HELENA, Mont. (AP) - A Montana FBI agent has been charged with stalking his ex-girlfriend and obstructing officers investigating the case.
Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton said Ricky James Shelbourn was arrested on the misdemeanor charges on March 16, the Independent Record reported Monday.
Shelbourn, the supervisory senior resident agent in Montana, was released on his own recognizance. He is not allowed to possess or have access to any firearms.
The FBI branch did not immediately respond to calls requesting comment on whether Shelbourn has been placed on leave.
“We are aware of the matter involving the charges against an FBI employee. The FBI takes allegations of misconduct very seriously,” said Sandra Barker, an FBI public affairs specialist in Salt Lake City,. She said the case has been referred to Internal Affairs.
An arrest affidavit by the Montana Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation said a woman described “substantial emotional distress” in 2019 after she ended an “intermittent, intimate relationship” of about three years.
The woman said Shelbourn “followed, monitored, observed, surveilled, and harassed her or those around her,” the affidavit said. Shelbourn acknowledged he had been contacting the woman after she asked him not to and “agreed his repeatedly contacting her was a bit obsessive,” charging documents said.
There is no phone listing for Shelbourn in the Helena area and Barker did not know if he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
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