A Hanover Township NJ man has been convicted of stalking a local woman.
The 44-year-old suspect, who lives in the Whippany section of Hanover, was convicted on charges of stalking and contempt of court after a trial in Morris County Superior Court.
According to Morris County prosecutors, the stalking occurred over the course of an entire year. The stalking allegedly began in February 2012; police ultimately arrested the suspect and charged him with stalking in February 2013.
The suspect was initially arrested in September 2012 after the victim filed a domestic violence complaint against him. Shortly after the suspect was arrested, a no contact order was put into effect as a condition of his release on bail.
Morris County NJ prosecutors said that the suspect later ignored the no contact order and continued to stalk the victim at a number of places, including her workplace, her home, and her boyfriend’s residence. The suspect reportedly stalked the victim in Chatham Township, Morris Plains, and Berkeley Heights, NJ.
When a warrant was eventually issued for the suspect’s arrest, he allegedly fled New Jersey and went to Cincinnati, Ohio. He was later located in Cincinnati and arrested by local law enforcement.
Shortly after the conviction, a spokesperson for the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office offered a few details about the case. Authorities have not said how the suspect knew the victim, but the prosecutor’s office did reveal that the suspect and the victim were not involved in a romantic relationship.
The suspect is due to be sentenced for on the stalking charges in late July. He will have to appear in Morris County Superior Court in Morristown for the sentencing hearing.
At sentencing, the suspect is subject to serious penalties. As set forth by N.J.S.A. 2C:12-10, stalking may be classified as a third degree or fourth degree felony. A conviction on third degree stalking charges could lead to a sentence of 3-5 years in New Jersey State Prison.
For more information about this case, read the NJ.com article entitled “Whippany Man Convicted of Stalking Woman for a Year.”
