GILBERT, Ariz. — Eight incidents of doxxing have been reported in connection with teen violence cases, Gilbert Police Chief Michael Soelberg said during a news conference Thursday. Two of the cases are active investigations.
The incidents involve Gilbert residents being harassed by people who believe they are involved in ongoing teen violence investigations.
Doxxing is when people publish or post identifying information about someone, especially as a form of punishment or revenge, Soelberg said, adding that the eight cases range from Nov. 2023 to Feb. 2024.
"Let me be clear that we want justice for each and every victim in Gilbert," Soelberg said. "We know the community wants justice as well. But we can't have vigilante justice where citizens are publishing personal information that can and has enabled others to verbally harass innocent individuals."
Two of the eight cases have been cleared with arrests, Soelberg said. These arrests involve people who posted the address of a family of a person of interest in a teen violence case.
But the family in question had sold their house the year prior and the address posted now belonged to new residents with no connection to teen violence investigations. These new residents have been harassed, Soelberg said.
Police have not identified the people harassing the family, but police have cited and released the people who posted the address online.
In Arizona, doxxing is charged with the statute "use of an electronic communication used to terrify, intimidate, threaten or harass," Soelberg said at the news conference.
Two cases remain active, three cases were exceptionally cleared because the victims did not want to press charges and one was unfounded.
Thursday's news conference is the latest in a series of weekly updates from the police chief as residents continue to monitor the East Valley incidents.
A series of teen violence incidents over the past few years have been brought to the attention of authorities after the recent death of 16-year-old Preston Lord. The high school student was killed last year during a Halloween party in the East Valley.
The investigations are ongoing and indictments and arrests in connection to multiple incidents have spread across several East Valley communities.
Here are a few links to our previous coverage of the investigations:
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