Weeks of unexplained run-ins with her ex allegedly started to make sense for one Indianapolis woman when she crawled under her car in mid-June and found a GPS tracker stuck to it, according to newly filed court documents.
Prosecutors say a 38-year-old man secretly planted the device on his ex-wife’s vehicle, then used it to follow her movements around town until she discovered it and called police. The allegations, laid out in charging papers, have now led to both misdemeanor and felony counts and added fresh fuel to long-running worries about how easy it is to misuse small tracking gadgets.
Records obtained by Fox59 identify the suspect as 38-year-old Matthew Smith. The filings say security camera footage from late May shows a man matching Smith’s description walking up to the woman’s parked car, peering inside, then lying briefly on the ground next to it before leaving in a truck. Detectives later photographed the device as part of their investigation, according to the same records.
The woman told investigators she “wondered why he showed up wherever she went” and said Smith had not left her alone since their divorce, the court documents state.
New law and legal stakes
Indiana only recently moved to crack down more directly on this kind of behavior. Senate Enrolled Act 161, signed by Gov. Eric Holcomb in the spring, makes it a Class A misdemeanor to use a tracking device on someone without their consent and lets prosecutors seek felony enhancements in certain situations, WRTV reports.
In Smith’s case, prosecutors have charged him with unlawful surveillance while using a tracking device, a misdemeanor, and with stalking while using a tracking device, a level-5 felony that carries much steeper penalties if a judge or jury finds him guilty. That spread between misdemeanor and felony charges gives Marion County prosecutors room to argue for tougher consequences depending on what the evidence ultimately shows and how much harm the court concludes was done.
How to spot a hidden tracker
Digital stalking is not confined to one brand of gadget, but some consumer tools try to give potential victims a fighting chance. Apple’s support materials explain how to respond if your iPhone throws an "Unknown Accessory Detected" alert, how to use the Find My app’s Play Sound or Find Nearby tools to track down an AirTag or compatible device, and how to disable it by removing the battery. The company also advises contacting law enforcement if you think your safety is at risk. Step-by-step instructions are available at Apple Support.
Android users can turn to Google’s Tracker Detect app, which scans for Find My-compatible accessories, although detection can be slower on non-Apple phones and alerts may arrive later, according to the same guidance.
Court documents reviewed by Fox59 say IMPD detectives documented the tracker and combed through security footage as they helped prosecutors assemble the case. Smith now faces the state charges, and the matter will move through Marion County courts, with the charging papers remaining the most detailed public account of what authorities say happened.
