XBOX gamer accused of threatening to kill Florida teen, burn house down and make family disappear

Yahoo

30-04-2025

PALM COAST, Fla. (WFLA) — An XBOX gamer is accused of making threats towards a Florida teen, threatening to kill him, burn his house down and make his family disappear, the Flagler County Sheriff's Office said.
The two-and-a-half-year investigation began in October 2022 when the victim, who was a juvenile at the time, began receiving threatening messages from a video gamer through his XBOX One console.
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The boy's father told deputies that an individual, known by the gamer tag 'rashaphid#5243,' sent the violent messages and threats. He added that the same person, using the gamer tag 'xrainbowmodsx' at that time, sent similar messages in July 2022, an arrest affidavit said.
Several of the messages included statements like, 'I know we're u live next time u spread room your mom dad will be misser by morning,' 'Your famly be misser if speard room agan burn house to ground,' and 'U better shut trap u next person in line famly that I kill.'
According to the father, he had never met this person, and the communication was limited to XBOX and Snapchat.
The individual was identified as 32-year-old James Maynard, of Maine, who the father noted to have a speech impediment and mentioned living with his mother, the report detailed.
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On Feb. 10, 2025, deputies tracked down the gamer tag to Maynard, confirming his residency in Maine and the linked email address, provided by Microsoft. Google confirmed his identity through the subscriber information associated with the email on March 14.
On April 1, the victim told authorities that Maynard had repeatedly altered his profile and tried to contact him through video chats on social media. It was through these chats that the victim identified the 32-year-old as the person threatening him and his family, through his voice and accent, the affidavit said.
The victim blocked Maynard after several calls, but the report said Maynard continued his attempts to contact and harass the boy by altering and disguising his username.
Maynard was arrested in Maine on April 25 on a charge of written electronic threats to kill or cause bodily harm to another person.
'I commend our Major Case Unit for their hard work and dedication during this extensive over two-year investigation,' said Sheriff Rick Staly. 'I also want to thank the Somerset County Sheriff's Office and Waterville Police Department for their assistance in this case.'
This remains an ongoing investigation. Additional charges may be pending, according to the sheriff's office.
WFLA.com has reached out to the Flagler County Sheriff's Office for confirmation on the boy's age and to obtain the messages.
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