Threatening texts result in criminal charge

PRIEST RIVER — A 23-year-old Newport man is learning the hard way that online misbehavior can have consequences in real life.

John William Clark is scheduled to be sentenced Friday in Bonner County Magistrate Court on a charge of using a communications device to engage in harassment, a misdemeanor punishable by up to year in jail.

Clark was charged last year after a student at Priest River Lamanna High School told police she had been receiving vulgar and threatening messages from him over a text messaging application and social media in April of last year. One of the messages threatened to sic methamphetamine users on her to rape her, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Clark was confronted by Priest River Police about the messages and he said the recipient could simply block the messages. He also unsuccessfully argued that they were protected speech under the First Amendment, the affidavit said.

The Priest River Police investigation also revealed Clark was also being investigated by Newport Police, according to court documents.

Clark said he sent the messages because he felt disrespected by the teen and other women he was communicating with and was owed an explanation for their unresponsiveness, the affidavit said.

He added that he had no intention of acting on the threats.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.