Fla. man charged with stalking Conn. woman with acid

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Federal authorities in Connecticut say a Florida man has pleaded not guilty to federal charges accusing him of stalking a former girlfriend and trying to attack her with acid bottle bombs.

The U.S. Attorney's office in Hartford said 51-year-old Frank Mendoza of Jacksonville was held without bail. He was arrested and indicted in August on charges of interstate stalking, interstate domestic violence and using an explosive in commission of a felony.

Prosecutors said Mendoza threatened the woman for more than a year, including entering her apartment and threatening to set her on fire. He's also accused of threatening two of her friends after she moved to Connecticut to escape him.

In December 2010, he allegedly came to Connecticut and placed two acid bombs in her car. The woman noticed them and called police. She wasn't injured.