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| Joseph David Thompson. BCSO Image |
PALM BAY, Florida — A 29-year-old man is in jail under $10,000 bond following an incident late Tuesday where he allegedly stalked a 15-year-old girl as she walked home from her school bus stop.
Just after 4 p.m. on Tuesday, the teen reported to police that she was walking home from her bus stop in the area of San Filippo Drive and Witchita Boulevard when a man in a green vehicle began honking his horn and calling her over to the car. The girl told officers that she kept walking when she noticed the man got out of his vehicle and ran after her. That’s when the girl called her older brother crying and told him she was afraid. The brother then called 911.
According to the girl, the man began trying to have a conversation with her. As the victim attempted to flee,the man allegedly chased her. She then managed to get inside her home and locked the door. The girl then called her mother and said the man was outside the house pacing back and forth. The mother also called 911 to report the incident and provided emergency dispatchers with information about the suspect’s description and type of vehicle.
When patrol officers responded to the area they located Joseph David Thompson’s vehicle semi-concealed in the area of Wagon Wheel Avenue and Witchita Blvd. Thompson was not in the vehicle but officers later located as an individual matching the suspect’s description in the area of Tidewell Street and San Filippo Drive.
The girl was able to positively identify Thompson as the same man who chased her. Police say that Thompson had a condom in his pants pocket along with a small amount of marijuana and paraphernalia.
“Fortunately the victim in this case had the presence of mind to escape unharmed,” said Captain Nelson Moya. “We are very concerned about this individual’s intentions and the potential for his behavior to escalate if he’s released from jail.”
At the request of detectives and the State Attorney’s Office, Brevard County Court Judge Cathleen Clarke ordered GPS monitoring for the defendant if he is able to post bond. The judge also ordered him to have no contact with the victim or anyone under the age of 18. If he is also released he is not allowed within 1000 feet of any school. Thompson faces a charge of felony stalking and a misdemeanor drug possession charge.
Anyone that has experienced a similar incident involving Thompson is asked to contact the Palm Bay Police Department at 321-952-3539.
