Former inmate cyberstalks previous employee of Rapides Parish Detention Center

On August 15, a complainant contacted the Sheriff’s Office and stated she was receiving harassing messages from a male subject in Alexandria.

The victim was a former contract employee in the Rapides Parish Detention Center and had prior dealings with the male, identified as Anthony Jerome Ferrell, 31 of Alexandria, while he was incarcerated.

The victim terminated her employment several months ago for reasons unrelated to this incident and moved away while Ferrell was still incarcerated.

According to the victim, when Ferrell was released on August 8, he immediately initiated contact with the victim and her family through social media. The victim refused to answer Ferrell’s messages, but, over time, she became concerned for her safety due to the increasingly threatening messages that Ferrell continued to leave her.

Ferrell not only expressed a desire to physically harm her in some of the messages, but also made repeated attempts to obtain her current address, as he already had obtained her previous one.

Sheriff’s detectives began their investigation and were able to establish probable cause that supported the victim's allegations. Warrants for Ferrell’s arrest were obtained for nine counts cyberstalking and six counts stalking.

On September 7, deputies assigned to the Warrant Section located Ferrell and he was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Rapides Parish Detention Center on the charges. Ferrell remains in jail on a $150,000.00 bond.