A 21-year-old woman is one of first to be charged for allegedly sending a vulgar message to a girl of 17 under a new Missouri law known as “Megan’s Law”, after a girl who committed suicide after being harassed online.

In 2006, Megan Meier, 13, hung herself after receiving cruel and harassing message over IM by an acquaintance of her family posing as a teenage boy. The case prompted state lawmakers to change harassment laws this year, to cover bullying and stalking over electronic media like e-mails, text messages and social networking sites.

In this most recent case, Nicole Williams has been charged with using electronic means of communications to harass a teenage girl over a boy. Williams is scheduled for arraignment for one count of harassment on January 8.

It is alleged that Williams, in a jealous fit, sent a harassing message to the 17-year-old, whom she had not met, due to hearing that the girl had been intimate with her boyfriend. It appears that he and the girl had just been talking, according to police statements.

The teenage girl had received threatening voice messages, in which she was called “pork and beans”, and was threatened with rape by Williams.

According to a probable cause statement, the woman told police that other people had sent the messages from her phone.

The case of Nicole Williams is the latest in a recent series of people prosecuted in Missouri for digital harassment under the new law; however critics say that these laws do nothing to actually deter bullies.