A 35-year-old Kalispell man has been accused of harassing women online by posting nude photos purported to be them on Craigslist ads and sharing their contact information.
Mathew Cullen Bartlett pleaded not guilty in Flathead County District Court on Sept. 28 to five different charges: two misdemeanor charges of privacy in communications, one charge of felony privacy in communications and two charges of felony solicitation of privacy in communications.
Montana law states someone can be charged with privacy in communications or solicitation of privacy in communications when someone “knowingly or purposely, with the purpose to intimidate, threaten, harass, annoy or offend, communicated with another by electronic message.”
According to court documents, Bartlett had harassed multiple women who had recently rejected his romantic advances. In three different instances, he posted images of the women along with nude images purported to be those women on Craigslist.
Bartlett also allegedly put the woman’s contact information on the ads. The women told investigators that they had received numerous aggressive and sexually suggestive text messages and phone calls from men who had seen the ads online and wanted to engage in sexual contact.
Prosecutors also allege that Bartlett had created a fake Facebook account to harass women. At least two women reported receiving threatening and intimidating messages from the account created by Bartlett.
Attorney Peter Leander is representing Bartlett. Bartlett will stand trial before Judge Amy Eddy in February 2018. If convicted, Bartlett could face up to 15 years in prison.