Orange County woman relieved after accused stalker arrested

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The man accused of stalking an Orange County woman has been arrested, WFTV reporter Angela Jacobs found out Thursday.

Agen Manuel ValleDiaz, 19, is accused of stalking his ex-girlfriend.

Kaylee, who didn’t want to release her last name, was there when ValleDiaz went before a judge Thursday, in what she said was a show of strength toward him.

She said she’s feeling massive relief and she has not received any threatening text messages since Channel 9’s story aired.

She said she can drive without fear of being followed.

“I feel safe now,” she said. “I didn’t even want to walk in (the courtroom) but I told (my mom) I had to, to make sure he wasn’t going to get out.”

The judge ordered ValleDiaz to be held on no bond on five charges, including aggravated assault, false imprisonment and aggravated stalking.

Kaylee met with Orange County investigators Wednesday and laid out evidence that she’s been collecting for months.

She was assigned a detective, who promised an aggressive effort on the case.

The 21-year-old victim said the texts from her ex-boyfriend threatening to kill her and her family came in by the hundreds.

Some of the texts showed pictures of a gun, which is why the suspect is also facing a charge of aggravated stalking with a credible threat.

The charge is a third-degree felony on its own.

“I’m relieved. I’m very happy he’s where he belongs,” said Kaylee’s mom, Dee Dee, who also did not want to give her last name.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office couldn’t talk about the arrest due to the ongoing investigation, but said in a statment, "We understand her frustrations and hope that by making this arrest, and holding the suspect with a no bond status, this restores her sense of safety and security as this case goes through the legal system."

Kaylee said she's filed six different reports with Orange County law enforcement officials and one in Osceola County.

Kaylee said she and her mother had taken out restraining orders and she has also filed an injunction against the man.

Despite moving, blocking his number and deleting her social media accounts, Kaylee said he still found her, using other people’s phones and fake accounts.

“He has friends who tell him my location. They’re going to get me killed,” Kaylee said.

According to the National Center for Victims of Crime, one in six women and one in 19 men have experienced stalking at some point in their lives.

WFTV spoke to the state lawmaker who helped craft Florida’s cyberstalking bill in 2012.

“Predators that commit these type of acts really belong behind bars and I’m glad the law is helping protect this young woman,” said Rep. Scott Plakton.

Plakton said he’s going to meet with colleagues in the next few weeks to see if the cyberstalking law needs to be even tougher.

Under Florida Law, any person convicted of criminal stalking that includes a credible threat faces a third-degree felony.

Previous Stories:

 Orange County woman worries law isn’t protecting her from stalker

 Woman says ex avoided injunction while threatening life, terrorizing family

WFTV