Man Arrested for Threatening to Post Nude Pics Online Until His Ex-Girlfriend Committed Suicide

Chad A. Monroe. Photo: MLive.com

34-year-old Chad A. Monroe of Bay City, MI allegedly threatened to drive his ex-girlfriend to suicide by posting nude photos of her on Facebook. Facebook took down the photos he posted, but his victim told police that people had already downloaded them.

As Cole Waterman reports for MLive.com, the woman filed a personal protection order (PPO) against Monroe on July 22. Monroe reportedly told police, "I talked with my lawyer and he said I can put naked pictures of (her) on the Internet and...there's nothing you can do about it."

Well, thankfully, there was something the police could do about it: they issued a warrant for his arrest on August 12th, and the next day, Monroe was arraigned on single counts of stalking (a one-year misdemeanor), and unlawful posting of a message on the Internet (a two-year felony). He'll appear before before a District Judge on Tuesday, August 26th.

It's obviously terrible to hear about any story involving threats like this, but I find it heartening that the police in Bay County are taking this case seriously. What happens to Monroe will serve as an example for others who think it's within their rights to slut shame and harass a woman online.

And here's another bit of encouraging news: the comments on Cole's piece are mostly supportive of the woman! There is, of course, a bit of obligatory victim blaming (along the lines of, "If you don't want something like this to happen, keep your clothes on!"), but the majority of commenters condemn Monroe and his actions. I'm hopeful that this demonstrates some progress!

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