Taylor pleads guilty to harassing man, sentenced to 15 years in prison

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas – A. Taylor The man was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to a previous stalking offence.

As part of the plea, Harley William Hovey, 30, also waived his right to appeal his case.

The Williamson County District Attorney’s Office said Hovey agreed to plead guilty just before the jury selection process began at his trial.

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Hovey was convicted in 2021 of stalking a man’s friend and roommate. Round Rock gym owner and was sentenced to two years in prison. The prosecutor’s office said Hovey also engaged in a series of “disturbing actions” targeting the gym owner, including placing a rabbit’s head on the gym’s property, breaking the business window and smearing human feces on his car.

That 2021 case led to a protective order banning Hovey from contacting the gym owner or going to his workplace, among other restrictions.

But in February, prosecutors said he had breached that order by sending a threatening message to the gym owner’s girlfriend via a fake Facebook account. Law enforcement investigated the message and linked the account to Hovey.

Later that month, Hovey was caught on security camera footage at the gym owner’s workplace in the early morning hours; he was wearing a balaclava and gloves to hide his identity; This was another violation of the protective order.