Criminal or Civil Case?

[ProudArmyMom]

I'm the victim of cyberstalking and harassment. I know who's doing all this nonsense to me and my family. I've been to several lawyers who say it's a criminal matter and advised me to go to the Commonwealth Attorney for my county. My husband and I did that in September of 2007. So far we haven't received any help from him. Since then the harassment and cyberstalking have escalated. The VA State police tell me they dont have time for my case since they have too many cases already. They advised me to go to a lawyer. Can someone tell me if this is a criminal or civil matter? My harasser/stalker has made up webpages pretending to be me looking for other men, pretending to be my husband claiming that he hates me so much he wants to kill me, made up profiles on rottenneighbor.com pretending to be my neighbors, sent numerous emails to my husband and I, etc....I could go on forever. I've been a victim now for five years!

 

[TechnoMom]

Hi there. I just joined, and I am not a lawyer, so I'm not sure that it's ok to reply to you. I just wanted to mention that there have been a lot of cases in the last year in which people have been arrested and tried criminally for the kinds of things the stalker is doing to you. I don't know if any of them have been in Virginia, unfortunately.

VA does have a law on the books, at least:
§ 18.2-152.7:1. Harassment by computer; penalty.
If any person, with the intent to coerce, intimidate, or harass any person, shall use a computer or computer network to communicate obscene, vulgar, profane, lewd, lascivious, or indecent language, or make any suggestion or proposal of an obscene nature, or threaten any illegal or immoral act, he shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.
(2000, c. 849.)
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+18.2-152.7C1

I used to work with [advertisement deleted], a great group that helps people who are being harassed online. I'd suggest filling out the form on their site to request help, especially if you can't get the police to do anything.

Our family has been similarly harassed by a multiply convicted felon since 1996. He was arrested at one time, but unfortunately the prosecutor didn't know how to handle the case and the police didn't get all the evidence together, so he wasn't convicted. Every time anything goes wrong in his life, he steps up the harassment again. I was his first target, then my daughter (who was only 5 when it started), then anybody who seemed friendly to me online. He's expanded to my life partner and especially my parents, because my parents have a published phone number and address (we haven't, of course, not in years).

Best of luck!
[personal info deleted]