In what may be one of the more bizarre episodes of recent criminal history, a man has been accused of a rather farcical series of events involving fake ransom texts to the Guthrie family. It’s not every day you hear about someone trying to pull off a high-stakes extortion job using a cell phone and a Bitcoin account. But, apparently, no task is too trivial for a misguided criminal mind. Derek Kala, the man at the heart of this strange story, is facing serious charges that one might think belong more in a crime novel than real life.
Authorities arrested Kala earlier this week after he allegedly sent threatening messages to the Guthrie family, following the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie. While the family was already distressed, Kala allegedly thought this was the opportune time to cash in with a twisted plot involving fake ransom demands. One might say he saw an opportunity and dived right in—unfortunately for him, it seems he left his subtlety at the door.
Court documents reveal that Kala is charged with intent to transmit a demand for ransom and using a telecommunications device to harass and threaten. His chosen method of intimidation? Text messages sent from an internet phone line telling the Guthries to pay up in Bitcoin or else. When criminals forget the anonymity lesson in their evil villain boot camp, they leave behind trails of digital breadcrumbs. Of course, police effortlessly traced these messages right back to Kala through the phone line, registered with his Gmail account. Turns out, digital devices aren’t as anonymous as some might hope when committing felonies.
The timing of the messages also seemed to be as poorly thought out as the plan itself. Kala’s message hit just moments after the Guthrie family had publicly asked for proof of life—perfect timing if you want to ensure you catch the attention of both the authorities and the public. It seems Kala might have missed the memo on subtlety and instead decided to make a grand entrance into his own criminal investigation.
In court, those present witnessed Kala’s first appearance where he was released on a $20,000 bond, with his next court outing set for February 12th. Until then, one can only wonder if Kala will be brainstorming his next great scheme or reflecting on the rather significant flaws in his current one. Meanwhile, the Guthrie family, no doubt, can do without the added theatrics during their already distressing investigation into Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance. In a world full of truly incredulous news stories, it might be worth pondering if Kala’s escapade will become the cautionary tale for aspiring criminals: Check the cell phone and Google account at the door.
