A 23-year-old former Marshall University running back was sentenced Monday in federal court in Huntington to two years in federal prison.
U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin said Kevin LaShawn Grooms Jr., from Hollywood, Florida, previously pleaded guilty in September of 2015 to cyberstalking. After Grooms is released from prison, he will be on supervised release for three years.
Grooms admitted to using a cellphone to send threatening text and Instagram messages to his ex-girlfriend beginning on March 24 and continuing into the early hours of the next day. He admitted that his conduct placed his ex-girlfriend in reasonable fear of death or serious bodily injury, and caused her to suffer substantial emotional distress, Goodwin said.
An FBI investigation revealed that Grooms sent 158 messages to his ex-girlfriend within eight hours of being released from the Western Regional Jail on March 24. Grooms was under a Domestic Violence Protection Order at the time he sent the messages, which consisted of photographs and attached messages that mocked the strength of domestic restraining orders and repeatedly threatened his ex-girlfriend, Goodwin said.
Grooms met his ex-girlfriend in September 2012, when they were both enrolled at Marshall University. He admitted to engaging in a pattern of activity that included stalking, threatening the use of a deadly weapon and harassing and assaulting his ex-girlfriend throughout their relationship.
The FBI and the Huntington Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa Johnston handled the prosecution.