A 21-year-old Longmont, Colorado, woman has been accused by local authorities of accepting an offer of a $10,000 reward to help a Kentucky man find his former girlfriend. Longmont police arrested the woman on Jan. 14 on suspicion of conspiracy to commit stalking. The former girlfriend told police that she had moved to Colorado because her former boyfriend, who was also arrested the same day on stalking and domestic violence charges, was abusive to her.

The female suspect and the former girlfriend were neighbors and friends in a Longmont apartment building. Police said that the former girlfriend told the suspect that the male suspect had abused her and that she had custody of the child the two had had together. The former girlfriend had reportedly moved to Colorado to get away from the man and was trying to change her name and Social Security number, though it is not clear the 21-year-old was aware of that.

According to prosecutors, the female suspect looked up the former girlfriend's name on an Internet search engine. The search led to a Facebook page in the male suspect's name that offered a $10,000 reward for information about the former girlfriend's location, court documents claim. Police say they have Internet and telephone records indicating the suspects contacted each other. Their investigation began after receiving a tip, but it is not known from where that tip originated.

Soon after, they found the male suspect in a car near the former girlfriend's apartment and arrested him.

In Colorado, a person can be found guilty of conspiracy if the government can prove that he or she agreed to commit a crime with at least one other person. That means that the accused person must have performed an overt act to support the conspiracy. All people found to be part of a criminal conspiracy will be punished for the actions of one member. Generally, a conviction for conspiracy can lead to a sentence of up to 18 months in prison and one year of mandatory parole upon release.

Source: KMGH-TV, "Police: Man Offered $10K Reward For Info On Woman He Stalked," Wayne Harrison, Jan. 19, 2012