Man used Facebook, went to child’s house, to intimidate KY drug witness.
A man has admitted using Facebook to intimidate a Whitley County witness who had given federal authorities information on drug crimes.
Kenneth Andrew Dodd pleaded guilty to one charge of using an electronic communication device — Facebook Messenger — to engage in conduct expected to cause substantial emotional distress to the witness, and to one charge of making a false statement to a federal law enforcement officer.
Dodd, 28, told Todd Tremaine, a special agent with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, that he didn’t have a Facebook account when Tremaine questioned him about the harassing post, according to a court document.
Dodd’s case is related to one in which 16 people were charged with selling methamphetamine in Laurel and Knox counties in 2018, according to court records.
The charges against Dodd don’t identify the victim of his intimidating Facebook post.
Dodd got hold of a report from the ATF that summarized information from an interview in which the victim provided information on “numerous drug and firearms trafficking suspects,” according to Dodd’s plea agreement.
Those interview summaries are provided to defendants so they can prepare for trial. Dodd could have gotten the information from a person charged in another case.
Dodd tagged the witness by name in a Facebook post that read “WTF . . . (victim’s name) some things cant ever go too back before . . . here this is a ender . . . I promise for sure.”
Dodd’s Facebook friends included several people he knew were involved in making meth, his plea agreement said.
Several people commented on his post, calling the victim a “rat,” among other things.
Dodd, who has several prior arrests in Kentucky, also sent the witness’ statement to other people.
The statement by the witness included the names of his or her children. Dodd later went to one of the children’s houses to talk about the witness cooperating with police.
The witness felt threatened by what Dodd had done and believed his or her children also were in danger, according to Dodd’s plea deal.
Each of the charges against Dodd has a top sentence of five years in prison. He is to be sentenced in June.
