Local
Governor Comes To The Westplex To Sign Internet Harassment Bill
By Mike Thomas
Jun 30, 2008 - 9:26:38 PM

Governor Matt Blunt was in the Westplex Monday afternoon to sign a bill into law targeting stalking and harassment over the Internet.

The Governor signed the bill at the Middendorf-Kredell Library in O'Fallon.

The new law extends the state's harassment law to include electronic communications including the Internet. It forbids anyone of making more than two attempts to stalk or harass someone over the web and also requires schools to adopt policies that require administrators and teachers to report any incidents of such stalking or harassment to law enforcement. The new law makes harassment a felony for adults 21 years of age or older.  Anyone under 21 caught harassing via the Internet would be charged with a misdemeanor.

The law was inspired by the suicide of 13 year old Megan Meier, of Dardenne Prairie in St. Charles County . She hanged herself in October of 2006 in her home after receiving cruel messages from what she thought was a 16-year-old boy on a MySpace account. In reality, the account was created by an adult neighbor, identified as Lori Drew.   Charges have filed in California against Drew.