A Ruston man was arrested Monday after he allegedly violated a protective order by harassing an ex-girlfriend.
Willie Graham, 53, was arrested early Monday morning after an investigation by the Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Just after midnight Monday, a woman told Lincoln Parish deputies she needed an escort to her residence on Beacon Light Road because she feared her ex-boyfriend, Willie Graham. The woman said she had an active protective order against Green, but that he had been contacting her through a social media messenger in violation of the order.
Deputies knew Graham had been arrested previously for violating a protective order. He was located at his residence on 3rd Street and placed under arrest for violation of the protective order which restricted him from having any contact with the woman. Graham said he did not want to speak without a lawyer present.
Graham was booked at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center. While in a waiting area, Graham apparently attempted to destroy his cell phone which caught fire. Graham denied intentionally trying to destroy the phone, saying it “just caught fire,” but when told he was being charged with fire raising in a correctional facility, he said it was his property and he could destroy it if he wanted to.
Deputies believe Graham thought deputies were going to seize his phone as evidence and thus attempted to destroy evidence pertaining to the social media messages.
Graham was charged with violation of a protective order, fire raising in a correctional facility, and obstruction of justice. Bail was set at $10,000.
This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
