Hazel Park man arrested for stalking woman, spray-painting car

HAZEL PARK — A 65-year-old Hazel Park man is in police custody after reportedly stalking a woman and vandalizing her property. The woman, also 65 and a resident of Hazel Park, had reportedly already received a personal protection order against the man.

The suspect, Cecil Worthington, was arraigned Nov. 29 in the 43rd District Court on charges of aggravated stalking and vandalism. Both charges are felonies punishable by up to five years in prison. Worthington’s bond was set at $10,000 cash, with a posting of 10% required for release. While he posted bond, he must wear a GPS tether to track his whereabouts. He is also forbidden from visiting or contacting the victim.

Attempts to reach Paul Clark, the attorney of record for Worthington, led to a voice mailbox that was full.

According to police, complaints about Worthington from the woman go back as far as early July and led to the personal protection order. However, Worthington has no prior criminal history.

The woman told police that she observed Worthington driving past her home about six times, including an incident in August where he stopped in front of her property, produced a can of white spray paint, and began spraying her car. On another occasion, the woman reportedly saw him following her while she was walking in Warren.

Police sought a warrant for the spray-painting incident but had to first wait for the woman to assess the amount of damage done to her car. Since then, the woman has reported to police that the vandalism totaled $1,700 in damages, exceeding the $1,000 threshold for a felony charge.

Once Oakland County prosecutors approved the charges in early November, Worthington was located when a Hazel Park patrol officer identified his vehicle. Police believe he and the woman have known each other for around eight years. Worthington reportedly claimed that they had been dating at one point. The woman, however, told police that she was not dating Worthington, and that the two had merely been roommates earlier in the year.

Hazel Park Police Chief Brian Buchholz said the woman handled a distressing situation well.

“The victim did a good job of notifying us any time the suspect made some unwanted contact,” Buchholz said. “Unfortunately, even with a court issuing a no-contact or personal protection order, a piece of paper signed by a judge won’t always be enough to dissuade certain people from doing what they want to do. And while we haven’t fully interviewed the suspect in this case yet to determine where his mind was, it’s clear he wanted to have contact with her, and he couldn’t let it go, and he couldn’t help himself.”

The chief offered some advice for those trying to disentangle themselves from a stalker.

“They need to make it known to the person that they don’t want to have contact with them anymore, and if it doesn’t stop after that, then they need to contact us,” Buchholz said. “We will take measures from there.”