A 65-year-old part-time prisoner transport deputy with the Volusia Sheriff’s Office was arrested and fired after investigators caught him placing AirTags in his ex-girlfriend’s vehicle and stalking her following their breakup. James Kleeman faces charges of stalking and unlawful installation of a tracking device after a three-year relationship ended last month.
The victim told investigators she had been in a relationship with Kleeman for three years until they separated last month. “She indicated she’d found AirTags in her vehicle and her adult daughter’s vehicle dating back to 2025,” the sheriff’s office release stated. After their recent breakup, the victim discovered another AirTag on her vehicle and Ring video footage showing Kleeman crawling underneath her daughter’s vehicle at their home.
The stalking behavior escalated beyond the tracking devices, according to deputies. “She said Kleeman had been showing up at her location on multiple occasions since their break-up, including in his assigned Volusia Sheriff’s Office vehicle,” investigators noted in the release. The boldness of Kleeman’s actions became apparent when he showed up in the parking lot behind the victim’s vehicle while she was giving her statement to detectives in DeLand on Wednesday.
Deputies confirmed they found AirTags on both the victim’s vehicle and her daughter’s car during their investigation. Kleeman admitted to placing the tracking devices but denied following his ex-girlfriend, according to the sheriff’s office. He was arrested Wednesday night and is being held without bond on the stalking and tracking device charges.
Kleeman had worked for the Volusia Sheriff’s Office since November 2012 as a part-time employee in prisoner transport. The sheriff’s office suspended him without pay on Wednesday following his arrest and terminated his employment on Thursday. The case highlights growing concerns about the misuse of consumer tracking technology like AirTags for stalking purposes.
The investigation remains active as deputies continue to examine the full extent of Kleeman’s alleged stalking behavior. Court records will determine when Kleeman will make his first appearance before a judge on the charges.