ROYAL OAK, Mich. – A Royal Oak woman can finally rest easy after a man who admitted to stalking her for nearly two decades was taken into custody, police said.
The woman moved from Indiana to Michigan and changed her identity to get away from Steven Craig Mason, according to authorities.
Detectives caught Mason, 42, of Anderson, Indiana, this month, and he confessed to the crime, police said.
An investigation began after the woman received a call from a blocked number that belonged to Mason, police said.
"She called us and let us know she received a disturbing phone call," Royal Oak police Lt. Keith Spencer said. "(He threatened to) find her and sexually assault her. She recognized this man. He had called her in the past many years ago when she lived out of state in Indiana."
The woman lived in Indiana when she was stalked by Mason 18 years ago, officials said. Neighbors at the time told her they had seen a man sitting in a car outside her apartment several times.
In 2004, the woman moved to Michigan, but the stalking continued, so she concealed her identity, according to authorities.
Mason found her again in December, calling 12 times that day and telling her he'd be looking for her, police said.
This time, Royal Oak detectives tracked Mason down and arrested him in Anderson, Indiana. He was arraigned Tuesday in Royal Oak and charged with aggravated stalking, a felony with a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
"He told us about our victim and also admitted to stalking up to thousands of other women," Spencer said. "We have to find out the scope of what this guy is involved with. The nice thing at the end of this story is the victim can have some peace."
Mason was living with his mother, who was home when he was arrested, police said. She told officers she was terrified of her son.
Homeland Security officials are going through Mason's computer to identify other potential victims.