Bryce Ewing, a former Iota police officer, was arrested Monday for stalking and hate crime charges. 

Chief Damon Daigle says Ewing had been fired from the department about two years ago.

He tells News 10 the stalking began after the victim, a current officer, pulled over Ewing for a traffic violation.

“Mr. Ewing had been following him around town and then last night it occurred but at this point Mr. Ewing followed the officer to the police department and made several threats towards him.”

On Monday, the Iota Police Department posted the arrest on Facebook. In the post, the Chief stated that “No individual whether a current or former police officer will be allowed to threaten, intimidate, or harass an on-duty or off-duty police officer.”

Chief Daigle says anytime these threats happen, they’re taken extremely seriously, “With Mr. Ewing being former law enforcement, we’re very aware that he has weapons. You know, handguns, rifles. So that makes the threat even more credible because he has the means, the motive, the opportunity and the equipment to carry out any kind of bodily harm or death threat.”

The Chief said under the hate crime statue, if you target a law enforcement officer based on the fact that they’re in law enforcement, it constitutes as a hate crime. That’s why Ewing is also facing that charge.