Beachwood man charged with bias intimidation, terroristic threats, stalking and harassment

A Beachwood man is in the Ocean County Jail in Toms River on Wednesday, charged earlier this week with texting numerous “racial slurs, vulgarities, and threatening statements” to a local family, announced Ocean County First Assistant Prosecutor Michael T. Nolan.

Walter Maxim, 44, sent the messages to the son of one of his victims, who attends school out of state and had asked Maxim to stop, according to a statement from the Prosecutor’s Office.

An investigation immediately started when the father appeared at Beachwood Police Headquarters on Monday to report that he and his family had been the victims of bias-related threats and communications, the statement said.

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The relationship between Maxim and his alleged victims was not disclosed.

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Maxim was arrested and charged Tuesday with three counts of bias intimidation, making terroristic threats, stalking and harassment. The text messages began in July and had continued to the present, according to the Prosecutor’s Office.

Maxim was taken into custody at his home without incident. He remains in the county jail until a detention hearing is held to determine whether he should be released pending the outcome of his prosecution, the statement said.

Nolan said the Beachwood Police Department and the Bias Crime Unit of the Prosecutor’s Office collaborated on the investigation that led to Maxim’s arrest.

Contact Asbury Park Press reporter Erik Larsen at elarsen@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Beachwood NJ man jailed on charges of racially motivated hate crimes