Deputies ID two suspects in case of cyberbullying involving Falcon School District 49 on Facebook

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Copyright 2013 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Posted: 03/01/2013
Last Updated: 85 days ago

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Deputies have identified two suspects in a case of cyberbullying on Facebook.

"Deputies worked diligently to pursue all available leads and quickly identified two suspects; 18-year-old Alexander Natale and 18-year-old Kyle Pate, who each attend different D49 schools," said a statement from the El Paso County Sheriff's office.

The Facebook page, Falcon Problems, was filled with insults like "____ is a drug dealer" and "___ took a ___ on the floor at a party."

Students alerted school administrators and a school resource officer about the cyberbullying.

The El Paso County Sheriff's Office started investigating Tuesday.

Deputies said Natale was served a summons on Thursday charging him with harassment. 

Officials said they will issue Pate a summons for the charge of harassment when they contact him.

"The Sheriff's Office takes cyberbullying cases seriously because they can result in repeated events of victimization and escalate to physical altercations and violence," officials said in a statement. "Furthermore, cyber-bullying often extends beyond the intended, individual victim(s) and interferes with school operations and their mission to educate our youth in a safe and secure environment."

Because of the Facebook page, sheriff's deputies increased patrols in Falcon School District 49. There are three high schools in the district, but the majority of the victims on the Facebook page were students at Falcon High School.

The page was taken down Thursday night.

Copyright 2013 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


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