Vosbury Extortionist Harold Martin ‘Has a History of Trying to Con People’

The Caddo Sheriff's Detective investigating the Cole Vosbury extortion shares details about the Arkansas man arrested in the case. Detective Bobby Herring tells KEEL News that Cole never met Harold Glen Martin, but his dad Robin Vosbury knew of him by chance.

"Harold Martin actually called Shreveport Music and spoke to the owner, or one of the owners, and was asking for a guitarist," Det. Herring says. "And it just so happened at the time that he called that Cole Vosbury was inside [the store], and he was recommended by the guy at Shreveport Music."

Herring says Martin asked Cole about performing at a benefit concert, and Cole was entertaining the idea of doing it. But Martin never got back with him, so Cole went to Los Angeles to start filming for "The Voice."

"He had no knowledge of anything," Herring says. "This guy never made an attempt to call him. What he did was send a package to Shreveport Music, and that package included some very brief or vague instructions if he wanted to continue to do the show. And he sent basically $200 in cash in an envelope."

The package sat at Shreveport Music for two months, and Robin Vosbury was eventually told about it. He tried to get ahold of Martin to see how he could get the money back to him. But Herring says Martin told him he wasn't going to do the gig anyway, and to tell Cole good luck and to just consider the cash a gift.

"The problem is that this gig that was supposed to happen was never truly scheduled. It was supposed to take place at the teen challenge facility, Grace Facility, in Winnfield, Louisiana. What we've learned in the investigation is that Harold Martin had a daughter that was enrolled there into a drug rehab program, and that he basically made all this up."

Herring says witnesses who were interviewed have said that Martin has a history of doing shady things and trying to con people. He says Cole was never aware of any of this.

"In the end, this guy saw that Vosbury had made it to 'The Voice' and was becoming popular," Herring says. "And he decided to basically extort them by saying that he was going to put out negative stuff in the media and affect his chances on 'The Voice' unless he agreed to do what he claims was ten free performances for this man, at his own discretion, anytime he wanted."

When the Vosburys started started receiving the threats, they went straight to the Caddo Sheriff's Office. Herring says it wasn't just one threat, it was a rash of threats. "They've just been harassed by this man and tormented by him, basically." And he says there's no merit to any of it. He says Martin is somebody who's trying to take advantage of someone's success.

Martin is expected to be booked into Caddo Correctional Center some time today.