Charges for aggravated stalking are perhaps one of the most overcharged across the state. When someone says “aggravated stalking” your mind likely goes to a few places. Taking secret photographs, repeatedly driving by someone’s work, taking pictures of their home, following them, placing repeated phone calls, harassment on social media or at work, and more. Classic stalking scenarios are considered a misdemeanor. However, the charges can be bumped up without the help of a skilled defense attorney. A Newnan aggravated stalking lawyer can further explain how these charges can affect your life and begin building your defense.
According to state law, if you are ordered to have no contact with someone and then you have contact with that person for the purpose of harassing and intimidating you can be charged with aggravated stalking. There are many ways that you can be prohibited from contacting someone:
The law says that if you contact anyone in violation of these conditions for the purpose of harassing or intimidating, you can be convicted of aggravated stalking. The penalties for aggravated stalking can be extremely severe, so it is crucial that you retain an attorney in Newnan as soon as possible for legal assistance after an arrest.
The classic example, and one that is common throughout the Coweta judicial circuit, is as follows:
The suspect is arrested for misdemeanor battery-family violence for allegedly striking his live-in girlfriend and mother of his child. Following his misdemeanor arrest, the suspect bonds out and is ordered to have no contact with the alleged victim.
Shortly after bonding out, the suspect contacts the alleged victim. Aggravated stalking, however, requires the contact with the alleged victim to be for the purpose of harassing and intimidating. Prosecutors can be quite aggressive with what they define as harassing and intimidating, which is why it is critical to have a local attorney on your side. An experienced attorney in Newnan can sit down with you, discuss the details of the aggravated stalking indictment against you, and help you form a viable defense.
Anyone convicted of aggravated stalking faces a sentencing range of one year to ten years in the state penitentiary. Following a conviction, a judge may also consider the defendant’s entire criminal history and possibly order the defendant to undergo a mental evaluation.
At the time of sentencing, the judge is authorized to issue a permanent restraining order against the offender to protect the person stalked and the members of such person’s immediate family. The judge is also authorized to require psychological treatment of the offender as a part of the sentence, as a condition for suspension, stay of sentence, or probation.
If you have been charged with aggravated stalking then don’t fight the charges alone. Contact us, come meet Ryan, let him learn about your case, and let’s get started fighting the charges. Reach out to a Newnan aggravated stalking lawyer today.
J. Ryan Brown Law, LLC
J. Ryan Brown Law, LLC
