Ohio Man Sentenced for Stalking and Threatening a Wausau Woman

Wednesday, May 14th, 2025 -- 2:01 PM

(Mike Leischner, WSAU) An Ohio man who pleaded no contest to stalking, sending threatening messages, and disorderly conduct will not serve jail or prison time as long as he completes probation.

According to Mike Leischner with WSAU, Joshua Keyes was sentenced to three years of probation, which will begin after the completion of any current probation already being served.

If successful, he will avoid an 18-month prison sentence and 90 days in jail, which was imposed but stayed by Judge Gregory Strasser. The 47-year-old was accused of harassing his former girlfriend, who worked in the medical field, by posting false reviews about her and sending messages to her employer claiming she had mental health issues.

Investigators found that he took the harassment to extremes by engineering false email exchanges in an attempt to lift a restraining order against him. They also found that he made unauthorized purchases using her financial information and tried to take over her direct deposit information.

Additional terms of his sentence include treatment or counseling as deemed appropriate by his agent and a full no-contact order against the victim and her family.

Court records show Keyes, who previously lived in Wausau, will be able to serve his probation in Ohio. An imposed and stayed sentence means the defendant will only serve the time if they violate the terms of their probation.

Should the sentence be enforced, Keyes will get credit for just over a month already served in the Marathon County jail.

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