Felony Rap For Craigslist Sex Ad

AUGUST 18--A Missouri woman is facing a felony harassment rap for allegedly placing a phony Craigslist personal ad that included the photo, phone number, and e-mail address of a teenage girl with whom the suspect had been feuding.

Elizabeth Thrasher, 40, allegedly placed the online ad in Craigslist's "Casual Encounters" section, which caters to those seeking all manner of sexual liaisons. Predictably, the May 1 ad resulted in unknown men calling the 17-year-old girl, and sending her e-mails and text messages, some of which included pornographic images, according to this sheriff's report.

Investigators allege that Thrasher and the girl's mother, who is dating Thrasher's ex-husband, had been arguing prior to the Craigslist posting. After the teenager upbraided Thrasher in a MySpace message, the woman retaliated by placing the bogus Craigslist ad, prosecutors charge.

Thrasher, pictured in the mug shot at left, was booked yesterday and released on $10,000 bond. The felony complaint against Thrasher was filed in St. Charles County, former home to Lori Drew, who was indicted in a cyber bullying case that resulted in the November 2006 suicide of Missouri teenager Megan Meier. Though Drew was convicted at trial of three misdemeanor counts, U.S. District Court Judge George Wu last month announced his intention to toss out those verdicts. (3 pages)