MARYVILLE, Tenn. — A Maryville man is charged with stalking and intimidating his former employer.
Christian P. Dunne, 52, is in the Blount County Jail as of Monday morning. Dunne is accused of sending his former employer and former coworkers harassing and threatening text messages.
Authorities said he's also accused of setting up "camp" in front of the unidentified business with signs and a chair.
According to a report from the Blount County Sheriff's Office, a business owner contacted police on April 29 and said that Dunne had sent him a series of threatening text messages.
In the first few messages, Dunne allegedly said he wanted to know if he was needed to work the next day and then asked where he could get his paycheck, police said.
The report said those messages escalated, with Dunne writing the business owner texts that said if he didn't get his paycheck he'd "take it out on his truck," referencing the business owner's vehicle, and put a "Milwaukee Router through his window screen," referencing the business owner's windshield.
According to the report, the business owner told Dunne he'd receive his pay the same way he usually does, but it wouldn't be that day. The business owner opted to give Dunne time to cool down and asked for extra police patrols near his home.
The next day, April 30, the business owner told police that Dunne had resumed sending him text messages and said he was going to go to several job sites to find the business owner to get his paycheck.
Officials said Dunne also sent several co-workers text messages, asking if the owner was at the job site.
BCSO deputy Lucy Chantler said in the report she called Dunne on the phone and he stated he was going "cause trouble" for the business by sitting outside its office or job sites wearing a T-shirt and holding signs that denounced the business.
The deputy said in the report that signs are protected as freedom of speech, however, repeatedly calling, texting and threatening people was illegal, so Dunne had to leave his former employer and co-workers alone going forward.
According to the report, the business owner came into the Blount County Justice Center a few hours after that phone call to pursue stalking and harassment charges against Dunne. The owner showed police threatening messages he had sent via Venmo.
Dunne was paid for his work via Venmo.
BCSO said they were called to Pearle Drive on May 1 and found him setting up "camp" in front of the business.
Dunne was arrested at the scene and deputies said they told him he had an active warrant out for his arrest for misdemeanor theft.
Dunne was then taken to the Blount County Jail and told authorities he was supposed to pick his two kids up from the airport later that day.
An officer with Metro Airport Police told the BCSO that neither of the children's names were on any manifests at the airport that day.