Stalking is a pattern of behavior that makes you feel afraid, nervous, harassed or in danger. It is when someone repeatedly contacts you, follows you, sends you things, talks to you when you don’t want them to or threatens you. Stalking behaviors can include:

• Damaging your property.
• Knowing your schedule.
• Showing up at places you go.
• Sending mail, e-mail, texts and pictures.
• Creating a website about you.
• Sending gifts.
• Stealing things that belong to you.
• Calling you repeatedly.
• Any other actions that the stalker takes to contact, harass, track or frighten you.

You can be stalked by someone you know casually, a current boyfriend or girlfriend, someone you dated in the past or a stranger. Getting notes and gifts at your home, on your car or other places might seem sweet and harmless to other people. But if you don’t want the gifts, phone calls, messages, letters or e-mails, it doesn’t feel sweet or harmless. It can be scary and frustrating.

Sometimes people stalk their boyfriends or girlfriends while they’re dating. They check up on them, text or call them all the time, expect instant responses, follow them, use GPS to secretly monitor them and generally keep track of them, even when they haven’t made plans to be together. These stalking behaviors can be part of an abusive relationship. If this is happening to you or someone you know, you should talk to a trusted person.
Stalking is a crime and can be dangerous. Texas Penal Code Section 42.072 states that A person commits stalking if the person, on more than one occasion and pursuant to the same scheme or course of conduct that is directed specifically at another person, knowingly engages in conduct, including following the other person, that:

• the actor knows or reasonably believes the other person will regard as threatening:
  
  • bodily injury or death for the other person;
  • bodily injury or death of a member of the other person’s family or household; or
  • that an offense will be ommitted against the other person’s property;
• causes the other person or a member of the other person’s family or household to be placed in fear of bodily injury or death or fear that an offense will be committed against the other person’s property; and
• would cause a reasonable person to fear:
  
  • bodily injury or death for himself or herself;
  • bodily injury or death of a member of the person’s family or household; or
  • that an offense will be committed against the person’s property.