Mother of Burnsville Assault Suspect Charged with Witness Tampering

A nationwide arrest warrant has been issued for a Tennessee woman accused of threatening a Burnsville woman after the victim told police that the woman’s son had threatened to kill her.

Janice Marie Sherley, 42, is charged with first-degree witness tampering, a felony with a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine, and stalking, a gross misdemeanor with a maximum penalty of a year in jail and a $3,000 fine.

According to the criminal complaint, Sherley’s son, Stanley Gerald Sherley Jr., 26, of Burnsville was charged Aug. 13 with making terroristic threats against his on-and-off girlfriend. 

A day later, the victim reported to police that she had been receiving threatening voice mails and text messages from Janice Sherley. The victim said she didn’t want anything done about the threats, because she was concerned that it would only “add fuel to the fire,” and she hoped that the calls would stop.

However, on Aug. 20, the victim contacted police again and told them that the calls from Janice Sherley were continuing, unabated, and that she was concerned for her own safety.

Police recorded 14 voice-mail messages from the victim’s phone left by Janice Sherley, and took photographs of several text messages, one of which read, “It a shame to be a lowdown snake [expletive] but u haven’t seen lowdown yet I will be joining my son only he will get out not me si I will be bringing your present in person hope u like it.”

Among the voice-mail messages:

“He shoulda killed ya, ya dumb [expletive]. He shoulda killed ya a long time ago, you dumb skanky [expletive]. I’m gonna tell ya you gonna wish you never met my son. I don’t give a [expletive] who hears this [expletive], you give it to the FBI if you wanna [expletive], ‘cause they is not gonna save yo [expletive] either [expletive], and I guarantee it.”

Investigators found a Memphis phone number for Janice Sherley and left messages, which she did not return.

Stanley Sherley is facing two separate felony complaints, charging him with third-degree assault in April and making terroristic threats in August, when he allegedly threatened to "stomp (the victim's) head until the white meat comes out.”

Stanley Sherley remains in the Dakota County Jail on a $50,000 bond. An omnibus hearing in his latest cases is scheduled for today, Sept. 11, in Dakota County District Court in Hastings.

Janice Sherley remains at large. Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to contact authorities.