A 19-year-old Rochester man is facing multiple charges after deputies say he sent hundreds of obsessive messages to a former classmate and tried to lure them back to campus using a fake identity.
Shawn D. Whitaker was arrested on Nov. 25 following a months-long investigation tied to incidents at Finger Lakes Community College in Hopewell, according to the Ontario County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies say Whitaker was expelled from the college but continued to contact the victim between July and November. At one point, he allegedly created a fake email account posing as a college staff member to try and arrange a meeting.
He was also accused of deleting digital evidence during the investigation. Whitaker was charged with tampering with physical evidence, stalking in the third degree, aggravated harassment in the second degree, and criminal impersonation in the second degree.
He was taken to the Ontario County Jail for pre-arraignment detention and will return to Hopewell Town Court at a later date to face the charges.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to [email protected].