Booking photo for Mark D. Phipps (Courtesy: Cache County Jail)
LOGAN — A 58-year-old Wellsville man has been arrested on suspicion of stalking and harassing a woman who he had a prior relationship with. Mark D. Phipps was taken into custody Thursday morning, after deputies tracked him to a Logan home improvement store and conducted a traffic stop.
Phipps was booked into the Cache County Jail on a warrant. He was later released after posting $7,500 bail.
According to the warrant affidavit, the alleged victim claimed Phipps would follow her as she would drive to her Ogden workplace. He would also call her and make comments that he was spying on her during her lunch break.
Deputies claim Phipps sent a photograph of the woman, partially naked from the waist down, to a family member. He also threatened to send other nude pictures to others in the woman’s family.
The warrant stated that Phipps called a family member and threatened them. In a recorded voicemail message, he said “I promise you, your whole family is going to get a great Mother’s Day gift in behalf of you. You screwed up this time.”
Deputies contacted Phipps and questioned him. He claimed that he had never been told to stay away from the victim but stated that he would not contact her in the future.
After speaking with the county attorney’s office, deputies felt they lacked sufficient evidence to arrest Phipps and let him go. As a precaution, they filed a warrant to place a secret GPS tracking device on his vehicle.
Two days later Phipps again was seen driving behind the victim along 1000 W. He then sped up and cut her off, continuing to drive erratically at a high rate of speed. He later followed her to a local convenience store.
According to the warrant, this time deputies were able to use the tracker information to verify the victim’s story. It showed that he was traveling at a high rate of speed trying to purse the woman and following her to the gas station.
During Thursday’s arrest, Phipps claimed that he drove to the gas station to fill up and did not know the victim was there. Evidence showed that he never purchased any gas and his vehicle tank was already full.
Phipps was booked and later charged with stalking, a second-degree felony; and, distribution of an intimate image, a class A misdemeanor.
Court records show, Phipps has faced multiple stalking charges previously. He has also had multiple protective orders filed against him.
will@cvradio.com