A former Indiana deputy is accused of using a fake Facebook profile to harass a woman and to try to sabotage her relationship with her boyfriend, officials told news outlets.
Indiana State Police arrested Derek Bogenschutz, 36, on Wednesday Sept 25, on a charge of felony identity deception, WFFT reported.
State police began investigating Bogenschutz in February at the request of the Jay County Sheriff’s Office, the station reported.
According to investigators, the ex-deputy began messaging the woman on Facebook under the name “Katie Morgan”, a fake account and persona Bogenschutz had created while he was a member of the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, The Commercial Review reported.
The profile had been used for official, investigative purposes, but now Bogenschutz was using it to harass an elementary school teacher he met while working part-time as a school resource officer, the newspaper reported. Officials say he and the teacher went on one date, the paper reported.
When the alleged harassment started, the teacher had a boyfriend, who also happened to be a police officer, according to WPTA.
Under the guise of Katie Morgan, investigators say Bogenschutz told the woman that her boyfriend was cheating on her, the station reported.
Her boyfriend was “playing” both of them, Bogenschutz told her, the outlet reported. He even provided screenshots of supposed text conversations between Katie Morgan and the boyfriend, arguments about him speaking with other women.
When the boyfriend found out about Katie Morgan and the messages, he reported harassment to the Union City Police Department, WFFT reported.
A Union City police officer mentioned the case to a Jay County deputy, and the deputy recognised the profile as Bogenschutz’s, logged into the account and saw the messages, the station reported. – The Charlotte Observer/Tribune News Service
