North Providence mayor reported he was being harassed. A fired employee has been charged.

NORTH PROVIDENCE – A 54-year-old resident and former town employee is accused of participating in a conspiracy to stalk Mayor Charles A. Lombardi and maliciously damage his car, the police said.

Rhode Island State Police said the man has been charged with stalking, vandalism/malicious damage to property and two counts of conspiracy.

The arrest is the result of an investigation that began in March 2023.

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At that time, Lombardi told police that someone was harassing him and also damaging his car, said state police Detective Maj. Kenneth Moriarty.

The mayor told police the damage had occurred while his car was at home, Moriarty said.

The mayor also told police he found roofing nails scattered in the driveway on several occasions between February 2023 and April 2024, Moriarty said.

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An investigation by the state police Intelligence Unit and North Providence police determined that the former employee, whom Lombardi had fired in 2020, was involved in the harassment, said Moriarty.

After his arrest on Tuesday, the man appeared before Judge J. Terence Houlihan Jr. at an arraignment in District Court , Warwick.

Houlihan released him on personal recognizance.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: North Providence mayor reported he was being harassed. A fired employee has been charged.