Washington Man to Serve 30 Months in Prison for Stalking Oklahoma Woman

OKLAHOMA CITY—Last Friday, Coy C. Coleman, 42, of Olympia, Washington, was sentenced by United States District Judge Robin J. Cauthron to serve 30 months in prison for interstate stalking, announced Sanford C. Coats, United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma.

On June 22, 2011, a federal grand jury charged Coleman with interstate stalking. According to the indictment, Coleman lived outside of Oklahoma and used the mail, a computer service, and a facility of interstate commerce to engage in a course of conduct that caused substantial emotional distress to two women in southwest Oklahoma.

Coleman pled guilty on December 1, 2011. At the plea hearing, he admitted that he was originally from Oklahoma, moved away from the state, but continued to make contact with one of the Oklahoma women. Coleman admitted that from April 2008 through September 2009, he sent the Oklahoma victim several postcards and letters from around the world, posted MySpace messages about her, and helped to place telephone calls to the victim. He admitted that his contacts with the Oklahoma woman were rude and derogatory and were meant to harass and frighten her.

At the sentencing hearing last Friday, Judge Cauthron ordered Coleman to serve 30 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Defense Office of Inspector General-Defense Criminal Investigative Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris M. Stephens.