In New York, whether it's in Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island, The Bronx, Manhattan, Nassau County or Suffolk County, the various Offices of the District Attorney take Stalking charges very seriously.

There are (4) different types of Stalking ranging from Misdemeanor charges to 2 Felony charges. The first Misdemeanor Stalking charge is Stalking in the fourth degree, which is a B Misdemeanor, and the highest is Stalking in the first degree, which is a D Felony. The basic concept of Stalking is that the perpetrator places the victim in fear for his safety by involuntarily showing up or following or initiating contact through some type of communication or starting another type of communication after the victim has asked for all communication to stop. After the Alleged Perpetrator is told to stop this conduct, the law uses a "reasonable person" standard to determine whether any further contact would place a person in fear for his safety. If the answer is "yes," (a reasonable person would be in fear) than the Stalking Law has been violated.

Any New York Stalking Lawyer will tell you the Offices of the District Attorney in New York are more sensitive to Stalking cases because they have potential to lead to more serious crimes and more serious criminal charges. Stalking cases have turned into assault, sex crimes, rapes, kidnapping, robbery and even murder. That's why the Courts, after an arrest on a Stalking charge, generally issue an Order of Protection. The purpose is to stop all contact and communication between parties and thus, by stopping the contact, it stops the criminal behavior from escalating to one of the more serious crimes. Defending Stalking cases focuses the defense on the mind set of the parties. Was it reasonable for the alleged victim to fear for his or her safety and well-being? Was there a legitimate purpose for the alleged perpetrator to be interacting with the alleged victim? Remember the legal standard is that the District Attorney has to prove guilt is beyond a reasonable doubt. The burden of proof is on the District Attorney not the New York Stalking Defense Lawyer. Very often these cases do not involve witnesses. Therefore, the Stalking case is a "he said, she said' and the case will be a battle of credibility between the parties.

That is why, if you are faced with a criminal charge for stalking, it is important to hire a skilled and experienced New York Stalking Criminal Lawyer to represent your interest. At Stephen Bilkis and Associates our Stalking Defense Lawyers offer a free consultation. So call 1-800 - NY- NY- LAW. We are readily available to meet you in any of our NYC Locations as well as on Long Island. Our attorneys appear throughout the New York Metropolitan area.