SAN DIEGO, Calif. — A San Diego police officer, who made headlines over a decade ago for hacking the phone of another officer she was having an affair with, is now accused of installing hidden cameras in her ex-husband’s house, Team 10 has learned.
The officer denies the allegations, but a subpoena for her Amazon purchase history reveals she bought cameras, voice recorders and GPS trackers, which were found in her ex’s home, according to the judge overseeing the case.
Veteran police officer Tyler Cockrell made the stunning allegation in court documents filed last month in support of his restraining order request against his ex-wife, Stephanie Cockrell.
“I am fearful of Stephanie and concerned about the close tabs she is keeping on me and my life through careful surveillance,” he wrote.
Tyler alleges he found a spy camera disguised as a USB charger in his La Mesa home back in 2021. He claims he found other cameras under his bed and beneath furniture. He provided screenshots to the court of his ex allegedly installing the devices after she had moved out.
“After years of threatening and harassing messages, comments, and tracking and recording devices in my home and on my vehicles, it is evident that Stephanie is going to use any means necessary, including illegal means, to locate, threaten, harass and control me,” he wrote.
Tyler went to La Mesa police after finding the spyware and wanted his ex held criminally liable, according to a police report obtained by Team 10 through a public records request.
The document states Tyler told a detective he thought his ex-wife may have entered his home through a doggy door or by using a hidden key.
The investigator took the cameras into evidence and forwarded the case to the San Diego County District Attorney’s office, which declined to file charges.
Tyler also claims in court documents that his mechanic found a magnetic box under his truck.
"I am under the belief that Stephanie placed a tracker onto the magnet at one point in order to track my location," he wrote.
Stephanie, who was grilled under oath last week, denies the allegations. She refused to answer several questions from Team 10 after leaving court.
In response to the application for the restraining order, she called the allegations “wild, unfounded and unsubstantiated."
‘I wouldn’t call them spyware’
But Superior Court Judge Charles E. Bell Jr. said a subpoena for the officer’s Amazon purchase history confirmed she bought 11 cameras, a GPS tracker, recording devices and a magnetic box.
“The things he found in his home were found in her Amazon purchase history,” he said, dismissing concerns from her attorney who tried to challenge the validity of the evidence.
Under oath, Stephanie claimed she couldn’t recall purchasing spy cameras, a voice recorder, or the magnetic box.
“I’ve purchased cameras. I wouldn’t call them spyware,” she testified.
Stephanie fought unsuccessfully in court to keep her Amazon purchases a secret before Bell granted Tyler's request for a subpoena.
Stephanie told the judge Tyler knew the cameras were installed in his home and claimed they were to monitor their infant son.
Asked by Bell how she was sure, she testified the cameras were visible in the living room and near her son’s crib.
Ben Embry, the attorney representing Tyler, told the court Stephanie’s story has changed multiple times. He said she previously testified she never bought spyware or tracking devices and later claimed they were bought to monitor her son. He asked her if she knew what perjury is.
“You can’t lie,” she responded.
On the stand, Stephanie then claimed she returned some of the cameras when asked by the judge where they were.
“I’ve never heard items were returned,” said a stunned Bell, who had detailed notes on the case in front of him.
The officer then testified that the GPS trackers she purchased were for her animals, but under cross-examination, she said she didn’t believe those were the devices she put on her dogs’ collars.
Attorney says request is 'awfully suspect'
Responding to the screenshots that Tyler alleges show her installing the cameras, Stephanie said those were taken during a two-week period when she was staying with her ex after they initially broke up.
And she claims it was Tyler who was actually monitoring her.
“Petitioner knew my location, because he was watching me on these same cameras he now claims to be ‘spyware,’” she wrote in response to the restraining order.
The judge asked Stephanie to explain why she was near Tyler’s girlfriend’s home on one occasion. A photo of the officer's truck outside the residence was admitted as evidence. “So, you just happened to be on that street?” Bell asked.
Stephanie replied, “I was looking for my son.”
In court, Stephanie’s attorney, Joseph Willmore, said his client never installed hidden cameras and questioned why Tyler was filing the restraining order years after the judge denied his request to keep his ex away from him.
“It’s awfully suspect to come to court three years later,” Willmore said.
Tyler argues his ex-wife has a history of hacking in court documents.
In 2016, Stephanie, who had the last name Audette, made headlines after she admitted she hacked the phone belonging to an officer she was having an affair with.
Police refuse to give discipline records
That officer’s wife found out and blocked Stephanie’s number, according to court records.
Stephanie, then a fresh recruit to the force, had an employee at Verizon unblock her number.
The officer’s wife then sued the city, Stephanie and Verizon, sparking a public scandal.
Stephanie, who met the officer when he pulled her over for a traffic infraction, wanted taxpayers to cover her legal bills, but the city council refused.
“Not only has Audette admitted to violating the law and SDPD policy, these acts were not related to her duties as an officer,” David J. Karlin, chief deputy city attorney, wrote in a 2016 memo to the San Diego city council.
Allegations of stalking, theft, untruthfulness
The San Diego Police Department refused to provide Team 10 with Stephanie’s discipline records despite numerous requests.
Police spokeswoman Ashley Nicholes said Stephanie is currently assigned to the Neighborhood Policing Division in an "administrative capacity."
"Under California law, personnel records that are not required to be made public under Penal Code 832.7 are confidential. This applies to all sworn peace officers in the state of California," said Nicholes in a prepared statement.
In 2023, Stephanie was on medical leave from the force, according to a court document.
Last summer, Tyler claimed in a court document that Stephanie was “under active investigation” for substantiated allegations in February of 2023, “for both stalking, theft and untruthfulness.”
The veteran officer claimed his ex-wife was “pending termination” from the force.
Tyler has had his own run-ins with internal affairs.
Former Police Chief William Lansdowne suspended him in 2012 for using improper force and closing a door on a suspect’s leg.
Tyler declined a request for an interview but sent Team 10 a statement with his version of what happened.
"I handcuffed a guy selling weed at an elementary school. (The) department decided I shouldn't have handcuffed him because another officer just told him to leave,” he said.
In 2018, Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman suspended Tyler again after he refused to give over his family’s dog to animal control after it bit Stephanie.
He told Team 10 animal services came two weeks after the incident, which he claimed was days past the period during which the agency was allowed to issue a ticket.
"I told him the numbers didn't add up and to give me a ticket. He didn't and the department didn't like it,” Tyler said.
Bell has not yet decided on whether to grant the restraining order and will issue a written order at a later date.
Team 10 Investigative Reporter Austin Grabish is a government watchdog and covers military investigations, the Medical Board of California and the border. Email him at austin.grabish@10news.com
