Alleged stalker arrested after sending Nashville woman 200 threatening texts
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A man accused of stalking a woman and sending her nearly 200 threatening text messages was taken into custody hours after appearing on Nashville’s “Most Wanted” list.
Liam Bailey, 24, was wanted by the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) for multiple outstanding warrants, including aggravated stalking, aggravated assault and violation of a protection order.
Nashville’s ‘Top 10 Most Wanted’ fugitives: Week of April 17, 2024
The victim filed for an order of protection against Bailey more than a year ago, according to an arrest affidavit. However, on Sunday, April 14, officials said he followed the woman from her residence to a 7-Eleven gas station on White Bridge Road.
As the woman was trying to get out of her car, Bailey allegedly pushed the door against her leg, punched her in the face and tried to grab her phone. Amid the struggle, the woman said she was able to distract Bailey by hitting her horn.
That reportedly gave her enough time to shut and lock the car door. Bailey then began “hitting and head-butting the window, which resulted in him getting a bloody nose,” the affidavit said. The woman kept hitting the car horn until a cashier came out and told them to leave.
However, after explaining her situation, authorities said the woman was allowed to stay at the gas station until her roommate came to escort her home. Once she got back home, the woman told police she received nearly “two hundred text messages” from Bailey.
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According to the affidavit, the text messages said things like, “Just wait, you’re going to die tomorrow,” “can’t wait to kill you,” “slapping you in the face was the best feeling ever,” and “tomorrow is the day I shine.”
Some messages also indicated Bailey had a gun he planned to use and included threats against the woman’s family, police reported. Detectives said Bailey also sent the woman a photo of himself with blood running down his nose.
In the photo, Bailey was reportedly wearing the same clothes as he could be seen wearing on surveillance footage from the gas station. During the investigation, police said they noticed blood smears on the woman’s car around the driver’s side window and door.
Bailey has also been accused of similar crimes in the past. According to authorities, Bailey was arrested for an order of protection violation on May 30, 2023, and has three reports from between April 7, 2023, and June 11, 2023, in which he is the suspect.
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He was taken into custody around 9:26 p.m. on Wednesday, April 17 after appearing on the MNPD’s “Top 10 Most Wanted” list earlier that day. However, jail records show he was released the next morning.
Bailey is among at least 99 “Most Wanted” fugitives who have been arrested since the program was launched in October 2022. Investigators point to tips from the public as the main reason for the program’s success.
To view this week’s list of the “Top 10 Most Wanted” fugitives out of Nashville, click here.
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