TEXARKANA, Texas -- A Texarkana man accused of tracking his estranged wife using an Apple AirTag taped to the undercarriage of her car has been arrested in Bowie County on a charge of stalking.
Rex Hackleman, 36, also is accused of phoning in bomb threats to the Bi-State Justice Center in March and November on dates when he was directed to submit to drug testing by his probation officer in a debit/credit card abuse case, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The stalking case
Hackleman's estranged wife allegedly had to pull over and leave her car March 19 in the Central Mall parking lot in Texarkana, Texas, according to a probable cause affidavit penned by Texarkana, Texas, police Detective Tabitha Smith. The woman reported she and Hackleman's relationship began six years ago, that they married in 2020 and that she left him in February.
When attempting to have the 2012 GMC Terrain towed from the mall parking lot March 20, an AirTag was found duct-taped beneath the car.
"(The alleged victim) advised me that Hackleman is a very good mechanic and would know how to damage a vehicle from the inside," the affidadvit states.
A mechanic later determined the woman's gas tank was "contaminated with water" and would cost $443.68 to repair.
"(The alleged victim) advised that she is scared of Hackleman and broke down during the statement," the affidavit states. "She stated that Hackleman told her that if she ever started to date anyone, that one of them would die."
Hackleman allegedly sent his wife a video of a person being beaten with a warning "that this would be her and her new boyfriend if she decided to date again," the affidavit states.
Hackleman allegedly "showed up" at a Texarkana, Texas, location Feb. 19 to confront his wife with no explanation as to how he knew where she was.
Smith acquired a search warrant for the AirTag that was authorized April 4 by 202nd District Judge John Tidwell. Apple sent documentation April 6 that showed the device is linked to an account allegedly controlled by Hackleman.
The account allegedly was created Jan. 3 and unpaired from the device March 20, the same day the AirTag was reportedly discovered beneath the woman's car.
AirTags have helped users find lost keys, purses, valuables and important medications, according to online reports.
"Based on our knowledge and on discussions with law enforcement, incidents of AirTag misuse are rare; however, each instance is one too many," according to a Feb. 10 statement from Apple on AirTag and unwanted tracking.
The devices, which start at around $29, are supposed to alert a person's iPhone if an AirTag is near or moving with them. Android users can download an app which reportedly will alert to AirTags.
Bi-State bomb threats
Hackleman was arrested by Texarkana, Texas, police April 1 on a charge of false alarm or report emergency stemming from a call received at 4:19 p.m. March 30 at the Bi-State in downtown Texarkana. Investigators determined the call was made from a 911-only phone and was routed through a cell tower near New Boston Road and Texas Boulevard.
Smith's affidavit in the bomb threat case describes the caller as a middle-aged white male who "tried to disguise his voice with multiple accents." The caller reportedly expressed anger at having to pay a $500 fine and advised the listener to "watch fireworks coming from the bathroom near the pay window."
No fines of $500 were collected that day, according to the affidavit.
Hackleman reportedly was scheduled to report to the Bowie County probation office in the Bi-State that day for drug testing as a condition of a five-year probation he received in 2019 for debit/credit card abuse. According to the affidavit, Hackleman also was scheduled for drug testing on two other dates when bomb threats were received at the Bi-State.
A call received the afternoon of March 8 was made from a 911-only phone that pinged near a cell tower at New Boston Road and Texas Boulevard. The caller allegedly said, "You think metal detectors are going to stop me? Check the bathrooms, my clock says three minutes."
The earliest threat allegedly linked to Hackleman occurred Nov. 23 shortly before 1:30 p.m. from a number investigators were able to trace. The threat made Nov. 23 was, "Do you know what fertilizer can do to a building? You are about to. There is a bomb in the lobby of the Bi-State Justice Building."
The number traced back to a woman who allegedly told investigators that Hackleman "drove off and left her" with her purse and cellphone still in his truck. Hackleman allegedly told investigators then that he had tossed the phone out of his truck's window and denied making the call.
Smith listened to each of the threat calls recorded by 911 and compared the voice to a phone statement acquired from Hackleman.
"The voices are exactly the same on each call," the affidavit states. "I received information and documentation from Bowie County probation that all of the bomb threat incidents have occurred when Rex Hackleman is called to check in for drug tests."
A motion to revoke Hackleman's probation filed recently in the debit/credit card abuse case lists the bomb threat charge as a violation, as well as a March 22 arrest in Miller County, Arkansas, for breaking and entering a vehicle. The motion alleges Hackleman has failed to perform community service, failed to attend an anger management program and failed to participate in a life skills class.
If Hackleman's probation is revoked, he faces six months to two years in a state jail. The false report charge is a state jail felony and carries the same punishment. If convicted of stalking, Hackleman faces two to 10 years in a Texas prison.
Hackleman is being held in the Bowie County jail without bond on the motion to revoke probation. Bails on the false report and stalking charges total $115,000.