Indianapolis Stalker Crashes Van Into Victim’s Home After Months of Unwanted Contact, Police Say

BEECH GROVE, IN - An Indianapolis man is in legal trouble after he crashed his van into the home of a woman he was stalking, police say.

Tom Browning, 67, was arrested on Aug. 24. He is charged with stalking, criminal recklessness committed with a deadly weapon, and criminal vandalism involving a loss of between $750 and $50,000. The first two offenses are Level 6 felonies, while the latter is a misdemeanor.

WTHR, citing court documents, reported that at around 6:00 a.m. on Aug. 20, Beech Grove police officers were dispatched to a home for a report of a vehicle that may have crashed into it.

Upon arrival, officers saw a white work van that had crashed through a closed garage door and slammed into the homeowner’s car, pushing it through the back of the garage.

Court documents said the homeowner told officers she was in bed when she heard a vehicle engine revving loudly in front of her home. She didn’t think anything of it, she said, until she heard a loud “crash.” She looked out her window and called 911.

The victim said Browning had been sending unwanted texts and making unwanted calls to her. He also showed up at the home uninvited several times over the past several months. After not hearing from Browning for a while, the unwanted attention recently started again.

The text messages from Browning told the victim he missed her and wanted to see her, even though the two had never dated. According to court documents, the victim viewed Browning as more of an “acquaintance.”

Court documents alleged that Browning used to work for a family member of the victim; however, other than that, she had had no contact with him. She told police she had a constant feeling that somebody was “watching her.”

The documents further showed that the victim told police she was afraid of Browning and did not feel safe in her home, noting that she believed he owned a firearm.

Last June, the victim filed a police complaint alleging Browning committed vandalism.

Browning’s next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 31, court records showed.