Taylor pleads guilty to stalking and receives 15 years in prison

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas – AND Taylor A man was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to stalking with a previous conviction.

As part of the plea, Harley William Hovey, 30, also waived any right to appeal his case.

The Williamson County District Attorney’s Office says Hovey agreed to plead guilty just before the jury selection process began.

Harley William Hovey (Williamson County Prosecutor’s Office)

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In 2021, Hovey was convicted of stalking a friend and roommate Round Rock gym owner and sentenced to two years of imprisonment. Hovey also engaged in a series of “disturbing acts” against the gym owner, including placing a rabbit’s head on their property, smashing a window at their business and smearing human feces on their car, prosecutors said.

That 2021 case prompted a protective order that prohibited Hovey from having any contact with the gym owner or visiting his workplace, among other restrictions.

However, prosecutors said in February that he violated that order by sending threatening messages to the gym owner’s girlfriend through a fake Facebook account. Law enforcement investigated the message and linked the account to Hovey.

Later that month, Hovey was caught on surveillance video early in the morning at the gym owner’s business wearing a ski mask and gloves to conceal his identity, another violation of the protective order.