A man has been arrested for allegedly threatening female Realtors in Lowndes County, according to Sheriff Eddie Hawkins.
Frank Valentin Mainka, 44, was arrested and charged with cyberstalking. Mainka allegedly contacted female Realtors and threatened them with a plot to have his wife set up an appointment to view a house, which he would then use as an opportunity to sexually assault the Realtor. He was already on parole for previous convictions of cyberstalking, possession of methamphetamine and possession of a weapon by a felon.
Sheriff’s office investigators began working with the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation to identify and arrest him. When MBI attempted to contact him, he fled to Arkansas, Hawkins said. An Arkansas state trooper arrested him in Dumas, Arkansas, after a “Be On the Look Out” was issued for him.
On Monday, Mainka was extradited back to Lowndes County, where he is being held at the Lowndes County Adult Detention Center. He has been charged with cyberstalking, as well as failure to register as a sex offender in Scott County. His bond is set at $100,000.
Hawkins said Mainka lived in Forest — which is in Scott County — and was apparently picking women at random to call. The calls were not limited to Lowndes County.
Mainka had previously been charged with harassing phone calls back in 2007, Hawkins said.
“Clearly he wasn’t rehabilitated or held accountable back in 2007,” Hawkins said. “This type of activity will not be tolerated in our community. My detectives, in partnership with MBI, will do everything in their power to ensure he is held accountable now.”
Hawkins said multiple counties are in contact with his office because they are dealing with similar crimes and are looking at Mainka as a suspect, including Pontotoc and Lamar counties.
“He bragged that he had done this in the past, twice on the coast and twice in Starkville,” Hawkins said. “We are checking with the coast, but there hasn’t been a report of anything like this in Starkville.”
Hawkins said he did not think that Mainka had actually followed through on his threat.
“If anyone has been a victim of a similar threat, we want them to call us,” Hawkins said.
Hawkins asked victims or others with knowledge of these crimes to call the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office at 662-328-6788 or Golden Triangle Crimestoppers at 1-800-530-7151, or use the P3 Tips smartphone app to leave an anonymous tip. Tips through Crime Stoppers are always anonymous, as well, and are eligible for a cash reward.
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