Despite probation, New York man keeps harassing sheriff

A Troy, New York man sentenced last month in Franklin County to a five-year probation for threatening and harassing Franklin County Sheriff A.J. Smith through repeated telephone calls appears to be at it again.

According to a Wednesday afternoon news release from the sheriff’s office, David M. Reed, 35, had stopped checking in at the Kearney Center, a homeless shelter in Tallahassee, as of Dec. 18, where he had agreed to live following his sentencing Nov. 21. The release said Reed has since been located. 

In a court hearing on Nov. 21 before by Circuit Judge Francis Allman, Reed, who was represented by the public defender, withdrew his not guilty plea, and entered a plea of no contest to the charges of corruption by threat against public safety, a third degree felony, and of making harassing telephone calls, a second degree misdemeanor.

Allman granted Reed 57 days credit for incarceration, and levied $770 in fines and court costs.

The judge also stipulated Reed could have no contact with either Smith or his wife, or any sheriff’s office employee, and that the only exception could be if Reed needed to call the sheriff’s office for a bonafide emergency.

“Since his release, he has continued to stalk and harass Sheriff Smith and now employees of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office,” read the news release. “In the past couple of days Reed has continued to make contact via phone with Sheriff Smith and FCSO employees again (and) he has made intimidating threats towards Smith and FCSO employees.”

Reed’s pattern of harassing Smith with telephone calls and text messages dates back to August 2023, when he repeatedly sought to speak to a deputy regarding an unrelated case.

The sheriff said at the time that over the course of several days he received over 300 such telephone calls and text messages, including 68 calls within a span of 17 minutes.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Tallahassee Regional Operations Center Cyber High-Tech Crime and Electronic Surveillance units then launched an investigation. They determined Reed was concealing his identity through the use of a number of Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) apps.

FDLE reported that Reed had claimed to be watching the sheriff’s residence, and had sent Smith photos of the residence. “Reed also claimed to be on (Smith’s) porch while he was not home,” read the FDLE report.

The investigation later tracked the telephone being used to one in Troy, New York, where Reed resides. It also determined that Reed had two separate protective orders against him for “harassment and threats” in the state of New York.

Officers with the Troy Police Department then assisted with apprehending Reed, with a sergeant there telling FDLE that Reed is a consistent caller to their department, often using different telephone numbers. 

“The (sergeant) believes Reed has mental health issues and often calls claiming he is being followed or that people are in his attic,” read the FDLE report.

After being extradited to Franklin County, Reed was given a first appearance Sept. 27, and granted a bond of $10,250 and representation by the public defender’s office.