SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — A man with a history of stalking is back in jail where he is being held on a $16,000 bond on similar charges after he was accused of sending his ex-girlfriend hundreds of text messages threatening to kill her, police said.
Investigators said Tom Lucas also is accused of spoofing her phone and taking over her social media pages. The victim said she has tried to ignore him, but things escalated more when he tried to break into her house.
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“It was petrifying. I was very scared, very scared,” said the victim, who Channel 9 is not identifying.
The victim told police she received hundreds of text messages from Lucas.
Many of the text messages were vulgar, but had a common theme.
"They were all redundant saying the same things about ending my life, and if I didn't comply with giving him money and giving him what he needed, he would take my life and enjoy it," said the victim.
According to a police report, the victim said Lucas came to her home over the weekend and began throwing rocks at her house and damaging her back patio.
The victim told police she did not see him throwing the rocks, but she knew it was him because of the text messages.
"You feel helpless and it's not a good feeling," she said.
Last year, Lucas pleaded no contest to stalking charges after he sent several text messages to the victim's phone, threatening to kill her roommate. He would eventually plead no contest to the charge.
As part of his sentence, he was ordered to have no contact with his ex-girlfriend or her roommate. During the sentencing, the victim wrote a letter to the judge asking for the protection order to be dropped, because she felt Lucas was not a threat anymore. She now regrets it.
“His mother had reached out to me and told me she was going to help him,” she said. “I tried to be understanding and I hoped it would go away. I realize that is not an option for him."
Lucas' attorney told the judge in court his client suffered injuries as a member of the military while he fought in Afghanistan.
The victim's neighbor has a protection order from Lucas as well that is in effect until August.