A Brooklyn man who is alleged to have “telephonically” stalked a Bergen County female over the past several weeks was arrested and charged with Stalking and Harassment.
According to a statement released by Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli, the defendant had no personal relationship with the victim. He surrendered to detectives of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office following a month-long investigation by the Computer Crimes Unit of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office. For more information, see the Bergen Recordarticle entitled, “Man charged with stalking in Bergen County.”
More serious than the Harassment charge, is the Stalking charge. Depending on the underlying circumstances (not public knowledge), the Stalking charge could be elevated to a crime of the Third Degree, which would expose the defendant to a maximum of 5 years incarceration in New Jersey State Prison.
There are also a host collateral consequences should the defendant be convicted of Stalking. For example, a Stalking conviction operates as an application for a permanent Restraining Order under the New Jersey Criminal Code.
It is also interesting to note that the charges are seemingly based entirely on “telephonic” conduct. This demonstrates how broadly the crimes of Stalking and Harassment can be interpreted by law enforcement.
