A Bedford County woman started a blog about an undercover police force and is now behind bars.
Elisha Strom, 34, of Thaxton, is charged with one count of harassment of a police officer.
She’s currently in the Albermarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail.
A search warrant on file in Bedford County circuit court claims on July 3rd, Strom posted the home address of a Charlottesville police sergeant.
It also shows she posted a picture of the officer getting into his unmarked patrol car in front of his home.
The officer works for the Jefferson Area Drug Enforcement Task Force, or JADE.
A check of Strom’s blog reveals she has posted head shots of many, if not all, of the task force members.
There is also detailed accounts of the task force’s comings and goings.
Strom also posted pictures of several vehicles that could belong to JADE officers.
Other pictures include a state police investigator pumping gas and riding a motorcycle.
Police say, since most JADE officers do undercover work, posting their names, pictures, and possibly home addresses could put the officers in danger.
A state police investigator executed the search warrant at Strom’s Thaxton residence on July 16th, the same day as her arrest.
Court records indicate the officer confiscated her computers, notebooks, and cameras.
In fact, Strom’s last blog entry, dated July 16, simply reads “they’re here.“
On July 10th, Strom posted the following remarks about the state police investigation: “I’m not trying to harass any of the officers. [My blog] is, and has been, a means to exhibit some of the things I’ve experienced because of my curiosity about, and interest in, the JADE task force.“
Strom wrote on her blog all the information she compiled was readily available through public records searches and other means on the Internet.
Strom’s next court appearance is scheduled for September 17th.
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