A Jonesboro woman is recovering from a frightening encounter after a man she had met on Facebook refused to leave her home and threatened violence against her and her family, according to Arkansas authorities.
Tarvon Chalmers, 25, has been charged with felony first-degree terroristic threatening, along with misdemeanor charges of criminal trespassing and possession of marijuana, jail records reviewed by Law&Crime indicate.
Chalmers was taken into custody at the Craighead County Detention Center on Thursday. According to a probable cause affidavit shared by NEA Report, the woman said she met Chalmers on Facebook last July and that they had only been friends. She said that earlier this week, Chalmers lost his housing after a dispute with his housemates. Feeling sympathetic, she offered him a place to stay for the night.
However, by Thursday, Chalmers had not left. When the woman asked him to go, authorities say he became angry and demanded $100 to leave, threatening to damage her property if she refused. The affidavit states that Chalmers warned her she would have to involve police to remove him and claimed her belongings would be destroyed.
The threats reportedly escalated. Chalmers allegedly told the woman he intended to shoot her and her family, physically assault her, and leave her injured in front of her young child. Concerned for her safety, she took her child to school and called the police from work before eventually returning home.
Police arrived at the residence to find Chalmers on the couch, a duffel bag with his belongings at the door. The affidavit reports that he grabbed the bag while shouting, “I’M LEAVING.” Officers arrested Chalmers and discovered a bag of marijuana on him during the booking process.
Chalmers’ bail was set at $15,000, and a no-contact order was issued. He is scheduled to appear in court on May 18.