A Cobb County man accused of stalking and making unwanted advances toward Austell officers was arrested after he was seen outside police headquarters with a car full of weapons, authorities said.
Officers warned Freddie Markley Jr. several times to stay away from them, Austell police Chief Bob Starrett said.
Over the past couple of years, Markley made advances toward two of Austell’s female officers, the chief said, sending messages and an oversized Valentine’s Day card addressed to the “female blonde officer in the black or blue car.”
Police also said he made strange references to the officers in videos posted to his Facebook page.
“You ask one of our female officers how they feel about this guy and, yeah, they’re scared,” Starrett told the news station.
According to the chief, Markley was warned repeatedly not to go near the station.
His arrest warrant shows the unwanted communication with the officers began in July 2017, and the harassing messages continued despite Markley being warned repeatedly not to contact the women. He was issued at least three criminal trespass warnings instructing him to stay away from the station, according to his warrant.
But Markley was arrested May 6 after the chief spotted him in the parking lot with a loaded weapon in the front seat.
In Markley’s car, officers found firearms, airsoft guns, ammunition, a machete and a tactical vest, authorities said.
He was charged with stalking and criminal trespass, both of which are misdemeanors. Two weeks later, he remains held at the Cobb jail without bond, records show. According to his warrant, Markley’s bond was denied because he’s believed to be a danger to a person or the community.
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