Mystery writer fan called cyberstalker

Mystery writer Randy Wayne White was worried about e-mails coming from one fan. She has been arrested

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS - A woman has been arrested for allegedly sending hundreds of harassing and hostile e-mails to best-selling mystery writer Randy Wayne White, authorities said.

"There was not a book signing I had that I didn't think she was there," White said at his Pineland home Friday. "I was convinced she was in Florida."

Debby Wilbanks, 52, is accused of sending badgering e-mails and posting messages on Web sites, including White's. She was released without bond on a cyberstalking charge Friday and is prohibited from contacting the author or using a computer before her arraignment next month.

White, known for the "Doc Ford" mystery series he began in 1989, reported the messages started about two years ago and were becoming more agitated in tone.

"The e-mails became more aggressive," he said. "The person would end with, "Friend for life,' or "Don't be surprised if I show up one day."

The messages contained no "credible threat," said Seminole County sheriff's investigator Neal Stewart. If convicted, Wilbanks could face up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

White, whose Tampa Burn peaked at No.12 on the New York Times bestseller list last summer, said he first encountered his stalker while doing a live Internet chat to promote one of his books. He received a message from someone who accused him of abandoning an e-mail affair.

"I wrote, "Surely it wasn't me," White said. He called a number supplied in the e-mail to try to clarify the misunderstanding and spoke to a woman who apologized.

About a month later, White began receiving the messages. He later tracked them to Seminole County and alerted authorities.

"One e-mail would say they adored me, my writing and my characters," he said. "The next would say, "You don't care about your fans."'

Sanibel Flats , written by the former fly-fishing guide, was chosen as one of the 100 best mysteries of the 20th century by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association.

[Last modified June 5, 2005, 02:15:25]