A Rutgers University freshman, Tyler Clementi, jumped off a bridge over the Hudson river after his roommate streamed video of him having sexual encounters with another man in his dorm, according to WESH 2 News.
The incident has sparked a national debate about cyberbullying. So, the Orlando station talked to UCF police about the incident, and spokesman Sgt. Troy Williamson told the station cyberbullying, while still considered rare, did happen recently at UCF.
“I had a person come up to me in my office asking about being harassed over Facebook and things like that. And I did refer them to the victim advocates and expressed to them that this person is getting considerable amount of threats,” Williamson told WESH 2 News.
WESH interviewed UCF student Josh Pinter, who said he had a friend bullied over facebook. Pinter told WESH cyberbullying is painful to the victims.
What happens if you commit cyberbullying on campus?
Williamson told WESH if a person uses images, language or e-mail causing emotional distress on campus, it is considered a first-degree misdemeanor. It was not clear from the WESH report what misdemeanor the offender would be charged with.
Williamson told WESH the offense becomes a third-degree felony if a person makes a threat to another that results in bodily harm or death.
Watch the video report WESH filed here.
