Former State Trooper Indicted for Alleged Cyberstalking, Deprivation of Rights under Color of Law

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A federal grand jury has charged William P. Elschlager, 48, of Marietta, Ohio, with cyberstalking and deprivation of rights under color of law in an indictment returned here today.

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Angela L. Byers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, and Washington County Sheriff Larry R. Mincks, Sr. announced the indictment.

According to the indictment, between November 2015 and January 2016, Elschlager allegedly placed a victim under surveillance with a GPS device on the victim’s vehicle and with the intent to harass and intimidate the victim.

It is also alleged that Elschlager, while acting under color of law, unlawfully conducted a traffic stop of the victim after tracking her location with the GPS devise, thus depriving the victim of her Constitutional right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures.

Elschlager was arrested on May 17 by Washington County Sheriff’s Office deputies and released on his own recognizance. Elschlager will no longer appear for the preliminary hearing that was scheduled for June 8 but will instead appear for an arraignment on the indictment, which has yet to be scheduled.

Cyberstalking is a crime punishable by up to five years in prison. Deprivation of rights under color of law carries a potential maximum sentence of one year in prison.

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the FBI and Washington County Sheriff’s Office, as well as Assistant United States Attorney Jessica H. Kim, who is prosecuting the case.

An indictment merely contains allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

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