WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- A Lake Worth man has been charged with aggravated stalking after investigators say he placed 28 obscene or harassing phone calls to employees at the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office says John Apostola made the calls over a 9 month period to several employees of the State Attorney's Office.
A check of Apostola's history in the State Attorney's Case Tracking System showed that he was a burglary victim and placed the calls in reference to his ex-girlfriend, who he believes is a suspect in the burglaries.
According to an arrest affidavit, Apostola placed the calls because he is not happy with how his cases are being handled.
On July 6, 2016, Apostola was contacted by phone by Chief Assistant State Attorney Brian Fernandes and asked to stop making phone calls to the office. After a call lasting over 45 minutes, Apostola advised Fernandes that he would not call and leave anymore vulgar and disrespectful messages.
PBSO says calls from Apostola continued over the next several months and on January 30, 2017, an investigator and a deputy visited Apostola in person at his home.
Apostola showed the investigator and deputy a sign on the back window of his truck criticizing the State Attorney's Office. The sign also names specific members of the State Attorney's Office.
When the investigator asked Apostola if he could quit calling the State Attorney's Office, he said that if the State Attorney's Office could not stop his ex-girlfriend from texting him, harassing him and driving by his house every day, then he would not stop calling.
The investigation also revealed a number of police reports from Manatee County Sheriff's Office, Port St. Lucie Police, Boynton Beach Police, Delray Beach Police and the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office from 2013 to 2017 where Apostola made credible threats where his sole purpose was to maliciously and repeated harass, threaten, annoy and offend a number of specific persons.
According to the arrest affidavit, Apostola made his last call to the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office between March 20 to March 28.
Apostola was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail.