La Crosse man charged with stalking ex-girlfriend

A La Crosse man is accused of stalking his ex-girlfriend at her places of work.

Police say 50-year-old Brian Baradic frequently rides his bicycle past a restaurant where the woman works, and often leaves her voicemails, and puts letters and other items on the windshield of her car.

The woman tells officers she split up with Baradic after an illness, when she suspected that he was depriving her of food.

The stalking reportedly began in December, and continued until this week.

Baradic got in trouble last fall, for allegedly trying to steal a box of gift cards during a wedding reception at the Boot Hill Pub.

Court records show that the theft case was dismissed.

In another local court case on Wednesday, 26-year-old Jacob Olsen was charged with a hit-and-run crash that happened in late April.

Olsen allegedly slammed his pickup truck into the rear of another vehicle on George Street, and then fled the scene.

Olsen was later jailed for a separate accident in Jackson County.

Olsen pleads ‘not guilty’ to the misdemeanor hit-and-run charge, but he denies a different charge of stealing a bicycle, saying there’s no proof that he committed the theft.