Stalking
A person repeatedly, obsessively waiting, phoning, watching, observing or following another person, where the victim is in fear of injury, is committing a stalking offense. Stalking laws have become a priority in many states and the laws are becoming broader with tougher punishments available to prosecutors. Rather than repeated acts, some state laws require only more than one act of stalking to trigger the statute.
Stalking crimes, unlike other offenses, do not depend so much on the intent of the accused but, rather, on the effect the offense has had on the victim. When a victim is in fear of bodily injury or death for herself or a member of her family, she is being stalked. The intent of the stalker or his knowledge that he is causing the victim fear is not a requirement. While stalking is typically charged where there are individual relationships involved, it has also been used against protestors who have threatened employees of abortion clinics.