Florida man accused of stalking, hiding tracker on ex's car, police say

COCOA BEACH, Fla. - A man is accused of stalking his ex-girlfriend and hiding a tracker in her car for several months in Cocoa Beach.

Police arrested Walter Hite Jr. earlier this month and charged him with several crimes, including stalking.

The first criminal charges stemmed from a traffic stop, then quickly escalated during a search.

Hite Jr.'s initial charges were driving an unregistered vehicle and driving without a proper license.

Investigators say police impounded the car on those charges. When they searched the vehicle, they found a tracker in its glove compartment.

Officers say they found the corresponding tracker under the vehicle of the victim near the back seat.

Cocoa Beach police charged Walter Hite Jr. with several crimes including installing a tracking device, stalking, cyberstalking, and not having a state-issued license while being a resident.

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In the arrest report, the victim showed police messages where she had asked him several times to stop contacting her.

Things escalated when the suspect showed up unexpectedly at a restaurant in Cocoa Beach and followed her when she left.

The victim then flagged down police officers because she was worried about her safety.

"It's very concerning, and she did everything right in this particular case. She was aware of her surroundings. She immediately located a law enforcement officer and stopped for assistance, was able to give them all the information they needed to give them a happy resolution for her," said Jacki Hughes, who's the public information officer with the Cocoa Beach Police Department.

Police recovered two tracking devices during the investigation and say these devices are easy to find and buy online.

"This is very uncommon. This is not something that I've seen in my job yet. This is a first for me. I've heard about it in s, but I've not seen it until now," added Taylor Payne who's a detective sergeant with Cocoa Beach police.

Police say a case like this emphasizes how important it is to always be aware of your surroundings and keep records if you're dealing with any kind of stalking.

If you tell someone to stop contacting you, and they don't, you should go to law enforcement to see what kind of protection can be put in place to keep the stalker away.