A Meridian man has been arrested for allegedly stalking and grabbing a woman in a grocery store against her will.
James Paul Burns is charged with misdemeanor counts of second-degree stalking and battery in connection with the incident on Saturday, May 14th.
According to the victim, Burns followed the woman throughout Winco in Eagle. Burns stopped and stared at the woman multiple times.
When the woman was done and leaving the store, Burns walked up to her and told her she looked like she needed a hug. He then grabbed her without permission.
The woman told detectives she had no idea who the man was.
Oddly enough, Burns was arrested twice on Thursday, May 19th, when police searched his home in connection with the stalking incident.
Burns was charged with resisting arrest, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia after deputies found marijuana and pipes inside of his home when searching for evidence in connection to Saturday’s stalking incident. When deputies arrived at his Fairview Avenue/Locust Grove Road home, Burns was found hiding behind the door.
Burns was taken to jail at approximately eight a.m. on Thursday where he posted bond on the drug charges and left.
A short time later, Ada County prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for the stalking and battery charges.
According to the Ada County Sheriff's Office, "Detectives found and arrested Burns a short time later after he went to the Winco on Fairview Avenue and talked a stranger into giving him a ride home."
The misdemeanor counts of marijuana and paraphernalia possession are punishable by up to six months in prison.
