A call about a suspicious man in the area led the police in Westerly, Rhode Island, to David Liddle, 32, who was charged with possession of burglary tools and a weapon other than a firearm. Upon searching his backpack, police said they also found a rake designed to break into windows, screwdrivers, a flashlight and several pairs of rubber gloves.
The Westerly police chief, Shawn Lacey, confirmed the details reported by The Sun in an email Tuesday.
Liddle, who is from Des Moines, Iowa, told the police that he knew Swift and wanted to “catch up” with her, The Sun reported. Lacey told The Sun that Liddle said the singer had agreed to help him start a singing career.
“He has a history — security guards at the home told us that he was already on a watch list because there were concerns he could pose a threat,” Lacey told The Sun. “It is our understanding that he may have visited other properties belonging to Taylor Swift in the past.”
Liddle was issued a no-contact order Monday, keeping him from communicating with Swift or visiting any of her properties, The Sun reported. He will also have a mental health evaluation.
Swift has dealt with several instances of stalking, including a man who was arrested for trying to break into her Manhattan townhouse one month after completing a jail sentence for the same offense. (He pleaded guilty.)
The singer has employed facial-recognition technology in the venue of at least one performance to identify potential stalkers.
Liddle was still being held Tuesday afternoon, Lacey said. He had no prior arrests in Rhode Island, he added, but he knows of others Liddle had “throughout the country.”
Swift was not at the residence in Rhode Island at the time, Lacey said. There was no immediate response to a request for comment by Swift’s team Tuesday.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.