Years Of Co-Parenting Drama Lead To Death Threats.
BOCA RATON, FL (Boca Post) — A Boca Raton woman is facing stalking and extortion charges, according to jail records released to Boca Post by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
The 38-year-old woman was arrested Thursday evening by deputies. Charges filed include “AGGRAV STALKING - FOLLOW HARASS CYBERSTALK CRED THREAT TO PERSON” and “EXTORT - OR THREATS.”
According to an arrest affidavit, the suspect is accused of harassing her husband’s former fiancée, who is also the mother of his children. The affidavit states that the suspect’s husband maintains contact with his former partner for the purpose of co-parenting their children.
Investigators allege the suspect made repeated threats, including statements that the victim’s family would be harmed.
The following details were outlined in an arrest affidavit written by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office detective assigned to the case:
On April 25, 2022, at approximately 9:55 p.m., PBSO received a call from the victim stating she had received threatening messages from the suspect. The victim told deputies she had been harassed for “years” and believed the behavior had escalated to a dangerous level.
According to the affidavit, the victim and the suspect’s husband share two children and had been together for over 17 years before separating approximately five years ago. After their breakup, the husband began a relationship with and later married the suspect. The suspect and her husband also share a young child together.
The affidavit states the victim and her former partner remained in contact to co-parent their children. However, tension allegedly developed between the victim and the suspect due to the continued communication between the former couple and extended family members.
Investigators report that between July 2021 and April 2022, the victim received dozens of calls, text messages, and voicemails that became increasingly aggressive and threatening in tone.
According to the affidavit, on April 25, 2022, at approximately 9:50 p.m., the suspect allegedly sent a text message threatening to shoot the victim’s family. The victim told deputies the message referenced the child shared by the suspect and her husband.
The victim also reported seeing the suspect outside her residence on at least one recent occasion, which she said caused genuine fear for her safety and the safety of her family. The affidavit cites Florida Statute 784.048 regarding aggravated stalking.
In addition, investigators allege the suspect repeatedly demanded that the victim persuade the children’s father to terminate his parental rights. According to the affidavit, the suspect threatened to continue harassing the victim and damage her reputation if those demands were not met.
The affidavit references several voicemails left in April and May 2022 that allegedly included threats of harm and statements intended to intimidate the victim and her family. Authorities allege the suspect threatened to harm the victim and disgrace her reputation with the intent to compel the victim to take action against her will, referencing Florida Statute 836.05 regarding extortion.
The victim identified the suspect’s phone number and confirmed the voice on the voicemails belonged to the suspect. Deputies reported that the victim provided numerous messages and recordings documenting what they described as a repeated pattern of harassment that served no legitimate purpose and caused significant emotional distress.
Investigators stated that on multiple occasions the victim told the suspect to cease contact. Despite those requests, deputies allege the suspect continued sending hostile and threatening communications.
The victim told deputies she wished to pursue charges and said she feared for her safety and that of her family. According to the affidavit, she later identified the suspect in a photo lineup. An open-source database search reportedly identified the phone number used in the communications as belonging to the suspect.
The woman was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail late Thursday evening and remains in custody.
Court records indicate she has had her first appearance before a judge and has been ordered to have no contact with the alleged victim or the victim’s children.
The court also ordered that the defendant have no access to weapons. An ex parte risk protection order has been filed in the case.
