Sometimes, it can be rather annoying if a person continuously shows up wherever you go or won’t stop calling you or sending you texts or emails. Unfortunately, some people go beyond the level of annoying and escalate their conduct to a point where the person on the receiving end of the constant contact feels afraid that they or someone else close to them is in danger of being harmed. When this happens, the activity becomes a crime; the crime of stalking. Stalking is a serious problem, and while stalking victims are often women, there are also male stalking victims who know just how frightening it is to feel as though they could be harmed at any time.
Stalking is a course of action which one person takes towards another person that may include behaviors like incessant in-person, telephone, or electronic contact, harassment, humiliation, and threats of harm to the victim or to their friends, family, or pets. Stalking is something that occurs over time, and in many cases, the contact occurs for a period of time of at least six months to up to five years or more. It is reported that approximately a quarter of all stalking victims are contacted in some manner by their stalker at least once every single day. Because of their popularity and ease of use, it is not surprising that the most common methods of stalking involve cell phones and computers, with stalkers using phone calls, text messages, email, and social media to bombard their victims with messages.
Kansas takes stalking seriously, with first offenses being classified as a class A person misdemeanor, unless the alleged perpetrator’s behavior violated a protective order, in which case it is a security level 9 person felony. Second offenses are person felonies, with a security level of either five or seven depending upon the behavior and the circumstances. If you have been accused of stalking, it is important that you contact a seasoned Kansas Criminal Defense Attorney right away. Your attorney can look at the circumstances of your case and determine which potential defenses may help you avoid a conviction. For example, there are often evidentiary issues in stalking cases. This is due, at least in part, to the fact that and much of the state’s evidence comes from the victim’s own testimony.
A stalking conviction could have a serious impact on many areas of your life. You deserve to be represented by an attorney who will explore all of the options for defending your case, so that you can reduce your chance of being convicted or reduce the consequences that are imposed upon you. We take pride in giving each criminal defense case the personal attention that it deserves, because we feel that criminal defendants are unique people with unique needs who deserve fair outcomes in their cases. To get your questions answered by a Kansas Criminal Defense Attorney, please give us a call at our Wichita office today at (316) 264-1548.
