A former trooper with the Texas Department of Public Safety has been convicted of stalking his ex-wife and sentenced to four years of probation. For those who have had a difficult time moving on after the end of a marriage, the case is a reminder that refusing to let go comes with a cost.

The couple divorced in 2009. Not long afterward, the former state trooper's ex-wife started getting phone calls and visits from men she didn't know. To her horror, the men were expecting to have sex with her. Why? Because according to prosecutors, her ex-husband had accessed an online dating site and created a fake profile under her name. The profile allegedly encouraged men to contact her for sexual encounters, and the men who showed up were under the impression that they had been chatting with the woman whose picture appeared in the profile.

Police who searched the former trooper's computer in the ensuing investigation later said that it contained the photo of his wife that appeared on the dating site, and that the trooper had accessed the site itself. His wife said she had nothing to do with the profile or the site.

 The woman also testified that before the phony profile incident, the woman had received hundreds of text messages from her former husband, who went on to threaten her in phone calls to her mother and aunt. At his sentencing hearing the ex-wife reminded him that he was not above the law.

The same holds true for anyone who threatens a former spouse. Divorce is extremely difficult, but even if you're an unwilling party, there's little that can be done to stop it once your spouse has made the decision. As this case demonstrates, verbal and physical threats will only create more problems. For those who find themselves the victim of such threats, talking with an experienced divorce attorney is part of the solution, in addition to getting help from police immediately.

Source: Star-Telegram.com, "Crime Time: DPS trooper gets 4 years probation for stalking, impersonating ex-wife online," Dianna Hunt, Aug. 30, 2012

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