Man accused of stalking New York cafe owner by plane, arrested again

The man who has been accused of stalking a New York cafe owner by plane and sometimes throwing tomatoes is back in the headlines. He has been arrested for the fifth time.

Michael Arnold, 65, of Schuylerville, was ordered held without bail following his February 1 arrest on misdemeanour counts of stalking and criminal contempt, the Saratoga County Sheriff's Office said.

Arnold is accused of waiting for and following the victim on January 12 in violation of an order of protection. He appeared in Saratoga Town Court and was ordered held pending a future appearance.

His attorney did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment Thursday.

The misdemeanours add to a growing list of pending charges against Arnold in New York and Vermont, where he kept his 1976 Cessna 180 single-engine plane.

Arnold is accused of harassing a cafe owner in the village of Schuylerville for more than four years, beginning in October 2019 when he came into her cafe, the Times Union of Albany reported. Following an email that included a picture of himself partially clothed, he began flying his plane over the woman's home, the newspaper said.

Arnold pleaded not guilty in Vermont in October to several charges, including aggravated stalking. He was released on the condition that he stay away from the woman and airplanes.

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