ROYAL OAK, Mich. (WXYZ) — An Indiana man was charged Tuesday for allegedly stalking a Royal Oak woman for 18 years, according to police.
Steven Craig Mason, 42, of Anderson, Indiana, is accused of making threats over the phone to find and sexually assault a Royal Oak woman. The threats have been going on for years, since the alleged victim lived in Indiana. Even after the woman moved to Michigan in 2004, the alleged threats continued.
The latest threat occurred in December 2018. According to Royal Oak police, the woman reported that an unknown man called her cell phone and made threats against her. The call came from a blocked number, but the woman recognized the voice as her previous stalker from when she lived in Indiana.
Mason allegedly stalked the woman for years in Indiana, beginning in 2001. The woman says she would receive calls from Mason, and at the same time, her neighbors told her that an unknown man would sit in different vehicles outside of her apartment complex on several occasions. An initial investigation by local police was unsuccessful.
After moving to Michigan in 2004, the woman tried concealing her identity, which resulted in the phone calls stopping until the latest incident in December 2018.
Royal Oak police have been in contact with Anderson police to coordinate an investigation, which led to a search warrant of Mason's Indiana home.
Mason lived with his mother and admitted to not only stalking the Royal Oak woman, but "thousands of other women," according to a release.
The suspect's computer was confiscated by the Department of Homeland Security investigators. The suspect's mother also told police that she was "terrified" of her son, and would cooperate with authorities.
Mason was arraigned in 44th District Court and charged with aggravated stalking, which is a felony that carries a penalty of up to five years in prison. Mason also has a prior conviction out of Indiana for operating a vehicle while intoxicated.
