Authorities have gotten involved in a cyberstalking case involving singer and actress Shirley Manson.
On May 16, the day after Garbage released its long-awaited new album, Not Your Kind of People, @Gunn2urhead tweeted a screed of hateful messages aimed towards Garbage’s official account, according to Daily Beast.
The Twitter user in question accused Manson of lying, being an “evil witch,” cheating on her husband Billy Bush, and controlling @Gunn2urhead through telepathy. The person behind the account also sent death threats towards Manson.
Paul Kremen, Garbage’s manager called police a few days later. At the end of May, a Los Angeles judge ordered Twitter to hand over information about @Gunn2urhead’s identity and location.
Detective Kevin Becker, who oversees the Los Angeles Police Department unit handling Manson’s case, said officers plan to charge the person behind @Gunn2urhead with a felony.
Dealing with stalkers is a sad, unfortunate consequence many of those in the public eye have to deal with. Twitter often makes it easier for stalkers to track and get in contact with their targets though.
“[Celebrity cyberstalking] occurs far more than what appears in the newspaper,” Jeff Dunn, who leads the LAPD’s threat management unit, told the Daily Beast. “You are highly visible whether you are a celebrity or a CEO, and you will most likely generate some unwanted attention from someone.”
It doesn’t help matters when celebrities engage with their stalkers. After a judge ordered Genevieve Sabourin to stay away from 30 Rock star Alec Baldwin, the actor tweeted, “Isn’t it odd when an accused stalker is in handcuffs, being taken away by the cops, yet smiles for the cameras?”
Rhonda Saunders, a prosecutor with the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office, told Daily Beast celebrities should steer clear of inflaming their stalkers by engaging with them. She added those in the public spotlight should not share personal information or talk about their kids.
For their part, Dunn’s detectives encourage young celebrities to keep their personal information off the Web, despite up-and-coming starlets’ tendencies to post more details about themselves and alluring photos in an effort to get noticed.
Back in 2009, Dunn’s unit dealt with a man who intended to kidnap Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Shawn Johnson. Ironically, on the day Johnson testified against Robert O’Ryan, she tweeted her location.
“She had a near miss, but she still was putting her whereabouts on her Twitter page,” Dunn said. “That is part of the problem.”
Photo via Wikimedia
