District Of Columbia Stalking Law


Title 22, Section 504. ASSAULT OR THREATENED ASSAULT IN A MENACING MANNER. 1901. Amended 1993.

"(a) Whoever unlawfully assaults, or threatens another in a menacing manner, shall be fined not more than $500 or be imprisoned not more than 12 months, or both.
(b) Stalking -- Any person who on more than 1 occasion engages in conduct with the intent to cause emotional distress to another person or places another person in reasonable fear of death or bodily injury by willfully, maliciously, and repeatedly following or harassing that person, or who,without a legal purpose, willfully, maliciously, and repeatedly follows or harasses another person,is guilty of the crime of stalking and shall be fined not more than $500 or be imprisoned not more than 12 months, or both. Constitutionally protected activity, such as conduct by a party to a labor dispute in furtherance of labor or management objectives in that dispute, is not included within the meaning of this definition.
(c) Any person who violates subsection (b) of this section when there is in effect a court order imposing a temporary restraining order, an injunction, a temporary protection order, civil protection order, stay-away or not contact order, civil restraining order or any combination thereof, prohibiting contact between that person and the individual who is the victim of the conduct described in subsection (b) of this section shall be subject to the penalties set forth therein and in addition shall be required to give bond, for a period not exceeding 1 year, to ensure compliance with the provisions of this section.
(d) A second conviction occurring within 2 years of a first conviction for an offense under subsection (b) or (c) of this section, or for a similar offense under the law of any other jurisdiction, shall result in a fine of up to 1 1/2 times the maximum fines authorized for the offenses in subsections (b) and (c) of this section and imprisonment or a term of up to 1 1/2 times the maximum term of imprisonment authorized for the offense. If such person was previously convicted more than once of an offense described in subsection (b) or (c) of this section, such person may be subject to a fine of up to 3 times the maximum fines authorized for the offenses in subsections (b) and (c) of this section and imprisonment for a term of up to 3 times the maximum term of imprisonment authorized for each offense. No conviction with respect to which a person has been pardoned on the grounds of innocence shall be taken into account in applying this section.
(e) For the purpose of this section, the term `harassing' means engaging in a course of conduct either in person, by telephone, or in writing, directed at a specific person which seriously alarms, annoys, frightens,or torments the person, or engaging in a course of conduct either in person, by telephone, or in writing, which would cause a reasonable person to be seriously alarmed, annoyed, frightened, or tormented."