A Columbus man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly cyberstalking Delaware County Sheriff Russell Martin.
Officials from the Southern District of Ohio District Court reported Thursday that William E. Young, 54, of Columbus, was indicted by a federal grand jury and charged with cyberstalking, a federal crime punishable by up to five years in prison.
Young was arrested by FBI agents on Tuesday and is scheduled to return to court Friday at 11 a.m. for a detention hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Preston-Deavers.
The indictment alleges that Young was arrested by Martin in October 1999 for stalking a woman, who was a police officer with City of Delaware Police at the time. Federal officials report that since that 1999 arrest, Young has “continuously harassed and stalked” Martin.
After the indictment was reported Thursday, Martin issued the following statement:
“Over the last three decades in law enforcement, I’ve arrested or investigated thousands of criminals, many of them violent and extremely dangerous. The man the FBI arrested has threatened and harassed me and my family for years, and while I signed up for this job, my family didn’t. We deserve to be safeguarded from danger — just as any other citizen. I’m appreciative that the FBI and the United States Attorney’s Office took action to arrest and charge this suspect. I’ll cooperate with prosecutors and continue to work hard as Sheriff, protecting the people of Delaware County.”
Kristin L. Cadieux, a special agent with the FBI, filed an affidavit in district court, detailing Young’s harassment of Martin over the past 17 years. According to the affidavit, Young created four web pages and sent numerous letters to Martin.
Young allegedly mailed letters on numerous occasions to Martin’s wife and family, neighbors, physician, barber, church and church pastor, and pastor’s wife, as well as to Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware City Hall, Delaware Chamber of Commerce, Delaware City Mayor, Delaware City Council members, Delaware Police Department, Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, Delaware County Jail, and other local organizations and businesses.
“Letters varied in length from three to 92 pages, and often included court records related to the 1999 conviction and documents related to civil lawsuits that Young filed against the victim and a fellow officer,” U.S. Attorney Benjamin C. Glassman said.
Officials report that in a May 2010 interview with agents of the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Young stated he wanted Martin fired and wanted him to “eat his gun.”
Federal officials also said that in September 2015, Young mailed a 62-page letter to Martin’s wife which included the following statement: “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.”
