Leesburg man arrested for stalking mother staying at Ronald McDonald House

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Kendrick Lenard Hardy, 36, of Leesburg, was arrested yesterday for allegedly stalking a mother at the Ronald McDonald House in Gainesville.

The victim told a University of Florida Police Department officer that she and Hardy are both staying at the Ronald McDonald House (2121 SW 16th Street), and Hardy has been stalking her since about July 21. She said it began when she was cooking breakfast in the kitchen area; Hardy, who introduced himself as “Marcus,” asked the victim if she had any extra bacon, and she gave him a piece.

She said from that day on, Hardy frequently followed her; she said she told him she has a fiance and she knew that he also had a fiance and several children with his fiance, but he was undeterred.

The victim said that on July 26, she was placing her child in a car seat in her vehicle when Hardy asked where she was going, and when she said she was going to Walmart, he asked if he could come. She said she told him, “Sorry, no,” but he kept begging to come, and after a short time, his facial expression and body language changed, and she feared he was about to escalate to violence, so she let him ride in her car. She said she called a friend on the way, just to have someone else as a witness if anything happened, but she did not tell her friend about Hardy because she did not want to “set [him] off.” She said Hardy followed her down every aisle at Walmart.

The victim said that after that day, Hardy began parking very close to her car in the parking lot of the Ronald McDonald House and that her car alarm now goes off whenever she locks her vehicle; she said the only way she could get the alarm to stop was to stop locking her vehicle, and she believes there is a GPS tracker on the vehicle.

The victim said that whenever she gets on an elevator, Hardy immediately pushes the button to hold the door open until he can get in with her, and she said other residents have noticed this behavior, which can reportedly be seen on security cameras. She said that when she left an elevator about a week ago, Hardy was standing there and said, “I was on the way to your room.”

The victim said Hardy has made several comments about her appearance and said he would like to be “under that dress.”

The incidents have reportedly led to constant physical and emotional distress for the victim over the past few weeks, and she said she has been unable to sleep.

Post Miranda, Hardy reportedly denied everything but later admitted that he had made comments to her and had gone to Walmart with her.

Hardy has been charged with stalking. He has one felony conviction (non-violent) and three misdemeanor convictions (non-violent). Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $100,000 and ordered him to have no contact with the victim and not return to Ronald McDonald House or Shands Pediatric Hospital.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.