A West Palm Beach man appeared in court Tuesday, a day after his arrest, on six felony counts accusing him of threatening and cyberstalking two neighbors over a monthslong campaign that included demands for money, threats of violence, and repeated unannounced visits to their home.
Latavious Ellison faces two counts each of written threats to kill or do bodily harm, aggravated stalking with a credible threat, and using a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony, according to records from the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office reported by cw34.com. A probable-cause affidavit cited in that reporting describes Ellison sending messages demanding money and threatening to sexually assault one family member, beat another, and physically attack the family if they refused to pay.
The affidavit also says Ellison threatened to burn the family's truck, break its windows, and force his way through their front door. Investigators say he used at least eight phone numbers, along with WhatsApp and Facebook accounts, to keep contacting the family even after they blocked him and repeatedly asked him to stop.
Messages Kept Coming Despite Being Blocked
According to the affidavit, the unwanted messages continued from October into November. The family told investigators the barrage of calls and messages caused significant emotional distress and disrupted their daily lives, and both victims identified Ellison in a photo lineup, per the same account. Their names and identifying details were redacted from the affidavit.
Investigators say Ellison didn't limit his alleged contact to phones and social media. The affidavit describes him repeatedly showing up uninvited at the victims' home, knocking on the door and peering through windows, with some of the incidents captured on a Ring camera. Ellison reportedly claimed he was simply outside the home and had challenged the victims to come out, per the report.
Already on Probation From a 2023 Conviction
Court records cited by the station show Ellison was convicted in 2023 of similar written-threat and aggravated-stalking offenses and remains on probation until May 2029. A separate booking entry lists a probation violation tied to the new arrest, the outlet reports.
Florida's stalking statute defines aggravated stalking as repeatedly stalking, harassing, or cyberstalking someone while making a credible threat, a third-degree felony, according to the Florida Legislature. Under the same law, a credible threat includes electronic threats that place a target in reasonable fear for their own safety or that of close family members, made with an apparent ability to cause harm. The statute also defines cyberstalking as electronic communications directed at a specific person that cause substantial emotional distress and serve no legitimate purpose.
Other Palm Beach County Stalking Cases Offer a Benchmark
Ellison's case isn't the only recent stalking prosecution in the county. In a separate case, Darren Shida Zhou pleaded guilty to felony charges involving threats and aggravated stalking of his former girlfriend, according to WPBF. Zhou was sentenced to five years of probation, including GPS monitoring for the first two years and a prohibition on contacting the victim or possessing weapons.
In another Palm Beach County case, a jury convicted a 59-year-old man of written or electronic threats to kill or do bodily injury and aggravated stalking after the victim testified about threats from fall 2023, according to the State Attorney's Office. That jury reached its verdict after deliberating for an hour. Neither case establishes how Ellison's prosecution will unfold, but both illustrate how Palm Beach County courts have handled similar stalking and threat charges in the past.
