Des Moines bar owners Steven McFadden, 53, and Edwin Allen, 45, were both charged with stalking and harassment against the same woman on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.
McFadden, the owner of the Tipsy Crow bar, was initially booked on January 2, and Zora Bar and Rooftop boss Allen was brought in by police on September 29.
A criminal complaint made against McFadden alleged he placed an Invoxia GPS device into a woman’s vehicle in early January, according to CBS affiliate KCCI.
Ankeny police told the network they had found more evidence of stalking on his phone and that McFadden was arrested once again.
KCCI reported that records showed McFadden used the tracking device in order to follow the victim to a hotel.
He then tried to block the woman from driving down the road and police later said Allen watched the same victim for McFadden while he was out of state.
Ankeny Police spokesperson Sgt. Corey Schneden told KCCI: “A lot of electronic evidence is what we deal with in today’s day and age and that can take some time.”
He added: “When someone is following you, and you don’t know their intent, that can be a very scary thing for someone. We all want that safety, and our concern in this whole thing is for the victim and make sure that person is safe and nothing bad happens to them.”
Bill Kutmus, McFadden’s attorney, told the network it was not difficult to charge someone with a crime, but that it was difficult to prove a crime. He added his client was innocent.
McFadden has been charged with one count of violation of a no-contact/ protective order and third-degree harassment. Allen was charged with harassment in the second and third degrees.
According to the Stalking Prevention Awareness and Resource Center (SPARC), an estimated 13.5 million people in the U.S. are stalked each year.
It added nearly one in three women and one in six men have experienced stalking at some point in their life.
SPARC noted that stalkers use many different tactics, including following and watching the victim, sending unwanted texts, photos and emails as well as using technology to monitor, to track, and spy on the victim.
Newsweek has contacted Ankeny Police for comment.
In September, a Louisiana bus driver turned himself in after he allegedly kept a 13-year-old on a bus after he let other students get off.
The Brusly Police Department said Christopher Taplin, 33, said he made inappropriate comments before he let her leave.
Taplin is also alleged to have left a voicemail with the girl’s family, declaring that he loved her and had been watching her since she started to attend middle school.
