Minneapolis police sergeant charged with tracking former partner with AirTag

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A Minnesota police sergeant is facing charges accused of harassing a fellow sergeant, who was his former girlfriend, and tracking her whereabouts using an Apple AirTag, a new criminal complaint alleges.

What we know

Charges against 59-year-old Gordon Blackey were filed in Anoka County on Wednesday. He faces counts of harassment, unauthorized use of a tracking device, and unauthorized acquisition of non-public data.

The criminal complaint does not disclose which department Blackey or the victim worked for. However, records show Blackey served as a sergeant in Minneapolis.

Blackey was charged via a summons and is not currently in custody in Anoka County.

The accusations

According to a criminal complaint, the victim learned of the AirTag after the victim's daughter got a notification on her iPhone after leaving their Ham Lake home on March 18, 2024.

She later found the AirTag in the wheel well of her vehicle and found it was linked to a phone that had the same last four digits as Blackey's number.

After locating the device, she confronted Blackey, who admitted to using the tracker, claiming he was doing it because he "cared about her." The victim told Blackey the incident made her feel uncomfortable and said she no longer wanted to be around him. However, to avoid creating a problem in the workplace, the victim didn't initially report the AirTag.

But, a little over a month later, on April 30, the victim says Blackey invited her out for a drink. She declined but then Blackey showed up unexpectedly at the same restaurant in Blaine where the victim was out with friends.

The complaint says Blackey was friendly but the victim feared he was tracking her again. She then recalled other occasions where Blackey had appeared at events unannounced or had "intimate knowledge about the details of her life."

The victim then reported the incidents a week later, on May 7.

Evidence

Detectives with the Anoka County Sheriff's Office say they learned Blackey had purchased the AirTag from an Apple Store in Roseville.

On his iCloud account, they found photos taken on March 4 that showed data from a state database that police have access to, which had private driver's information for the victim, the victim's father, and a coworker of the victim. Investigators say Blackey had also pulled Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension records on the father and coworker. Deputies believe it was part of an effort to track the victim.

In September, Blackey spoke with investigations and admitted to placing the AirTag on the victim's vehicle and admitted to tracking her location on several occasions. He also admitted to accessing the police records on the victim, her father, and her friend.

What's next?

Blackey is scheduled to make his first court appearance in late October to answer to the charges.