ANOTHER ONLINE PREDATOR--SMALL TOWNS AREN'T IMMUNE

Nicholas Waymire

An Alexandria, Indiana man is facing a long list of charges in connection with the alleged online stalking of teenage girls in Madison County.

Police said Nicholas Waymire, 19, used the screen alias "mysterious0586" to log onto online social networking sites, such as MySpace and Facebook, to strike up conversations with teenage girls.

"He was letting them know that he was watching them. In some cases, he broke into vehicles, removed articles," Alexandria police Chief Jack Malston said. "One girl had her cheerleading outfit taken by him. Alexandria police received a complaint about one of the conversations last November.

"Other victims started contacting the police department with their own complaints, without the knowledge of the first complaint," Malston said. After an investigation that spanned several months, police traced the screen name to Waymire.

"We got a warrant, seized his computer and found out that his screen name had been used on his computer almost 700 times," Madison County prosecutor Rodney Cummings said.

Police said nine teens from area high schools came forward. Waymire was arrested Wednesday. He faces 15 charges, including harassment, intimidation and voyeurism. Waymire was released on a $5,000 bond, something Malston said concerns him.

"We were hoping with the amount of charges that were filed that it should have been a larger amount than what it was," Malston said. "He was let out pretty easily."

Investigators said they hope the case serves to make parents more vigilant in knowing what their kids are up to online and who they're talking to.