Moment Man with Knife, Ski Mask and Sledgehammer Admits to Chilling Plan for Sleeping Ex

The incident went down this past Sunday evening, around 11:30pm, while a patrol deputy was making his rounds in a Deltona neighborhood. While out, he came across a man who the Volusia County Sheriff's Office said in a press release was "attempting to conceal his face."

The man -- later identified as 20-year-old Jalen Vallejos -- was wearing layers of dark clothing and had a ski mask on top of his head, despite it being 76 degrees out, according to a probable cause arrest affidavit.

When asked why he was covering his face in bodycam video of his arrest, Vallejos says "it's kind of cold out." He also tells the deputy that he was "just taking a walk," adding he sometimes can't sleep ... before handing over a knife he was carrying, as well as his wallet.

The deputy then reads him his Miranda rights, before asking Vallejos to show him his ski mask and gloves. After emptying his pockets, one of which contained a lock pick, the man is then placed in handcuffs. He was detained after deputies saw the lock pick, per the criminal complaint, because there had been an increase in car thefts in the area.

Stealing cars, however, isn't what Vallejos had in mind.

When asked by authorities what he's doing, he tells them, "Going to my ex's house. Just to watch her, sir. Break in, sir."

He then admits they don't get along, before he's asked whether he was going to use his knife on her at the home. "No sir," he replies, insisting he didn't want to hurt her. When asked his intentions, he then says he's "not sure," before revealing he suffers from anxiety.

After being placed in a cruiser, he's asked if there's a chance he could have used the knife at his ex's home. Vallejos says, "Yes," adding that he would use it for "self defense if her father came out." He also insists he had no intention of stabbing his ex, saying the knife was purely for self defense purposes.

"You wanted to break in and just watch her while she was sleeping?" asks the deputy. "I'm not sure. I don't break in, I just watch her from the [outside]," he says, adding that he did the same thing "a couple months ago" and brought the lock pick in case the fence around the home was locked. Per the sheriff, Vallejos "admitted he has been visiting his ex's house and watching her sleep for 6 to 8 months."

It's then he's asked if he believes his behavior could escalate "to the point it could become physically violent against her," he shakes his head yes and says, "I'm afraid." Vallejos then admits to having his dad's truck nearby, telling the deputy they'll find a sledgehammer inside as well. When asked his plans for the sledgehammer, he said he was "probably gonna use it," before clarifying he would use it on the front door or, possibly, "self-defense."

According to the Sheriff, they also found a backpack containing duct tape, wire cutters and spray paint inside the truck. They claim Vallejos later admitted he vandalized his ex's home back in April, as well.

The ex-girlfriend told deputies the two broke up six months ago after a two-year relationship and she no longer wanted to have contact with Vallejos, claiming he kept calling her and showing up at her home uninvited. She and her father also said someone spray painted the garage at their home back in April -- and, when told about the knife, sledgehammer and break-in tools, said they were "in fear for their lives."

Vallejos was charged with aggravated stalking, attempted armed burglary, loitering or prowling, possession of burglary tools, and criminal mischief. He remains behind bars without bond.