Iowa State University student remains in jail pending trial for cyberstalking University of Iowa students

An Iowa State University student will remain in jail pending trial on federal charges accusing him of cyberstalking two female University of Iowa students, other women and teens and soliciting others online to “rape or stalk” them.

U.S. District Chief Magistrate Stephen B. Jackson, during a preliminary hearing last week, found probable cause that Jack James Erselius, 19, committed the charges of receipt of child pornography, possession of child pornography and cyberstalking between Oct. 29, 2024 and Jan. 21 of this year, according to court documents. He also ruled Erselius would remain in jail pending his trial.

University of Iowa Police received information Oct. 9, 2024, that Erselius, using a messaging app, was asking others online to take “creepshots” — sexually suggestive photos — of two women who were students at UI, the complaint stated. Officers obtained search warrants for Erselius’ residence in Story County and seized multiple devices connected to multiple online accounts used by Erselius.

Investigators found Erselius solicited other users to “rape, stalk, and/or cyberflash” — sending sexual images or videos — female teens to early 20s and minors, according to the complaint affidavit. He would then send photos of the females with their personal information, including vehicle information and social media usernames.

Erselius also told those contacted that he knew where many of the “victims were at all times.”

Examples of the graphic messages he sent were included in the complaint. One of them stated he had “girls I love EXPOSING and getting their lives ruined.” He encouraged his contacts to go to their house and sexually assault them. Erselius also mentioned “girls in Ames.”

According to the complaint, multiple females told investigators that unknown numbers contacted them and sent sexual images or videos.

“Erselius’ intentional course of conduct through electronic communications places those victims in substantial emotional distress and reasonable fear of serious bodily injury,” Detective Tiffany Lord with the UI Police Department and Johnson County Joint Forensic Analysis Cyber Team, said in the complaint.

Lord, as part of her analysis of Erselius’ devices, also found three computer generated images from another messaging user, which contained two women Erselius had encouraged others to sexually assault and stalk. The three images were originally shared online by the women themselves when they 16 and 17 years old and didn’t show any nudity, but when Erselius received them they had been modified, showing sexually explicit conduct.

Lord also found more than 50 images of victims that Erselius had sent to others, according to the complaint, which had originally been shared online by women all under 18 and didn’t show any nudity, but those were also modified.

No trial date has been set at this time.

Trish Mehaffey covers state and federal courts for The Gazette

Comments: (319) 398-8318; trish.mehaffey@thegazette.com