A South Florida man is facing charges after he allegedly stalked and placed a tracking device in the car of another man who owed him money, according to arrest documents.
Gabriel Pena, 44, of Hialeah, was charged with aggravated stalking, installing a tracking device without consent and trespassing, according to an arrest affidavit.
The victim owed Pena $200,000 as part of a business deal the two completed around two years ago, detectives said. Ever since then, the victim alleged Pena would randomly appear where he was without notice, including outside of his home, and ask for money.
Miami-Dade CorrectionsMiami-Dade Corrections
Booking photo of Gabriel Pena
In December, the victim saw an unknown person in his driveway on surveillance cameras, the report said. Then he got a notification on his cellphone that a tracking device was nearby, which detectives later identified as Pena’s because it contained a number that matched the last four digits of Pena’s phone number.
On Tuesday, the victim called police to report that Pena was knocking on his door, the report said. When Doral Police arrived, they caught Pena trying to leave the gated community.
When Pena was transported to the Doral Police station, investigators noted he was wearing the same cap and outfit as the person who was spotted in the victim’s surveillance footage in December.
Investigators noted the victim wanted to fix the monetary civil matter in the courts and asked Pena not to contact him, but “the defendant disregarded and continued to harass the victim in multiple occasions,” the arrest report said.
Pena remains in jail as of Wednesday afternoon and was issued a $500 bond, according to online court records.