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Derik Wayne Bowers, 44, of Hagerstown, was indicted after stalking his girlfriend to intimidate her over text messages, phone calls, and Facebook, according to the Department of Justice.
Officials say that Bowers sent his ex-girlfriend 815 messages in December 2022 on top of publishing social media posts to embarrass her and interfere with her livelihood. He reportedly sent her a total of thousands of messages over a several-month period.
“Cyberstalking is a pervasive problem that we treat very seriously in West Virginia,” said United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld. “I encourage those who are being intimidated online and who suffer substantial emotional distress as a result to file a police report so that wrongdoers may be investigated and held to account.”
Bowers faces up to five years in prison if convicted of the charges.
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