Pilot suspected of using plane to stalk woman for 4 years says they've never met
Share and Follow

A retired merchant marine suspected of using his small plane to stalk a woman for more than four years in Upstate New York denied knowing the victim Tuesday as he was arrested for the third time in a single week for allegedly tormenting her.

“I don’t know her, she’s crazy,” Michael Arnold, 65, said of 42-year-old Cassie Wilusz on his way into Saratoga Town Court. He said he’d only eaten at her restaurant once and didn’t return after coming down with food poisoning.

But Wilusz, who owns Revolution Cafe in the small village of Schuylerville, shared videos that allegedly show him circling her home in his plane and following her in his car.

Arnold was arraigned Tuesday on nine counts of criminal contempt that stem from an arrest on Friday for using a Facebook account with a fake name to allegedly harass her and threaten her daughter in violation of an order of protection.

PILOT, 65, ACCUSED OF USING PLANE TO STALK WOMAN FOR 4 YEARS: ‘IT’S A NIGHTMARE’

Michael Arnold is escorted out of the Saratoga Town Court

Michael Arnold is escorted out of the Saratoga Town Court in Schuylerville, New York, on Oct. 10, 2023. Arnold is suspected of flying his single-engine plane over Cassie Wilusz’s home and posting threatening messages online. (Hans Pennink for Fox News Digital)

As he left court, deputies slapped him in handcuffs again on a fresh stalking charge, according to the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office.

“I feel relieved that he’s in custody at the moment,” Wilusz told Fox News Digital in an interview at her cafe on Tuesday. “He hopefully realizes the time has come, and he has to actually answer to the charges.”

Minutes later, Arnold was released on bail.

“What is the next escalation? If it goes too far, is he willing to fly a plane into Cassie’s house? We live in a small residential area. That’s not going to just affect Cassie.”

— Schuylerville Mayor Dan Carpenter

He was arrested on Oct. 3 at an airport in Vermont for repeatedly circling Wilusz’s home in his single-engine Cessna in violation of an order of protection that banned him from flying, according to a release from the Bennington Police Department.

The FBI, which is now involved in the investigation, tipped off the local police. He was released on $5,000 bail.

LAWYER CLAIMS NYC TEEN CHARGED IN POET SLAYING IS ‘GREAT KID’ WHO WASN’T ‘LOOKING FOR TROUBLE’

Wilusz, whose husband recently died, told Fox News Digital that Arnold is a former customer who has terrorized her and her family since she rejected his vulgar advances in November 2019.

Wilusz said she’s been living a nightmare ever since Arnold emailed her photos of him posing with nude women. She told him he’d crossed a line.

That’s when he allegedly began his campaign of harassment, flying over her home several times a week and following her in his car when she headed to work, walked her dog or took her daughter to school.

FORMER VERMONT STATE UNIVERSITY DEAN’S HUSBAND PENS HEARTBREAKING POST ABOUT HER MURDER

Michael Arnold, 65, is suspected of stalking Cassie Wilusz, 42, from the skies for more than four years in this 1976 Cessna 180 single-engine plane. (Saratoga Sheriff’s Office | Courtesy of Cassie Wilusz)

As her husband was dying of colon cancer earlier this year, he’d fly so low that their roof shook and the windows rattled.

“I didn’t know if he’d fly into our home. I didn’t know what he was capable of,” Wilusz previously told Fox News Digital.

She filed at least 10 police reports and contacted the local prosecutor’s office, but Wilusz said they didn’t take her complaint seriously.

“I would dispute that characterization,” Saratoga County District Attorney Karen Heggen told Fox News Digital.

Schuylerville Mayor Dan Carpenter said that part of the problem was that authorities had difficulty determining whether Arnold was flying low enough for the conduct to constitute stalking.

WATCH CASSIE WILUSZ RESPOND TO HER ACCUSED STALKER MICHAEL ARNOLD’S LATEST ARREST

The most recent order of protection includes a ban on flying, which has made it much easier to arrest and charge him, he said.

Carpenter began fielding numerous calls from concerned residents after Arnold allegedly dropped tomatoes from his plane on the properties of Wilusz and her neighbors.

“The community has concerns about his mental stability,” he said. “What is the next escalation? If it goes too far, is he willing to fly a plane into Cassie’s house? We live in a small residential area. That’s not going to just affect Cassie.”

Prosecutors say that Arnold’s stalking crusade has included posting sick messages online by using a Facebook account with a fictitious name.  

“Nobody ever stalked that. As our member mike said, ‘not my type.’ He said he has way better standards,” Arnold allegedly wrote, referring to himself, in a Facebook post on Wilusz’s business page.

Michael Arnold enters the Saratoga Town Court in Schuylerville

Michael Arnold enters the Saratoga Town Court in Schuylerville, New York, on Oct. 10, 2023. (Hans Pennink for Fox News Digital)

After Wilusz’s husband died in May, Arnold allegedly implied that her karma was responsible for his death and suggested that her 14-year-old daughter would be next, according to prosecutors.

Arnold’s lawyer declined to comment.

Julia Bonavita and Ashley Papa contributed to this report.

Share and Follow
You May Also Like
ICE agents denied entry to Dodger Stadium

Agents from ICE were not allowed to enter Dodger Stadium

() Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents attempted to access Dodger Stadium on…
'American Nightmare' kidnapper pleads guilty to crimes committed as teen

Kidnapper in “American Nightmare” case confesses to crimes from teenage years

Editor’s Note: This story contains discussions of rape or sexual assault that…
Elon Musk makes mistake while revealing second drug test to the world

“Elon Musk’s Slip-Up: Unveiling Second Drug Test Error Publicly”

Elon Musk has struck back at claims that he was regularly using…
Amazon issues warning to all Prime users over hack stealing accounts

Amazon alerts all Prime members about hack compromising accounts

Amazon is alerting its 200 million Prime members to a sharp rise…
Cleared of murder charges, Karen Read could eye legal payback against investigators who cost her

Cleared of murder charges, Karen Read could eye legal payback against investigators who cost her

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Cleared of murder charges…
Trump calls for special prosecutor to investigate 2020 election

Trump requests an independent investigator to examine the 2020 election

President Trump on Friday called for a special prosecutor to be appointed…
Jacksonville mother’s car nightmare ends with help from Ask Anthony

Jacksonville mother receives assistance from Ask Anthony to resolve car issues

Jessica Hector bought two cars from the same dealer, both broke down,…
Zohran Mamdani receives car bomb threat in vile voicemail — prompting NYPD hate crime probe

Zohran Mamdani gets threatening voicemail about car bomb, leading to hate crime investigation by NYPD

An offensive prejudiced individual left a hate-filled, anti-Muslim voicemail at state Assemblyman…