Stalking

A stalker is any person who conducts himself in a way that causes someone else to feel severe emotional distress or fear of physical injury. The offender can be charged with stalking if he or she was aware that an act would cause the victim to experience the feeling of distress or fright. Normally, the court considers two or more acts of stalking as the stalker’s course of conduct. On the other hand, if the stalker has a history of any form of abuse against the victim, then he or she could be charged with stalking having only performed the act once.

In April of 2004, Wisconsin law increased penalties for criminals convicted of stalking and passed legislation stating that one can be charged with stalking if he or she had a past history of abuse with the victim. It used to be that fear alone was legitimate grounds for charging someone with stalking. Recently, emotional distress has been adopted in the fight against stalking.

Acts of Stalking

An individual can be charged with stalking if he or she:

• Remains within a visual or physical distance to the person
• Approaches or even confronts the victim
• Appears at the victim’s personal places of residence or employment
• Contacts individuals that the victim knows
• Frequently calls the victim
• Monitors or somehow documents the victim’s personal activities
• Distributes material with the intent of obtaining personal information or anything just as destructive
• Delivers materials meant to end up in the hands of the victim

Contact Us

If you or someone you know has been accused of stalking, contact the Milwaukee criminal defense attorneys of Kohler & Hart, LLP at 888-565-7597.