The FBI has arrested a 29-year-old Tucson man on suspicion of cyberstalking and threatening a University of Arizona student, authorities say.
Caleb Alfred Tifft is accused of sending a threat on Feb. 7 to the student on Facebook messenger which read: “Think I’ll just go rape and kill a girl at this point. I give up. I’m the bad guy,” according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Arizona.
That resulted in Tifft getting an injunction against harassment the next day. He also was banned from the campus for a year, the release said.
That did not end the stalking, the release said.
On March 1, a 911 caller to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said a friend had sent him a message about committing a mass shooting on campus. The call was disconnected before it could be transferred to University of Arizona police, the release said.
A similar call was made later that day to Tucson police that was transferred to campus police.
A UAPD officer familiar with the previous case said he recognized the voice on the call as Tifft. Also, the telephone number associated with the call was the same number used to contact the sheriff's department earlier, the release said.
Tifft surrendered to the FBI on an indictment warrant.
A conviction for cyberstalking and online threats carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
