SAN ANTONIO – A 40-year-old man accused of harassing a woman for several years, using a GPS tracking device and posting nude photos of the victim, has been arrested on a stalking charge.
The San Antonio Police Department identified the man as Richard Gabriel Garcia.
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An arrest affidavit states that the SAPD's Vice Unit became aware of online harassment claims made by the woman on February 6.
In the affidavit, the unidentified woman said she had been experiencing a “great deal of harassing behavior over the last several years.”
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The harassment began when an unknown person started to share anonymous posts directed toward the woman’s friends and family members, calling her a “slut and home wrecker and posting images of her nursing license,” according to the affidavit.
According to the affidavit, the posts sought to destroy the woman’s professional reputation by spreading rumors and lies that include accusations of stealing narcotics from the hospital where she works.
The affidavit states the woman also began receiving anonymous text messages from a number that could only be discovered as a “talk to text” line.
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According to the affidavit, the online harassment intensified when an unknown person started to share both nude and fully clothed images of the woman to several online websites after compromising her personal email, cell phone, and external storage accounts.
After the woman’s personal life was shared online, the affidavit states that her ex-husband pointed out the websites in court, causing her to lose custody of her daughter. A judge removed the woman’s custodial rights, citing “poor decision making” in favor of the ex-husband’s plea for full custody.
In 2015, the woman filed a police report after finding a GPS tracker on her vehicle that Garcia later admitted to placing it on her car, according to the affidavit. The woman did not pursue charges at that time; however, the stalking progressed over the next three years.
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On Friday, an unknown person broke into the woman’s garage, disconnected her garage door opener and entered her vehicle, according to the affidavit.
The affidavit states the woman later received a text message from an unknown number with a picture attached saying, “Staying quiet? That’s not polite u (sic) know. Darling, I though (sic) you had gone silent. Such a shame. (Victim’s ex-husband) and (victim’s ex-husband’s new wife) did so love learning about your little predicament. I’ll enjoy watching.”
After reporting the break-in, the woman left her home and took shelter with a friend.
The affidavit states that a day later, the woman called police after discovering her vehicle’s tire had been slashed despite the car being parked inside her friend’s garage.
According to the affidavit, the woman and the friend spotted a suspicious vehicle approaching the friend’s residence while waiting outside for SAPD officers.
The driver of the vehicle began to record or photograph the friend’s apartment and when the woman recognized Garcia as the driver and called out his name, he sped off, nearly hitting the friend, according to the affidavit.
In the affidavit, police called for an evidence technician, who discovered a GPS tracking device attached by a magnet to the underside of a fender inside the engine compartment.
After learning of the tracking device, the affidavit states that the woman concluded it was Garcia who had been steadily harassing and stalking her the past three years.
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According to the affidavit, Garcia was a friend of the woman for several years and may have had access to keys to her apartment and car at sometime.
According to online court records, SAPD officers arrested Garcia Monday on a charge of stalking, a third-degree felony. His bond has yet to be set.