NAPLES, FL (February 19, 2020) - According to a new story appearing on NaplesNews.com, police officers with the Naples Police Department arrested a 43-year-old man and booked him with stalking a female teenager this past Tuesday. The report states that the man was charged with stalking after the victim told law enforcement that the man was continuously texting the teenager and then the man appeared later at her workplace.
The online news report and the man´s arrest report, the man showed up at a gelato shop in Naples, Florida back in November and the man started speaking to a girl who worked at the cash register.
According to the article, the 43-year-old-man gave the teenage girl his cellular phone and asked the teen to enter in her cellphone number so that he could provide her with further details about an Italian festival that was coming to the area. The teenager was afraid and instead of putting her mobile phone number in the mans phone, she entered in her mother's cellphone number.
According to the arrest report details provided in the online news article, the adult male, thinking he was texting the teenager, began sending messages. The teens mother received messages initially about the upcoming festival from the man, the mother blocked the man´s number. The man then started messaging the teens mother using several other phone numbers. The text messages became increasingly sexual in nature while also referring to the teenage girl. The teen´s mom blocked those phone numbers as well.
The man returned to the gelato shop later that same day. The man was looking for the teenage girl. She hid and waited for the man to leave.
Stalking Laws in Florida - 784.048 Stalking; definitions; penalties.
According to Florida Statute 784.048, it is a violation of the law for an individual to “willfully, maliciously, and repeatedly follow, harass, or cyberstalk another person.” The crime of stalking may be filed as either a felony charge or misdemeanor charge depending on the circumstances that lead up to the arrest. An adult stalking a child under the age of 16 years of age is a felony in the State of Florida. According to Florida law, law enforcement officers are permitted to arrest, even without an arrest warrant, any individual who the police officer believes is in violation of this section.
If found guilty of stalking, as part of the punishment, the defendant may be issued a restraining order. The court will determine the length of the “no contact” order also known as a “restraining order” or “injunction.” The order could be valid for up to 10 years. If found guilty, the penalties will vary depending on the severity of the charges. These penalties could include expensive fines, jail time, probation, an injunction filed against you, a loss of your gun rights and damage to your reputation.