Colorado takes stalking extremely seriously, and if you are currently facing stalking charges, you may have valid concerns about the penalties you could potentially face if convicted. While a stalking charge could lead to a felony conviction that could impact numerous aspects of your life, a harassment charge may, instead, lead to a misdemeanor. Just what is the difference between the two charges, though, and how might you know if your actions constituted harassment, stalking or neither?
Per the Legal Information Network of Colorado, the main difference between harassment and stalking is that harassment could potentially occur only once, while stalking refers to a repeated pattern of harassment against the same party or parties. In other words, a one-time incident involving violence, obscene language or something similar could lead to a harassment charge, while multiple incidences of harassment would have to occur over time in order to potentially warrant a stalking charge.
If you are like many people in Colorado currently facing stalking charges, it may be because someone is alleging that you made repeated unwanted attempts to communicate with him or her, or someone he or she knows. The communications could be digital or electronic in nature, or they could involve repeatedly showing up at a particular party’s home or the places you know this person is going to be.
In many cases, people who make allegations of stalking contend that they felt victimized or threatened by the behavior they reported, noting that it caused them emotional distress. Find out more about stalking charges and similar criminal defense topics by visiting our webpage.