Stalking & Intimate Partner Violence

Persons who are or who have been dating, cohabitating, married, separated, or divorced, and may be of the same or opposite sex.

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The use of physical violence, force, threats, intimidation, isolation, stalking, or other forms of emotional, sexual, or economic abuse directed towards an Intimate Partner. This can take the form of behavior(s) that intimidates, manipulates, humiliates, isolates, frightens, terrorizes, forces, threatens, blames, hurts, injures, or wounds someone. Intimate Partner Violence can be a single act or a pattern of behavior in relationships.

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The repeated following, harassing, threatening, or intimidating of another by any action, including but not limited to use of telephone, mail, electronic communication, social media, or any other device or method that purposely or knowingly causes substantial emotional distress or reasonable fear of bodily injury or death.

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(Title XLIII Ch. 741.28(2)): any assault, battery, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, sexual assault, sexual battery, stalking, aggravated stalking, kidnapping, false imprisonment, or any criminal offense resulting in physical injury or death of one family or household member by another family or house hold member.

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 (Title XLVI Ch. 784.046(1)(d)): Violence between individuals who have or have had a continuing and significant relationship of a romantic or intimate nature.

This relationship is determined by: 

• the relationship must have existed in the past 6 months
• The relationship exhibits affection or sexual involvement between the two
• The frequency and types of interaction between parties must include the involvement in each other’s lives over time and on a continuous basis.

 (Title XLVI Ch. 784.048(2)): A person who willfully, maliciously, and repeatedly follows, harasses,or cyberstalks another person commits the offense of stalking.

• Harass: engage in a course of conduct directed at a specific person which causes substantial emotional distress to that person and serves no legitimate purpose.
• Course of Conduct: a pattern of conduct made up of a series of acts over a period of time, however short which evidences a continuity of purpose. NOT INCLUDING: picketing or organized protests.
• Credible Threat: a verbal threat, non-verbal threat, or the combination of both: including threats delivered electronically or implied by a pattern of conduct, which places the person this is directed to in reasonable fear for his or her safety, the safety of his or her family, or individuals they are close to, and which is made with the apparent ability to carry out the threat/ cause harm.
• Cyberstalk: means a verbal or nonverbal threat, or a combination of the two, including threats delivered by electronic communication or implied by a pattern of conduct, which places the person who is the target of the threat in reasonable fear for his or her safety or the safety of his or her family members or individuals closely associated with the person, and which is made with the apparent ability to carry out the threat to cause such harm. It is not necessary to prove that the person making the threat had the intent to actually carry out the threat. The present incarceration of the person making the threat is not a bar to prosecution under this section.