A Leesburg man was arrested for stalking his ex-girlfriend after allegedly driving by her home daily when she moved out.
A deputy responded to a call for service regarding a stalking complaint at an undisclosed Leesburg residence at 10:19 a.m. Sunday, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Upon arrival, he met with the victim who stated that her ex-boyfriend and former roommate, 63-year-old Russell Nelson Collins, had been stalking her since she moved into her new home two weeks ago. He had been driving by her house multiple times daily under the pretense of visiting a friend. She mentioned he had never taken this route before she moved in, the report said.
The victim provided two videos from her security cameras showing Collins on her property on two separate occasions. The first incident happened Friday at about 11:50 p.m., where he was seen walking through her carport and backyard, looking through her windows. The second happened Sunday at 5:17 a.m. the following morning, where he was again seen leaving her backyard, the report said.
The victim had already told Collins about a week and a half prior to stay away from her property. Despite this, he continued to come by her house. She also advised that she had tried to get an injunction against him in August but was denied. She expressed fear due to his past behavior, including previous stalking and dating violence incidents with other individuals, the report said.
The deputy asked the victim if she had any recent communication with Collins, to which she replied that she no longer had his phone number because she disconnected the phone that was in her name. The last time she saw him was when he came to get a TV from her storage unit. During this encounter, she reiterated that he was not welcome at her house, the report said.
The deputy proceeded to Colllins’ residence, located at 187 Duchess Dr., and made contact with him. He admitted to visiting the victim’s house but claimed he was trying to return some of her belongings, including cigarettes and a monitoring machine. He stated he went to her house at about 5:30 a.m. that morning and another night when she was not home. He also provided background information on their relationship, confirming they had been friends and roommates since 2016, the report said.
Collins was subsequently arrested for stalking. The Pennsylvania native and transported to Lake County Jail and released after posting $5,000 bond.