The Ithaca College Office of Public Safety has charged Eric Balderee, 26, of El Cajon, California, in connection with threats he allegedly made against his former girlfriend, an Ithaca College student. Balderee was taken into custody by the New York State Police at 7:40 p.m. on Thursday, February 10, on the New York State Thruway near Geneva, about 55 miles northwest of Ithaca.
The Office of Public Safety began an investigation last November after the student reported that Balderee had threatened her by telephone and by e-mail. Public safety obtained an arrest warrant for him in January.
“An extraordinary amount of cooperation among law enforcement agencies helped lead to Balderee’s successful arrest,” says Robert Holt, director of the Office of Public Safety. “The New York State Police, Tompkins County Sheriff’s Department, and Ithaca Police Department joined with public safety officers and residential life staff on campus to ensure the safety of the potential victim as well as the rest of the Ithaca College community.”
Balderee was observed entering New York State on Thursday evening by New York State Police officers, who apprehended him without incident in a planned stop on the Thruway. He was transported to Ithaca, where charges against him were filed by the Ithaca College Office of Public Safety. He faces counts of third degree stalking and second degree aggravated harassment, both Class A misdemeanors.
Balderee was arraigned before Judge David Klein in Town of Ithaca Court and remanded to the Tompkins County Public Safety Building in lieu of $20,000 cash bail or $40,000 bond. Judge Klein also issued an order of protection that prevents Balderee from having any contact with his former girlfriend, and Ithaca College has issued a criminal trespass waiver that prevents him from coming onto the campus.
