ELLSWORTH – A man was arrested Wednesday for allegedly following an ex-girlfriend around, even though he had been warned to stay away from her.

The woman had filed a protection from abuse order against Gary R. Sites, 54, of Ellsworth, but it apparently didn’t stick, according to Steve McFarland, a detective with the Hancock County District Attorney’s Office.

“He had been served with the protection order but apparently didn’t end his contact with her,” McFarland said Thursday. “It appears that their relationship had ended recently, and he was having a hard time with that.”

Sites was arrested by a Hancock County Sheriff’s Department deputy and taken briefly to Hancock County Jail. He was charged with stalking, a Class D misdemeanor, and posted bail shortly after he was booked, according to McFarland.

The man didn’t make any specific threats toward the woman, but McFarland said he was concerned about her welfare.

“You don’t see these cases very often, because it’s difficult to quantify [stalking],” he said.

A court date has not been set.