A State College man was arrested yesterday for allegedly stalking and harassing his ex-girlfriend for about nine months.

Police said William G. Rook Jr., 37, lurked in the woman's yard at night and called repeatedly all hours of the day.

Rook was charged with stalking, theft by unlawful taking, harassment, loitering and prowling at nighttime and criminal mischief . He was placed in Centre County Prison in lieu of $75,000 straight bail.

It is unclear if Rook, who is listed as a Penn State staff member in the directory, continues to work at the university.

According to the criminal complaint, the female victim ended her relationship with Rook in February because he began following her, harassing her with phone calls, showing up at her home and damaging her property.

After the relationship ended, Rook allegedly began calling the victim repeatedly. According to the complaint, Rook called the victim more than 400 times at her different phone numbers between Feb. 17 and Oct. 25.

According to the complaint, Rook showed up at the woman's home, workplace and gym after she stopped answering phone calls. He allegedly waited at her house for her to return from work, rang the doorbell and ran away, came into her yard at night, followed her car for blocks and sat outside her gym watching her exercise through the windows.

According to the complaint, the woman told police she once left town in early May and a friend contacted her crying because Rook had called repeatedly to find out where the woman was.

The woman's ex-husband also received numerous phone calls, police said.

Rook's phone records show him making 60 phone calls within a span of a six-and-half-hour time period to locate the woman, police said.

Police said the woman obtained a protection from abuse order in May that directed Rook to have no contact with her. The woman still received phone calls but from blocked numbers, according to police.

According to police, Rook stole a potted wisteria bush from the victim's house in June and stole six landscape plants in August. He allegedly caused $150 worth of damage to the victim's air conditioning unit and stole two pumpkins from the victim's porch.

Neighbors told police they saw Rook lurking around the victim's house at 9 p.m. in August and chased him on foot but he ran off, according to the complaint.

Police said Rook also called the woman's employer seven times while the woman was on her lunch break to get her in trouble. Also, while a friend was visiting the woman, Rook slashed the front tires of the friend's car, according to the complaint.

Karen Muir, Rook's attorney, could not be reached for comment by press time yesterday.

Rook was arraigned before District Judge Jonathan Grine yesterday.

His preliminary hearing is set for 8:30 a.m. Dec. 20 at the Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte.

Ferguson Township Detective Brian Sprinkle, who is investigating the case, could not be reached for comment by press time yesterday.