A Kentucky woman is behind bars after police say she carried out a destructive attack on her ex-boyfriend’s car, leaving the vehicle totaled with damage topping $12,000.
Pregnant Kentucky woman trashes ex-boyfriend’s car
Authorities in Richmond, Kentucky, say Stephanie Carlquist turned a heated argument with her former boyfriend into a felony case after she allegedly destroyed his vehicle in a string of unusual and costly acts of vandalism.
According to a criminal complaint filed by the Richmond Police Department, the incident escalated in early July.
That’s when Carlquist allegedly poured salt into her ex-boyfriend’s engine, packed glitter into the air conditioning system, slashed a tire, cracked both the windshield and the rear-view mirror, and even smashed the radio display screen.
Investigators said the destructive spree began on July 6, when Carlquist allegedly slashed one of the victim’s tires.
Nearly 10 days later, on July 15, after another heated argument, she is accused of returning to inflict the bulk of the damage, targeting nearly every part of the car she could reach.
The victim later told police that by the time the vehicle was towed to a Goodyear shop in Richmond, the repair costs had climbed to $12,464.96—an amount that led the auto shop to declare the car a total loss.
Police noted that Carlquist openly admitted to damaging the car when speaking to a tow truck driver.
That driver then reached out to the victim’s mother to share what Carlquist had allegedly said.
Shortly afterward, Carlquist messaged her ex directly on Instagram. In her message, police say she admitted to the damage and attempted to explain her actions, citing stress from her pregnancy.
She reportedly told him that she was stressed by the pregnancy and sorry that she damaged his car.
The victim also told investigators that Carlquist’s father later reached out in an effort to strike a deal.
In a text message to the ex-boyfriend, he suggested they could avoid criminal charges if Carlquist was allowed to pay for the damages directly.
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“They could come to a better solution than Stephanie taking a felony charge, so nobody gets hurt anymore,” her father allegedly wrote.
When police interviewed Carlquist, they said she admitted to putting glitter in the AC vents and damaging the windshield.
However, she downplayed responsibility for the more extensive harm, claiming her ex was already “overdue” for an oil change and implying that mechanical problems were not her fault.
Carlquist was booked into the Madison County Detention Center and charged with felony criminal mischief.
The pregnant Kentucky woman is currently being held on a $12,000 bond, with her arraignment set for Monday, August 18.
Attorney accused of paying ex-client to go after Kentucky woman
In a separate case in Kentucky, prosecutors say a defense attorney went to extreme lengths to target his former girlfriend, even enlisting the help of a past client.
Chase Cox, 32, has been accused of hiring Joshua Baker, a 38-year-old ex-client, to vandalize his ex-girlfriend’s car only days after being released from jail himself.
Court documents show Cox has a troubling history with the woman. Back in October 2023, prosecutors said Cox broke into his ex’s apartment, stole her iPad, read through her messages to track her movements, and then broke the device’s screen.
He was sentenced to six months behind bars, though his sentence was suspended in favor of probation.
Just eight days after Cox was out of jail in August 2024, his ex-girlfriend told police that her vehicle was vandalized in the garage of her Newport apartment building.
According to court records, the damage was extensive: both front tires slashed, a racial slur carved into the paint, and profanity etched across the surface.
The victim told investigators she suspected Cox, pointing to his known temper and adding that she spotted Baker, whom Cox had once referred to as his “felon friend,” entering the complex shortly after she arrived home.
Police later confirmed through surveillance footage that Baker had used an access code belonging to another of Cox’s friends who lived in the same building.
Video evidence showed Baker heading directly to the parking garage and leaving about 10 minutes later. He was then seen driving toward Cox’s residence.
Defense attorney’s phone records lead to arrest
Investigators pieced together further evidence from Cox’s phone. According to prosecutors, he received a photo of the garage just before the vandalism occurred, sent from a vehicle resembling the one Baker drove.
Texts between the two men revealed Baker telling Cox to “call in a sec get money ready.”
Cox then allegedly received a screenshot of Baker’s CashApp account.
The woman later identified Baker in a photo lineup, telling police she had seen him multiple times at Cox’s home.
Court documents also show Cox’s father, Darrell Cox, who is also an attorney, had previously represented Baker in Kenton County before withdrawing from the case in April.
Despite being on home incarceration and fitted with an ankle monitor, prosecutors say Cox orchestrated the act as retaliation against his former girlfriend for testifying against him in his earlier case.
In December, Newport police wrapped up their investigation, and Cox was indicted on new charges tied to the vandalism.
By March, a judge revoked his probation, sending him back to the Campbell County Detention Center to serve the remaining months of his six-month sentence.
Prosecutors with the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office confirmed the case is set for trial in September.
Court records also indicate that, despite the accusations, Cox remains an active member of the Kentucky Bar Association and has not faced professional disciplinary measures.
