A US Army soldier at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, was arrested on Wednesday on charges of cyberstalking after allegedly making threatening social media posts targeting judges, including one involved in his divorce and child custody court proceedings.
Cassidy Busbin, who court documents identify as an active-duty soldier at Fort Campbell, was arrested on Wednesday. According to court documents, an agent with the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division notified federal investigators that Busbin was “making threats against judges, public officials, and others in Montgomery County, Tennessee.”
The threats were believed to stem from his displeasure over rulings in his divorce and child custody proceedings, the documents said, which were finalized in August 2021.
Lt. Col. Tony Hoefler, a spokesperson for the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, confirmed that Busbin was assigned to Fort Campbell and that the Army is “working with law enforcement in their ongoing investigation.”
Among Busbin’s posts, according to photos of the posts in the court documents, was one in which he shared a news article about a Maryland family court judge who was murdered by a man after giving full custody to his children to their mother in October.
“[T]his is whats [sic] going to happen in [C]larksville if they keep f**king down soldiers especially to the judges and lawyers we are protesting so please take it how you want to but know my rights will not stop with your opinions,” Busbin said on Facebook in late October.
Busbin was also tagged on Facebook in two posts by his new wife, identified only as A.B. in the court records, regarding a “peaceful armed protest” in Montgomery County for “FATHER’S RIGHTS” on November 17.
One Montgomery County Circuit judge who handled Busbin’s divorce and child custody case told investigators that while she initially did not feel threatened by him, online posts from Busbin and his new wife began to make her fear for her safety.
She felt “her life was in danger,” the court records say, after Busbin posted about the murdered Maryland judge.
“Olita felt that if she continued to do her job, she may suffer the same fate as the Maryland judge,” the documents say.
Another judge, Reid Poland, who heard a case involving Busbin’s twin brother said he also began to feel unsafe because of online posts from Busbin and his family.
According to the court records, the Army entered temporary protection orders against Busbin and his brother around October 28 which required them to stay at least 500 feet away from Judges Kathryn Olita and Poland, as well as another judge who interacted with them both, Adrienne Fry.
Busbin also sent messages to his twin brother’s battalion commander who was deployed outside of the US, according to the court documents. A photo of one message included in the court records shows Busbin messaging the commander that they are “in violation of the united states constitution and army policy.”
“[T]ell your wife I said hey btw,” a second message from Busbin says.
The court documents also outline a series of allegations of abuse against romantic partners. In an interview with Busbin’s ex-wife, according to the documents, she said he “has threatened to kill her multiple times” and had “thrown things at her, hit her, and strangled her.”
She also told investigators that she’d been contacted after their divorce by Busbin’s new girlfriend who was “seeking some advice” about abuse she was experiencing. During their conversation, Busbin’s girlfriend — identified only as A.P. in court records — said Busbin had killed their dog in front of A.P. and burned it in front of A.P. and her two-year-old daughter.
A.P. also testified about that incident during Busbin’s divorce proceedings, according to the court documents.
The court documents say that in late October, a mental health professional conducted an assessment of Busbin and an interview in which they concluded “Busbin was an imminent risk of harm/death to others” and that he “needed to be admitted into an inpatient psychiatric treatment facility.”
He was subsequently held involuntarily at Blanchfield Army Community Hospital on Fort Campbell, the court documents say, pending a mental health evaluation. He was released on November 1. Busbin’s chain of command then ordered he be restricted to the installation for seven days, which was set to expire on November 9.
Busbin “self-diagnosed” as having post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, and adjustment disorder, the court records say. Busbin’s deployment history with the Army is unclear; it’s also unclear what his status with the Army is or to which unit he belonged.
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