Columbus Man Sentenced for Cyberstalking Local Law Enforcement Officer

COLUMBUS, Ohio – William E. Young, 54, of Columbus, was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 55 months in prison for cyberstalking.

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Angela L. Byers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson.

According to court documents, Young was arrested in October 1999 for menacing by stalking a female in Delaware County, Ohio. He has continuously harassed and stalked one of his arresting officers since the time of his arrest and conviction.

Young created webpages using the victim’s name in order to make derogatory statements about the victim and his official position.

He mailed letters on numerous occasions to the victim’s wife and family, neighbors, physician, barber, church, church pastor and pastor’s wife, as well as  to Ohio Wesleyan College, Delaware City Hall, the Delaware Chamber of Commerce, the Delaware City Mayor, Delaware City Council members, the Delaware Police Department, the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, the Delaware County Jail, the Arapahoe County Prosecutor’s Office and other local community businesses.

A 62-page letter mailed in September 2015 to the victim’s spouse stated: “I’ll force his hand if the powers that be make the mistake of coming after me again. Then I’ll take everyone down who had a hand in what was done to me one by one.”

As part of his effort to harass and intimidate, Young filed multiple state and federal civil lawsuits against the victim and another arresting officer from Young’s 1999 arrest, and the Delaware Police Department, alleging various claims of corruption and fraud.

Young was indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2017 and pleaded guilty in January 2018. In April 2018, the defendant filed a motion to withdraw his guilty plea, which the Court thereafter denied.

“Young engaged in a campaign to harass and intimidate the victims of this case for nearly two decades,” U.S. Attorney Glassman said. “He sent at least 60 letters and mail on separate occasions, and created four separate websites to further his stalking activity. His deliberate, relentless stalking and the harm to the victims from his crime warrants the sentence he received today.”

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the FBI, and Assistant United States Attorney Jessica H. Kim, who is prosecuting the case.