San Diego Man Arrested for Interstate Stalking

Daphne Hearn, Special Agent in Charge (SAC), San Diego Field Office, announces the arrest of James Howard Wheeler of San Diego, California, for violating federal interstate stalking laws.

Wheeler was arrested pursuant to a federal arrest warrant issued by the United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, Columbus Division, charging Wheeler with interstate stalking. Wheeler was charged specifically with violating Title 18, United States Code, Section(s) 2261A (2) (B), interstate stalking.

Wheeler was arrested on Wednesday, February 27, 2013, at approximately 7:30 a.m. at his San Diego residence. Wheeler was arrested without incident by FBI agents and San Diego County Sheriff’s deputies.

The charges in this matter emanate from an interstate stalking investigation conducted by the FBI’s Atlanta Field Office, with assistance provided by the San Diego FBI Field Office.

According to the complaint filed in this matter with the United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, Columbus Division, Wheeler allegedly stalked and sent threatening communications to his estranged wife, who moved from San Diego, California to Columbus, Georgia.

According to the complaint, in August 2012, the FBI received information that Wheeler was making interstate threats via the telephone and Internet. In the case of the Internet, Wheeler posted threats on the social media website Facebook. The threats were directed towards his wife Ms. Wheeler, who was in the process of divorcing Wheeler.

On August 23, 2012, Wheeler was contacted at his Imperial Beach, California residence by an FBI agent and a San Diego County Sheriff’s deputy. Wheeler was interviewed and admitted to posting threatening communications to Facebook directed towards his wife. Wheeler was admonished by the FBI agent and San Diego County Sheriff’s deputy to cease making anymore threats towards his wife.

Wheeler did not heed law enforcement’s admonishments and continued to make threats of violence involving physical injury and other threats to Ms. Wheeler’s personal safety. As a result of Wheeler’s alleged continued criminal conduct, the FBI’s Atlanta Field Office sought and obtained a federal arrest warrant charging Wheeler with interstate stalking. Wheeler was subsequently arrested in San Diego based on this federal arrest warrant.

Following his arrest, Wheeler was booked into the Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC), San Diego, California.

An arrest warrant itself is not evidence that the defendant committed the crimes charged. The defendant is presumed innocent until the government meets its burden in court of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.