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Florida ‘stalker’ accused of stealing kid’s ashes
A Florida man is accused of stalking a woman he met on a dating app and stealing her child’s ashes.
PALM COAST, Fla. - A Florida man was arrested after deputies say he GPS-tracked a woman he met on a dating app and stole a teddy bear containing her son’s ashes after she reportedly told him to stop contacting her.
Flagler County Stalking Arrest
What we know:
Flagler County deputies went to the Flagler Beach Police Department after a woman reported that 31-year-old Justin Fountain of Palm Coast was aggressively following her.
The victim told law enforcement officers that Fountain tracked her location, followed her across the county, showed up uninvited at her workplace and appeared at a local hotel and a Culver's restaurant.
According to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, Fountain then texted the victim more than 100 times and threatened to stop her from contacting law enforcement — including saying that she would be arrested on a warrant if she contacted law enforcement. Investigators said Fountain sent other threats including, "You need to answer my calls if you know what’s good for you" and "I’m going to destroy you."
Around the same time, Fountain reportedly sent text messages to the victim stating that he had stolen the teddy bear, which contained the victim’s sons’ ashes, and that he would "burn it" if she continued to ignore him.
A Flagler County deputy inspects a yellow teddy bear containing a victim's son's ashes after finding it inside Justin Fountain's vehicle trunk during a search on Interstate 95. Courtesy: Flagler County Sheriff's Office
Interstate 95 Traffic Stop
Dig deeper:
Deputies said they found Fountain heading north on I-95, where they pulled him over.
Fountain told deputies that he was driving to Georgia. During a search of his vehicle, deputies said they found the stolen teddy bear containing the victim’s sons’ ashes.
He was arrested and charged with aggravated stalking, extortion, and hindering communication with law enforcement.
Flagler County deputies place 31-year-old Justin Fountain in handcuffs on Interstate 95 after pulling over his vehicle during his attempt to drive north toward Georgia. Courtesy: Flagler County Sheriff's Office
The Flagler Beach Police Department also charged Fountain with unauthorized installation of a tracking device and access to electronic device without authority.
The teddy bear containing the victim’s sons’ ashes was returned to the victim.
What we don't know:
Authorities have not released details on how Fountain installed the tracking device on the victim's property. It remains unclear when Fountain will make his initial court appearance to face the charges.
Law Enforcement Response
What they're saying:
"The excellent cooperation between the Flagler Beach Police Department and Flagler County Sheriff’s Office is what lead to Fountain’s arrest," said Flagler Beach Police Deputy Chief Michael Schoenbrod. "He was an obvious threat to the victim, and he needed to be taken off the street before he harmed her."
"I commend the victim for coming forward despite this stalkers threats," said Sheriff Rick Staly. "Be extremely careful who you give access to your life. Your cell phone, laptop and residence hold banking info, social media accounts, and cherished memories. Evil, jealous and cruel men like Fountain will use anything to control their victims including extorting them with their most personal and emotional memories."
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the Flagler County Sheriff's Office, who detailed the investigation, arrest and recovery of the property, as well as the Flagler Beach Police Department.