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SALT LAKE CITY — A Nevada woman accused of impersonating a police officer's wife agreed to a deferred prosecution agreement in her case Tuesday.
Sambulique Swallow, of North Las Vegas, was charged in Utah's federal court earlier this month with felony cyberstalking. Tuesday court filings show that Swallow and federal prosecutors signed off on a deferred prosecution agreement, which means if Swallow abides by all terms of the agreement for 18 months, her cyberstalking charge will be dropped.
The charges stem from online posts in the Facebook comment section of a Salt Lake TV station on May 28, 2020. Swallow was posing online as Amber Criddle, who is the wife of Kaysville police officer Michael Criddle, charging documents say.
Swallow was accused of writing racist online comments following the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers. While posing as Amber Criddle, Swallow wrote, "My husband is an officer and I support this officer 100%," court records state. She also allegedly wrote that the officer who killed Floyd, "took one less black person off the streets! I support his actions."
The posts caused significant backlash for the Criddles, as Michael Criddle was placed on administrative leave. He told KSL that the backlash was "hell on earth" and that he and his wife's lives were destroyed. Criddle was later reinstated by the department following an investigation.
"To work your whole life, to build a good reputation and have it crushed in a post (in) 30 seconds or a minute is very difficult," he said last year.
Amber Criddle testified on Capitol Hill last year in support of HB239, which made it a criminal offense to impersonate someone online with the intent to harm someone. The bill was signed into law by Gov. Spencer Cox on March 16, 2021.
According to the agreement, Swallow must not break any state or federal laws for the next 18 months. She also cannot deny any of the facts of the case illustrated by prosecutors in charging documents. She must undergo a mental health evaluation and participate in a substance abuse assessment.
She cannot possess any firearms, and she cannot contact the Criddles or their immediate family members, the agreement states. Swallow also must disclose all online accounts to police, including social media and email accounts.
