the encounter, officers told the suspect he was being arrested on one count of cyberstalking and one count of simple stalking. The officer said both were misdemeanors under Florida law, though the dating relationship meant the case would be treated within a dating-violence framework.
The suspect was told he would be held without bond that night.
Curtis praised the officers for taking the woman’s complaint seriously and gathering evidence rather than brushing it off as a relationship dispute.
That response matters. Stalking is often minimized until it turns into something worse, and victims can feel like they have to prove their fear before anyone listens.
In this case, the woman said she had already tried to cut contact, block the man, and report him. When officers found trackers on her vehicle, the situation appeared to move from a pattern of uncomfortable contact to something far more concrete.
For anyone watching, the video carries a simple message: being blocked is not an invitation to find a new number, a new profile, or a new way to show up. And for someone who feels they are being watched or followed, the safest response is to take the feeling seriously, document everything, and ask for help early.
Gary’s love for adventure and preparedness stems from his background as a former Army medic. Having served in remote locations around the world, he knows the importance of being ready for any situation, whether in the wilderness or urban environments. Gary’s practical medical expertise blends with his passion for outdoor survival, making him an expert in both emergency medical care and rugged, off-the-grid living. He writes to equip readers with the skills needed to stay safe and resilient in any scenario.
