Spokane man arrested after allegedly sending neighbor 382 texts

A Spokane man faces a felony harassment charge after allegedly sending his neighbor 382 text messages over a three-day period, some of which contained death threats.

Court documents say Benjamin S. McLane, 32, began sending a large number of “bizarre” and “inappropriate” texts to a neighbor on East 36th Avenue in Lincoln Heights. The woman told police she was acquainted with McLane because their children had played together regularly for the last three years.

After she asked him to stop texting her, McLane refused, she told police. She passed the phone to her husband so she wouldn’t have to deal with the messages, court documents say.

The texts eventually became threatening, the woman’s husband told police, including one sent around 2 a.m. Monday saying, “We will kill you.”

On Tuesday, McLane allegedly sent the man another threatening text which said he could put a “green light in any prison in the country.”

“I make 1 call and it’s over,” the message allegedly said.

McLane told police he was texting his neighbors about “child issues” since their children were the same age and often played together, court documents say. He denied sending any threatening messages but said he had been “harassing” his neighbor since she wouldn’t talk to him.

When officers asked how many texts he’d sent, McLane replied “probably hundreds, dude,” court documents say.

Police arrested him Tuesday evening.