Pennsylvania man allegedly used GPS tracking device to track woman he met on dating website
BENSALEM, Pa. (CBS) — A Montgomery County man was arrested after allegedly using a GPS tracking device to stalk a woman he met through a dating website, according to Bensalem police.
Police arrested Matthew Bustin, 33, of King of Prussia on Saturday for burglary, trespassing, stalking and harassment.
According to police, a woman reported on April 16 that she had returned home from vacation and found that the fuses in her apartment had been turned off and the Internet connection had been manually unscrewed from the wall.
Bensalem Police Department
The victim told police she met Bustin on a dating website. After a few meetings, she felt uncomfortable, blocked him on social media, and ended the relationship. Bustin allegedly continued to text her and show up at her home unexpectedly.
Investigators found a magnetized GPS tracking device attached underneath the victim's car. After obtaining a search warrant, police determined that the account linked to the tracking device belonged to Bustin.
According to police, data from the device showed that Bustin began tracking the victim's car at her workplace in Montgomery County on April 5.
According to police reports, surveillance video showed a man getting out of a black Honda Civic, walking toward the victim's car and placing something underneath it. The man then walked back to his car.
According to police, the man and the car matched the description of Bustin and the car he was driving.
Police also obtained a search warrant for Bustin's cell phone records, which allegedly showed that after the relationship ended, he had been in the area where the victim lived and worked without her knowledge at least nine times.
Investigators said he was near the victim's workplace on April 5 when a man was seen lying next to her car.
PECO records obtained by investigators indicated that the victim's home was affected by the power outage between 9 and 10 p.m. on April 14. Police said Bustin was at or near her home during that time.
A judge set bail at $2 million. According to court documents, Bustin failed to post the required 10% and was taken to the Bucks County Correctional Facility.
Police are asking anyone else who may have been harassed by Bustin to call Detective Connor Farnan at 215-633-3632.
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