What started as a string of strange, anonymous calls to a Flagler County woman turned into a yearlong ordeal that authorities say added up to thousands of phone hits and even a bogus child-abuse report. The Flagler County Sheriff's Office arrested 31-year-old Luke Herbert of Port Orange on July 17, after a months-long investigation that deputies say tied the barrage of calls and the false report against the victim's family to devices associated with him. On some days, investigators say the woman was hit with more than 50 calls, enough to keep her voicemail constantly full.
How investigators traced the calls
Detectives say Herbert tried to hide behind internet-based calling apps and spoofed numbers, masking his identity and stretching the investigation out for roughly five months, according to FOX 35 Orlando. The station also reports that deputies believe Herbert's only known tie to the woman was that he had previously been trespassed from the business where she worked.
Arrest and records show heavy calling
Investigators reviewing call records say Herbert's cellphone alone placed 213 calls to the woman during one week in February, a snapshot of what they describe as a much larger pattern. Detectives told WFTV that IP and provider logs connected several of the spoofed numbers to addresses associated with him. He was taken into custody at his Port Orange home, booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail, then later released on a $12,500 bond, the station reported.
Why spoofing makes harassment hard to stop
Caller-ID spoofing and VoIP apps give harassers a rotating mask, letting them swap out numbers and hide where the calls really come from, which can make simple number-blocking feel pretty useless and tracing far more complicated. Federal agencies recommend using carrier and device call-blocking tools, reporting abusive numbers, and pushing for industry fixes such as caller-ID authentication. The FCC and the FTC both outline steps consumers can take in their robocall guidance.
Charges and past court history
Herbert faces felony counts that include stalking, unlawful use of a two-way communications device, and filing a false report of child abuse, according to law enforcement and local coverage. Court records and reporting show Herbert pleaded no contest in 2024 to making hundreds of harassing phone calls, and a judge withheld adjudication in that earlier case, as reported by FOX 35 Orlando. Prosecutors will review the new allegations for possible additional filings, according to that reporting.
The Flagler County Sheriff's Office says the investigation remains active and is asking anyone with information to contact detectives, local coverage has noted. Authorities say the case file will be sent to the state attorney for review while investigators continue gathering evidence.
