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Stalking Claims Can Lead to Other Criminal Accusations

by | Oct 4, 2019 | Criminal Defense |

New York City Criminal Defense Attorney

Being accused of stalking behavior can have grave consequences, affecting everything from your work life to your reputation at home and in your community. The damage done to your name can be extremely difficult to recover from, especially when these claims are tied to other serious allegations.

Reports from New York State’s Office of the Attorney General illustrate the harsh reality that stalking incidents can and often do lead to other offenses, as stalking behaviors have a tendency to coincide with other abusive crimes. A stalking claim usually indicates that a series of harassment incidents have already occurred. Whether there is some truth to the claims made or these claims are entirely fabricated, if the real story has been altered in any way, chances are other false accusations may be made against you. 

Crimes Related to Stalking

Stalking is generally defined as any persistent or unwanted pursuit of an individual that causes that individual to fear for their safety. It is a series of intrusive behaviors, such as following, watching, or relentlessly contacting the individual in a threatening or intimidating manner. These behaviors often involve monitoring a victim’s devices and technology use, stealing or vandalizing their property, or trespassing at their place of business. If you are being accused of any of these actions, it is important to be aware of other crimes stalking are often associated with, as the claims against you may extend further:

  • Stalking can lead to physical and sexual assault. According to the National Violence Against Women Survey (NVAWS), 81 percent of women stalked by an intimate partner have also been physically assaulted by that partner, while 31 percent have been sexually assaulted. 
  • Stalking can lead to attempted murder and murder. The National Centers for Victims of Crime reports that a combination of 76 percent of female murder victims and 85 percent of attempted murder victims were all stalked by the perpetrator at some point in the year leading up to the attempted murder or homicide incident.
  • Stalking can involve menacing misdemeanor or felony charges. Stalking behaviors and menacing often go hand-in-hand. Menacing offenses under the various degrees include everything from intentionally placing a person in fear of injury or death to displaying a deadly weapon or an instrument that appears to be a deadly weapon in order to make a threat. If you are found guilty of menacing in the first degree, you are facing a class E felony charge, and if you are found guilty of menacing in the second or third degree, you are looking at misdemeanor charges.

Contact a Manhattan Stalking Defense Attorney

Have you recently been accused of stalking, menacing, or any form of harassment? If so, it is crucial to have a skilled, knowledgeable New York City criminal defense lawyer by your side who will inform you of your rights and help protect your best interests in a court of law. Call JOEY JACKSON LAW, PLLC at 833-JOEYJACKSON or 833-563-9522 today to schedule a case evaluation.

 

Sources:

https://www.ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/pdfs/bureaus/criminal_prosecutions/stalking_guide.pdf

http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/publicsafety/repository/files/New%20York%20Stalking%20Laws.pdf

http://ypdcrime.com/penal.law/article120.htm#p120.15