County employee charged with harassing his ex-boyfriend

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A 31-year-old analyst in the Allegheny County Controller’s office was charged Wednesday with harassing his ex-boyfriend by submitting anonymous tips about the man to Pittsburgh city officials.

James R. Sheppard, of Brookline, is accused of routinely harassing Christopher Caton, who is on a waiting list to become a Pittsburgh police officer, since the pair broke up in April, according to a criminal complaint.

Police believe Mr. Sheppard submitted two anonymous complaints about Mr. Caton through the city’s Community Safety website in October.

The first complaint said Mr. Caton was driving without a license plate, and the second said Mr. Caton was claiming to be a police officer although he was not.

Investigators traced the IP address attached to the complaints. The first led back to Mr. Sheppard, and the second was registered as the City of Pittsburgh, according to the complaint.

When police investigated the anonymous complaints, they learned that Mr. Caton had reported his license plate stolen in September. Mr. Caton told police that he’d received multiple text messages from Mr. Sheppard and also believed the man had accessed his Facebook account and changed his settings.

When interviewed by police, Mr. Sheppard admitted to submitting the complaints, sending the messages and accessing the Facebook account, according to the complaint. He also said he may have filed the second complaint from his computer at work.

Mr. Sheppard wrote a letter of apology to Mr. Caton, who opted to press charges.

Louis Takacs, spokesman for the controller’s office, confirmed Friday that Mr. Sheppard was an employee and said the man has been suspended without pay until further notice. He declined to comment further.

Mr. Sheppard was charged with unlawful use of a computer, a felony, as well as misdemeanor stalking and harassment. He was booked into the Allegheny County Jail and released on a non-monetary bond.

He is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on Jan. 11 in City Court, Downtown.