A Woodland Hills man pleaded guilty on Friday to stalking two former girlfriends.
Derrick Toole, 59, admitted to two felony stalking charges, the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release. He also admitted the stalking was carried out in a way that “indicated planning, sophistication, or professionalism.”
Despite being subject to a temporary restraining order from a former girlfriend in 2019, Toole stalked her and another ex girlfriend in 2020 and 2021.
“After receiving the TRO, Toole continued to contact the victim by calling, texting, and showing up at her home unannounced,” prosecutors said. “He would show up at her new address uninvited, damaged her home door locks so they would not work, vandalized her vehicle, and placed a tracking device in her vehicle.”
Toole dated his second victim for a few months while authorities were investigating the first case. He was ultimately arrested in July 2021.
The second woman found GPS trackers in her glove compartment and on the undercarriage of her car after she “began receiving messages from Toole insinuating that he knew her location.”
“Toole also showed up uninvited to her home, pasted large posters of their text communication on her garage, shot a BB gun into her front yard in the middle of the night, and overwhelmed the victim with text messages,” prosecutors said. “He was also seen on a doorbell camera entering the property while the victim was away and driving by her home at all hours of the day and night.”
Toole will be sentenced on Feb. 6. He faces a maximum of three years and eight months in prison.
“The victims in this case were traumatized by the defendant’s repetitive and relentless stalking behavior,” Deputy District Attorney Tessa McCarty said in the release. “It is my hope that this conviction provides them the closure they deserve.”