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Verified verbatimLiberty University Security & Public Safety news (LU Alert archive) — LU Timely Warning posted August 27, 2024934 chars
LU Timely Warning
Liberty University Police Department (LUPD) is sending this Timely Warning to the Liberty community in accordance with the Jeanne Clery Act, as this incident represents a Clery Act crime that occurred on Clery Act geography and poses a serious or continuing threat to the campus community.
LUPD is investigating multiple stalking and extortion incidents occurring on and off Liberty's campus by a former male student. The suspect reached out on multiple social media platforms using different names and threatened recipients in order to extort them for sexually explicit content.
The suspect was arrested on 08/15/24, but has since been released on bond. The suspect has been banned from campus and is prohibited from returning, although he still has access to his mobile device.
If you have received similar messages, please reach out to LUPD immediately at 434-592-3911 or 9-1-1 if you are in immediate danger.
The case combines stalking with sextortion — increasingly classified together by VAWA-2022 and University of Iowa policy as a single course of conduct
Suspect was a former student using social-media platforms and pseudonyms to threaten current students for sexually explicit content
Unusual transparency: warning identifies that the suspect was arrested, released on bond, and banned from campus — but retains his mobile device, which the warning explicitly flags as an ongoing risk
12-day gap between arrest (8/15) and warning (8/27) is notable — Clery requires 'timely' warnings; some advocates argue this is too long when continuing-threat conditions persist
Issued five months after Liberty's record $14M Clery fine — suggests continued scrutiny is reshaping LUPD's practice toward more transparent disclosure
VAWA timely warnings now routinely cover digital/online stalking, reflecting 2022 VAWA reauthorization's expanded definitions