A Minneapolis police sergeant, who had most recently been assigned as Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s personal driver, has been charged with four counts related to stalking a former romantic partner, who is also a police sergeant.
Charges were filed in Anoka County District Court Wednesday against Gordon Leonard Blackey, 59, of St. Anthony, Minn., alleging he placed a tracking device on the victim’s vehicle, showed up at public locations where the victim visited, and also illegally accessed a state database in order to obtain information about the victim.
The victim was alerted by an app on her daughter’s phone in March of this year while they were together, which indicated the presence of an unknown Apple AirTag that was near her and tracking her movements. After searching the vehicle for hours, the victim found the AirTag in the wheel well of her vehicle.
The victim learned that the AirTag serial number was connected to a phone number the victim recognized as belonging to Blackey.
The complaint states that the victim and Blackey had a brief romantic relationship approximately one year prior to the discovery of the AirTag, but had maintained a friendly professional working relationship following the end of the relationship.
The victim confronted Blackey following the discovery of the AirTag, and he admitted to her that he had placed it because he “cared about her.” Blackey also told her that he had engaged in similar behavior with other friends, the complaint states.
The victim told Blackey that she was uncomfortable and no longer wanted to be around him, despite their professional relationship. Not wanting to create workplace issues, the victim did not pursue further action at the time.
At the end of April, Blackey contacted the victim and invited her out for a drink; she declined. Later that evening, the victim was at a Blaine restaurant with friends when she unexpectedly spotted Blackey sitting inside the restaurant, the complaint states. Although Blackey was friendly, the victim became concerned that he was still tracking her whereabouts without her knowledge.
The victim’s suspicions grew when she recalled other previous occasions when Blackey had appeared at events unannounced or displayed intimate knowledge about the details of her life. These incidents led her to believe that Blackey was continuing to monitor her activities without her consent.
In May of this year, the victim reported the incidents to her police department and contacted the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO), which is the county where she lives, and requested an investigation into Blackey’s conduct for possible criminal charges involving stalking and harassment.
The investigation by ACSO revealed that Blackey had no legal authorization to place a tracking device on the victim’s vehicle. The investigator found that the Apple AirTag had been purchased as part of a 4-pack in Roseville about two weeks prior to the victim finding the tag.
The investigator also found images in Blackey’s iCloud account showing a computer screen that displayed private driver’s license information. The information appeared to have been obtained from a state database accessible to police officers.
The private driver’s license data shown in the pictures included information regarding the victim’s father (Victim 2) and a coworker of the victim (Victim 3). Subsequently, records obtained from the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) confirmed that Blackey had accessed the BCA database to obtain the private information of Victim 2 and Victim 3, despite having no legitimate law enforcement purpose for doing so. Obtaining the address information for Victim 2 and Victim 3 appeared consistent with Blackey’s efforts to track the whereabouts of the victim, his former romantic partner, the complaint said.
On Sept. 5, 2024, Blackey, accompanied by his attorney, met with the ACSO detective, and admitted to placing the AirTag on the victim’s vehicle while it was parked at her home in Anoka County. He explained how he placed the tracker into the wheel well of her car, and he acknowledged tracking her vehicle’s location on several occasions. Blackey also admitted to using his access as a police officer to obtain private information from the BCA records about Victim 2 and Victim 3 without a legitimate law enforcement purpose, the charges say.
Blackey has been charged with gross misdemeanor counts of harassment and unauthorized use of a tracking device, and two misdemeanor counts of unauthorized acquisition of non-public data.
Blackey has been charged by summons, as opposed to an arrest warrant, so there is no booking photo available at this time. Blackey is scheduled to make his first court appearance on the charges on Oct. 29, 2024.
The Star Tribune reported that Blackey has been with MPD for 27 years, and in that time has been the subject of 11 formal complaints, none of which resulted in discipline.
Crime Watch Minneapolis first learned from a source in June that Blackey had been relieved of his duties as the mayor’s driver after the allegations had come to light within the department, and had been anticipating the charges. Information is unclear whether Blackey is still employed with MPD.
Sources familiar with the allegations indicated to Crime Watch that the victim is also employed within MPD and had filled in as the mayor’s driver on occasion. The sources claim that there may be a human resources investigation into claims of retaliation against the victim within the City of Minneapolis, where she was allegedly removed from the mayor’s detail after the allegations came to light. That information could not be immediately confirmed through the City of Minneapolis.
– – –
Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
Crime Watch MN
Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
