An apparently controlling estranged boyfriend was arrested Tuesday after a GPS tracking device was found hidden on the undercarriage of his ex-girlfriend’s vehicle.
Casey Michael Allen, 49, of Ocala, was taken into custody on a felony charge of unlawfully installing a tracking device to commit a dangerous crime. He was being held without bond at the Sumter County Detention Center.
According to an arrest report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, the woman grew suspicious that she was being followed and purchased a tracking locator from Amazon. When the locator signaled that a device was present in her vehicle but she couldn’t physically find it, she took her car to Live Fast, a mechanic shop located on North Main Street in Bushnell.
While inspecting the vehicle on a lift, the mechanic spotted a round, black, magnetized object—described as being about the size of a hockey puck—attached to the car’s frame.
A Sumter County crime scene technician removed the device, which featured a USB port and an on/off switch. Investigators noted it strongly resembled a commercially available “LandAirSea” GPS tracker.
The arrest report noted Allen has an active case in Marion County for battery against the woman, for which he had previously bonded out.
Due to the tracking device being used in the commission of a dangerous crime—aggravated stalking—Allen’s charge was enhanced to a second-degree felony.