AN INDIANA MAN IS ARRESTED FOR STALKING ASHANTI & HER FAMILY!

Singing star Ashanti has a creepy stalker - an Indiana man who has bombarded her mother with Singing star Ashanti has a creepy stalker - an Indiana salesman who has bombarded her mother with lewd text messages and pictures of his genitals, prosecutors said.
Devar Hurd, 31, is accused of stalking and harassing Tina Douglas with 32 messages between May 29 and July 18 and numerous phone calls in February.

He was arrested July 22 in Griffith, Ind., where he lives, and has been locked up at Rikers Island since.
He pleaded not guilty and faces possible trial in Manhattan Supreme Court on Monday.

The messages he sent were bizarrely personal and often explicit and included sex acts he wanted to perform on the mother and her daughters, according to court papers.

"Hey Tina baby, how u doing sexy," read a May 29 message. "Tell Shani I'm coming straight home from work to put in sum overtime. U know how I do, LOL."

He also sent X-rated pictures of himself, photos of Douglas' home and a picture of Ashanti's car, the documents said.

"Here's a pic I had laying around for the ladies in sum of my birthday suit lol," read a text sent May 30, according to court documents.

After a particularly crude message, Hurd allegedly wrote, "Oh ashanti ashanti ashanti, yes baby woooo."
Ashanti's publicist, Judy Katz, said she had no comment. "The authorities are handling the matter as we speak," she said.

Hurd's mother, Elvira Hurd, said all she knew about the case was that it involved Ashanti and that her son told her "it wasn't true."

"If he, in fact, sent the pictures maybe he was just caught up, like a lot of other young people his age, on the Internet," Hurd, 57, told the Daily News.

"I think it's much to do about nothing."

Hurd said her son - who has a 2001 marijuana bust on his record - is interested in music and talked to her about wanting to work in the music industry.

But he earned his living selling cars, time shares and home alarm systems, she said.
She said she did not know if her son knew Ashanti or her family or how he could have gotten Tina Douglas' phone number.

The alleged stalker is charged with 28 misdemeanor counts of stalking and aggravated harassment and faces up to two years in prison if convicted at trial.

Orders of protection were issued in the case for the Long Island-raised singer, her mother, her sister and her father - who received a text message with a picture of his home attached, the documents show.