INDIANAPOLIS -- A Fort Wayne state representative has a protective order against a constituent who contacted him more than 50 times in one day, asked for his home address and sent a letter to his wife.

Allen County Magistrate Brian Cook held a hearing last week and found stalking had occurred, and that Erick Mackey posed a credible threat to Rep. Christopher Judy and his family.

He barred Mackey from stalking Judy, as well as harassing, annoying, telephoning, contacting or directly/indirectly communicating with Judy. He was also ordered to stay away from Judy's home, school or work.

"With him knowing where I live and work I felt it was necessary to protect my wife and two daughters," Judy said. "A protective order is only a piece of paper. I hope the consequences of violating that will quiet everything down."

The move to get a protective order appears rare. In 2014, a Democrat state representative alleged her campaign opponent was stalking her but he was found not guilty during a bench trial last year.

Mackey initially tried to contact Judy in May 2016, according to a letter to the editor he wrote to The Journal Gazette. He got no direct response and tried several other avenues.

According to court records, Mackey sent a letter in March 2017 to Judy's press liaison saying "I have reached out to Representative Judy on more than fifty occasions over the past ten months. I have not received a single reply."

Judy said Mackey asked about assisted suicide and he told his legislative assistant to inform Mackey he doesn't support it.

Things escalated at the end of April during the last week of the legislative session.

On that Monday, more than 50 calls from Mackey's number came into Judy's Statehouse office, Judy said. On Tuesday, more than 20 such calls came again.

The next day Judy's wife received a letter from Mackey at their home alleging that Judy has been in an inappropriate relationship with one of his constituents for nearly a year.

"I thought you should know, because you clearly deserve better," the letter said.

Judy's wife testified last week that she immediately drove to Indianapolis to see her husband. "Never have, never will," he said of cheating.

For more on this story, see Wednesday's print edition of The Journal Gazette or visit www.journalgazette.net after 1 a.m. Wednesday.

nkelly@jg.net