Stalking Laws in North Carolina

Jul 06, 2022

Stalking is a crime that is taken seriously in North Carolina. If you have been charged with this criminal offense, you will need the help of a skilled lawyer to help put together a strong defense. Facing charges like these can be scary and disorienting. They have the ability to derail your future, and they can mar your reputation for years to come. In North Carolina, stalking is a class A1 misdemeanor, which places it in the same category as assault inflicting serious injury and assault with a deadly weapon. If you already have a stalking conviction on your record, subsequent stalking charges are a class F felony, which can come with steep fines and jail time upon conviction, not to mention the impact they will have on your social relationships, financial future, career, and housing prospects. If you are facing criminal charges for stalking, contact a Charlotte criminal defense lawyer.

Protect Yourself By Understanding Your Options and Knowing Your Rights.

Call For A Consultation 704-333-9900

Stalking is a violent crime, even when it does not involve physical contact. North Carolina law defines stalking as following, observing, monitoring, or communicating with a person while aware that your doing so will cause them emotional distress. Stalking can include repeated incidents of harassment and intimidating behavior, even if they do not include overt threats of physical harm. Stalking often occurs in the context of domestic violence; in most criminal cases involving stalking, the defendant is the estranged spouse or former romantic partner of the victim. Therefore, the law treats stalking as an early stage of domestic violence and imposes penalties accordingly.

What kinds of communications counts as stalking? You have probably seen scary movies where a stalker physically follows a victim or figures out where a victim will be in order to plan an attack. Today, there are so many ways to stay in contact, and it is easy to imagine how all of them can turn ugly. Just as schoolyard bullies can now continue their bullying on What’s App, and Internet trolls spread ugly rumors on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Tik Tok, stalking can take place through any means of communication.

For example, if you continuously contact your ex in person, or by phone, text message, email, or social media message, you could be charged with stalking. You can even get charged with stalking if you are not the one who placed the phone call, sent the text message, or posted the images on Facebook. If you instruct a third party to communicate to or about the victim in order to cause the victim to feel fear or distress, this is enough to result in stalking charges, and those charges can land you in jail.

contact information

plumides, romano & Johnson, pc

2115 Rexford Road, Suite 320 Charlotte NC 28211

PHONE: 704-333-9900

FAX:704-358-0536

Latest Posts

Categories

Archives

Contact Us

"*" indicates required fields

Can we email you at this email?
Can we call/text you at this number?
I Have Read The Disclaimer*
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Copyright ©2025 Plumides, Romano & Johnson PC • All rights reserved

Digital Marketing By rizeupmedia

This website is intended to provide general information only. Nothing contained in this website is intended to provide legal advice. By using this website you acknowledge and agree that you have not formed an attorney-client relationship with Plumides, Romano & Johnson PC and will not rely on any information contained on this website.