by Jen Russell
JEFFERSON CO., Pa. (EYT) — A Reynoldsville woman is being charged with harassment after she reportedly sent her husband’s ex-wife repeated Facebook messages at late-night and early-morning hours, then blocking her so she could not respond.
According to court documents, Brookville Borough Police Department filed the following criminal charge against 45-year-old Vanessa Pierce, of Reynoldsville, in Magisterial District Judge Gregory Bazylak’s office on August 26:
- Harassment — Communicating Repeatedly and Inconvenient Hours, Misdemeanor 3
According to the criminal complaint, on July 29, at approximately 6:20 p.m., Brookville Police received a phone call about a harassment incident. The victim told police that over the weekend, her ex-husband’s new wife came into a sports bar where she works part-time and took pictures of her, then posted them on Facebook saying she is a drug user and dealer.
According to the complaint, the victim told police that she had been divorced from her husband for over 22 years, and there had been issues with her ex-husband’s new wife, Vanessa Pierce, who had messaged her through Facebook and posted nasty comments about her. The victim told police that she usually just lets it go, but this time it affected her regular job. Because Pierce was taking pictures and posting things on Facebook, the victim had to go to her employer’s main office in Butler and talk with her boss.
The victim also told police that Pierce sent her messages on Saturday, July 27, from around 3:30 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. The victim said that the last time Pierce had messaged her, she told Pierce to stop, and Pierce blocked her. The victim told police that when the messages came in on Saturday, Pierce had unblocked her, sent the message, and then blocked her again, the complaint states.
On July 30, around 6:20 p.m., police met with the victim at the police station to review the messages and Facebook posts from Pierce.
The victim said the latest message from Pierce came at approximately 11:30 p.m. on July 29.
The victim agreed to email copies of all the messages to the police, and she provided a written statement on the incident, the complaint continues.
On August 19, at approximately 7:00 p.m., police met with Pierce at the Brookville Police Station for an interview regarding the incident.
Police explained to Pierce that the victim reported she had been messaging her several times at inconvenient hours. Pierce told police that she did message the victim. She admitted that due to drinking, she did not remember sending all of the messages, but remembered messaging her a few times, the complaint states.
According to the complaint, Pierce told police that she had been drinking the night of the July 29 incident, and when she got home, she was upset because she had heard the victim talking about her to another person. She told police that she knew she should not have been messaging the victim.
A preliminary hearing is set for September 25, at 2:45 p.m., with Judge Bazylak presiding.