David Ryan Winters, 38, of Durham, North Carolina, was charged with cyberstalking and harassing five gay men, including a member of the Raleigh, North Carolina City Council.
A federal grand jury returned the indictment against Winters last week, officials said. press release From the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina.
According to the press release, the indictment alleges that Winters “sent electronic and text messages to the victims and, in some cases, to people close to the victims in an attempt to intimidate and harass them.” The U.S. Attorney’s Office alleges they targeted them because of their sexual orientation and gender identity.
Raleigh City Councilman Jonathan Lambert Melton, who names the victim only by his initials in the indictment, told the television station. Warar He was among them. He was elected to the city council in 2019, becoming the first person from the LGBTQ+ community to win a council seat, but said he has been harassed by Winters ever since. He also received death threats.
“When someone knows where you live and threatens to come to your house… [and] To say you’d be better off dead…it’s really difficult,” Lambert Melton told the station. “I don’t wish anyone to go through a very difficult experience.” He said he has blocked Winters on social media, but Winters continues to open new accounts.
“Obviously I’m a little relieved,” he said of Winters’ arrest. He told WRAL that all of the victims appear to be gay. Some of the harassment of other victims dates back to 2016, according to the indictment.
Lambert Melton said he wants Winters to be held accountable, but he also wants Winters to get help. Lambert Melton was scheduled to give a victim impact statement at Winters’ court appearance on Monday.
If Winters is convicted on all charges, he could be sentenced to up to 25 years in prison, according to a press release.
“Everyone has an equal right to live, work, worship, and love in America,” U.S. Attorney Michael F. Easley Jr. said in the release. “We will not tolerate people who threaten, stalk, or commit violence just because they don’t like the way another person lives. Everyone is treated equally and fairly under the law, and we We do not intend to normalize violence and intimidation, and our civil rights team remains committed to combating all types of intimidation and hate-fueled violence.”
The case is being investigated by Raleigh and Durham police, the Wake County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Blondell.
Source: Advocate.com – www.advocate.com
