Man gets 12 years for threatening Cary cop, Wake prosecutor, lawyer

A Virginia man was sentenced Wednesday to 12 years in federal prison for harassing and threatening a Cary police detective, a Wake County prosecutor and a lawyer for their roles in a custody dispute and a criminal case in which he was involved, authorities said.

William Scott Davis Jr., 57, of Hampton, Va., was convicted of cyberstalking and communicating interstate threats.

Davis was living in Cary in 2009 when his parental rights with regard to his daughter were terminated. During the same period, he was convicted of fraud for forging of his daughter's birth certificate, authorities said.

He later "initiated a relentless campaign of harassment and intimidation" toward the detective, prosecutor and lawyer, authorities said, noting that he sent emails to all three women that contained "detailed threats of violence and rape." Davis also stalked the lawyer, threatening her life and the lives of her family, and impersonated an FBI agent, authorities said.

"The proper functioning of our social services and judicial systems requires that all its participants – prosecutors, law enforcement officers and attorneys – be free from threats and harm. Our systems cannot function where those participants face threats, intimidation or the real risk of harm," U.S. Attorney Robert Higdon said in a statement. "Make no mistake, we will stand firmly behind our fellow prosecutors and our law enforcement and social services partners."