Man accused of calling West Virginia woman 815 times over 2 days
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A Maryland man has been charged with cyberstalking after using social media to harass and intimidate his ex-girlfriend in West Virginia.
According to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office Northern District of West Virginia, Derik Bowers was indicted on one count of stalking by a federal grand jury.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said, according to court documents, the man harassed the Morgan County woman using text messages, phone calls and Facebook. Bowers called the victim 815 times during a 48-hour period in December 2022, officials said. He is also accused of sending the woman thousands of harassing text messages over a several-month period.
"Cyberstalking is a pervasive problem that we treat very seriously in West Virginia," United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld said in the release. "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."
If convicted, Bowers faces up to five years in prison.