A man from Tuscaloosa has been sentenced to prison for cyberstalking and threatening his former girlfriend. The announcement came from U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge James DeLoatch.
Kenneth Peter Hoover, aged 27, received a 37-month prison sentence from U.S. District Court Judge Annmarie Axon. Hoover had previously pleaded guilty to charges of interstate threatening communications and cyberstalking in November.
Details from the plea agreement indicated that the FBI National Threat Operations Center was alerted on January 22, 2024, via an online tip regarding a series of threatening posts on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. These posts, authored by Hoover, included threats to assault and kill his ex-girlfriend. After the Tuscaloosa Police Department became aware of the posts, they contacted the victim and ensured her safety by securing appropriate housing for her.
In subsequent actions, a Tuscaloosa police officer stopped Hoover’s vehicle, requesting him to exit. However, Hoover did not comply. It took the intervention of additional officers to successfully take him into custody.
The investigation disclosed that Hoover harnessed various digital applications such as Apple iMessage, Snapchat, and Venmo to send threatening and violent messages intended to harass, intimidate, or injure the victim.
The FBI Birmingham Division collaborated with the Tuscaloosa Police Department to investigate the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel S. McBrayer.