- November 25, 2024
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Editor's note: The name of the accused has been removed from this article as the misdemeanor charges are pending dismissal. Last update made Oct. 28, 2024.
A Flagler County employee is facing criminal charges after she allegedly placed a tracking device in her ex-husband's car.
The accused, who began working with with Flagler County in as a county human resources and risk manager, faced a misdemeanor stalking charge. As of October 2024, the accused the charges are pending dismissal, according to Flagler County Clerk of Court documents, so long as the accused meets certain terms.
The defendant is required to: pay several court fines; only contact her ex-husband regarding their shared child, complete 25 hours of community service and attend a 4 hour behavior modification course. She also can not violate any criminal laws during the agreement's 12-month period.
The incident between the accused and her ex-husband began in October 2023 when the ex-husband called the Flagler County Sheriff's Office after he found a tracking device in his car's passenger seat back pocket, according to an incident report. The device was a Tile GPS tracker which, according to the company's website, is primarily used to track items like keys and wallets.
The ex-husband told an FCSO deputy that he did not know how the device would have been placed there, but that, for the last two years, his ex-wife has had specific information about his whereabouts, the report said.
He said he knew she had hired a private investigator multiple times, but said her knowledge of his whereabouts was more than what an investigator could give her.
The tracker was taken into evidence and brought to the FCSO Operations Center. Later the day the tracker was moved, the accused called the FCSO Operations Center asking why her ex-husband had been at the Sheriff's Office for the last several hours.
An FCSO detective confirmed the man was at work and not at the Operations Center, meaning she had been looking at the tracker's whereabouts, the report said.
When the FCSO detective talked to the accused on Oct. 24, she said she knew her ex-husband was at the Sheriff's Office because her keys to his car were in the car, and the keys had a tracker on it like all of her personal items and her children's backpacks. She said the tracker notifies her when it is within a certain radius, the report said.
She also admitted to hiring a private investigator because her ex-husband was not following the court-ordered parenting plan, and only uses the investigator to ensure their daughter's safety because of her ex's drinking problem, the report said.
The accused was originally charged with stalking and unauthorized installation of a tracking device, but the State Attorney's Office filed an intent not to prosecute the stalking charge on March 8, according to Flagler County Clerk of Court documents.
In response to questions from the Observer, Flagler County Human Resources Director Pamela Wu wrote in an email that the accused has never had complaints filed against her at work.
"[The accused] is a valuable member of the Human Resources Team and the county," Wu wrote.
The accused has been charged but not formally arrested. Her arraignment was set for April 2 at the Flagler County courthouse.
A previous version of this story incorrectly identified an email from Pamela Wu as from another county employee. Update 2:58 p.m., April 2.