Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)
An 29-year-old man who sent sexually explicit images of his ex-girlfriend to her father, brother, and employer pleaded guilty to cyberstalking, announced acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad Meacham.
Huston Tyler McLearen, of Lubbock, was indicted in November 2024. He pleaded guilty Wednesday to cyber staking before U.S. Magistrate Judge Amanda “Amy” R. Burch.
“Cyberstalking is a uniquely vicious crime with devastating impacts on its victims. And unfortunately, online intimidation and harassment can quickly escalate to physical violence,” said U.S. Attorney Chad Meacham. “We applaud this victim for pushing past her fear and shame and reporting her experience to law enforcement. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas is proud to stand up for her.”
“The defendant’s alarming behavior was countered by the bravery of his victim who so courageously reported him to law enforcement despite the threats he made to kill her,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to do everything in our power to seek justice for victims and their families, hold perpetrators accountable and protect others from harm.”
According to court documents, in June 2024, Mr. McLearen’s ex-girlfriend – identified in court documents as Jane Doe – submitted a tip to the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center (NTOC) stating that Mr. McLearen had been harassing her, her family, her friends, and her work colleagues.
During an interview with law enforcement, Ms. Doe said that after she broke up with Mr. McLearen and moved out of their shared apartment, he hounded her with texts and calls urging her to kill herself and threatening to share sexually explicit photographs of her online.
Cell phone records confirmed that Mr. McLearen called the victim as many as 39 times per day.
Ms. Doe showed officers social media profiles Mr. McLearen created to share lewd images of her with the public. Officers later uncovered posts in which Mr. McLearen claimed Ms. Doe was “looking for a man that would pay for sex.”
In a recorded phone call, Mr. McLearen admitted to an acquaintance that he also sent nude images of the victim to her own brother and father as well as her employer.
In the same phone call, introduced into evidence at Mr. McLearen’s detention hearing, the defendant described women as devils who deserve to be tortured, killed, and raped, and remarked that if the conditions were right, he would kill Jane Doe.
“It would be a bullet shot going through her window,” he said.
Mr. McLearen now faces up to five years in federal prison. His sentencing date has not yet been set.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Texas Tech University Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Rancourt is prosecuting the case.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline urges victims of cyberstalking to implement a safety plan. For more information, click here or dial 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).