HASTINGS, Minn. - Inside the Dakota County Sheriff's Office, the new digital forensic task force is working to stop a disturbing trend in stalking and domestic abuse cases.
Investigators say abusers, mostly men, are using technology to stalk their victims.
"It's kind of a creep factor, for all of us," said Sheriff Tim Leslie. "And much of it is unknown to the society and the public."
The most recent example comes from Apple Valley last month, when Apple Valley Police and the new forensics unit caught Michael Condon Jr. in the act, according to court records.
Police were tracking him after a woman he was in a relationship with filed an order of protection against him.
Documents allege, Condon repeatedly violated that order, even buying a "GPS mobile tracker and weather proof case". Investigators believe he was going to use it on his ex's vehicle, saying in a search warrant it's "a device that can be installed on vehicles to covertly track their location."
"We've really seen an increase in cases where abusers are using technology," said Ann Sheridan with advocacy group 360 Communities in Dakota County.
Sheridan is the Director of Violence Prevention and Intervention for non-profit group. She says she and her staff see victims come in for help on a regular basis, saying their abusers used smart phones or other technology to track them.
"Definitely within the last year, it's been at least one a day," she said.
Which is why she's glad to see the new forensics unit in Dakota County working to stop the abuse before it happens.
"So we focus on those small violations to prevent it from getting worse," said Leslie.
The task force has six people working in it, some of whom are from area police departments within the county, including Apple Valley
Apple Valley Police did not want to comment on the Condon case, but said the department is better equipped to combat this problem.
After the order of protection was filed, Apple Valley Police got a warrant to put a GPS tracker on Condon's car, according to a criminal complaint. But when a detective realized the tracker had been removed four days later, "the detective asked for extra patrols around the victim's residence and contacted the victim to advise her of the situation."
The complaint also alleges when a police officer drove to the victim's house, the officer noticed Condon driving nearby and pulled him over after he did not use a turn signal and his brake light was out. The charges say he was only 382 feet from the victim's home, at which point Condon was arrested.
Condon is in jail. KARE 11 tried to find and contact his attorney for comment, but was not successful.
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