Local Real Estate Agents Receiving Explicit Images Led to Man Being Charged with Cyberstalking
Detectives from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office assigned to the Burglary and Pawn Unit began their investigation on Saturday, June 17, 2017. They received information from a 73 year-old woman, who is a local real estate agent about text messages she received from an unknown subject.
When the realtor replied to the text messages initially, she received a photograph of an explicit image followed by sexual messages. The suspect sent multiple explicit messages to the victim. She received over 20 messages and photos according to the arrest affidavit,.
Through various investigative techniques, detectives were able to identify the suspect who was later identified as 48-year-old, Reginald Bernard Nelson.
Nelson has been linked to approximately twenty one cases that were reported to Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, Gulfport Police Department, Clearwater Police Department, and Treasure Island Police Department. The victims in these related cases were also real estate agents who were receiving similar text messages.
Detectives through various investigative techniques were able to locate Nelson in a parking lot near 43rd Street and Park Boulevard in Pinellas Park.
Upon interviewing Nelson, Investigators say he admitted that he intentionally would find local female realtors in local advertisement papers and contact them with inappropriate images and or texts.
On Friday, August 4, 2017, detectives arrested Nelson for one count of felony cyberstalking.
Investigators say more charges against Nelson are pending.
Nelson was arrested in December 2016 by Gulfport Police for a similar incident.
Nelson was transported to the Pinellas County Jail without further incident.