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A Crestview area man is in custody following an Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office investigation into reports he threatened the life of his girlfriend and her family. commandeered her social media accounts, and violated the conditions of a domestic violence protection order.
49-year old Brian Howard of 6356 Highway 393 is charged with aggravated stallking, accessing an electronic device without authority, and use of a two way communication device to facilitate a felony.
The investigation also led to the arrest of 52-year old Joseph Pursley of 6356 Highway 393 on a charge of posession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
The victim says Howard threatened last month to kill her and some of her family members. The next day she says he found a loaded fiream hidden under the driver’s side of Howard’s truck. She then obtained a temporary domestic violence injunction which specifices no contact between the two.
A forensic search of the victim’s cellphone by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement revealed Howard’s phone of record was the login for the victim’s Facebook account, allowing Howard to access and communicate through her account against her will.
The weapon found in the truck meantime belonged to Howard’s friend Joseph Pursley. He told OCSO investigators he is unsure how it ended up in the truck, which he says he has access to along with Howard and the victim.
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