Taylortown investigators tracked down a cyberstalker who sent “obscene and threatening” text messages to Village Children’s House, a Montessori school in Taylortown. Police Chief S. Johnson, Sr. advised the town council about the investigation and subsequent arrest in his monthly report Tuesday night during their regular January session.

“The threats were dangerous, obscene and very concerning.” the chief said.

It took time to track the source. The sender used sophisticated cloaking software to hide his identity, but Taylortown was able to use "pinging" applications to follow the texts to their origin. An Android app had been used to conceal the sender, according to Det. Lt. Mike Walters.

“Chief Johnson made our mission clear from the start and made certain we had all the available resources to bring the cyberstalker to justice,” Walters said. “He made it clear that we would do whatever was necessary to ensure the safety of the staff, parents, and children at the school.”

Taylortown had help from five local law enforcement agencies as well as a number of telecommunications and Internet providers.

A little before 3 a.m. last Thursday – just as law enforcement was closing in – Dakota Jackson (also known as Cody Jackson), 22, of Raeford, N.C. turned himself in to the police department there. He walked into the station just as his address was being relayed to Raeford police. Apparently he’d been tipped off by an unnamed source, according to Johnson.

Jackson was placed under a $10,000 secured bond as well as a $2,000 secured bond on an unrelated charge of communicating threats. His first court appearance was set for Feb. 21 in Moore County District Court.

“Let this be a lesson to those people who think they can conceal their identity using technology to harness and threaten other people. We will catch you.”