A Lakeland K-9 police officer has been arrested and charged with aggravated domestic stalking against a co-worker to whom he had been engaged.
Robert L Manrow, 44, was arrested at his temporary residence around 1 a.m. Saturday, the Lakeland Police Department said in a news release. He was transported to the Polk County Jail.
According to the news release, Manrow's relationship with the fellow employee ended in August. Manrow moved out of the home he shared with the woman soon after, but he began a pattern of harassment by returning twice without permission.
Between Sept. 3 and 7, Manrow continued to pursue the woman by phone and through social media, placing a "well-founded fear" in her. He then sent her photographs, to which she responded, "enough is enough," the release says.
Manrow was ordered by his supervisors to end all contact with the woman. But after that meeting, he "made statements to fellow employees (about) his displeasure with the situation and directed these comments toward another witness (described as a Lakeland police male employee). Manrow suspected that the victim and the witness had developed a relationship," the release says.
Around 2:25 a.m. on Sept. 11, the woman and "witness" saw a man they believed to be Manrow approaching the woman's home. "The victim and witness secured themselves inside the residence in fear for their safety and reported this to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office," according to police.
The woman told authorities she feared for her safety after trying unsuccessfully to get Manrow to stop contacting her after Aug. 13.
Manrow has been placed on paid administrative leave "pending further evaluation," police said.