As any true Swiftie will tell you, Taylor Swift’s whole personality is extremely alluring. In fact, she often draws just a little bit too much attention from obsessed fans. Just recently on January 20th, a fan allegedly attempted to break into her NYC townhouse.
The situation became apparent to police when they received a 911 call regarding a disorderly person on Franklin Street. Once they arrived, they found a male suspect, whose name has not yet been released, attempting to enter the premises. As of now, it’s not clear whether the authorities will officially charge the suspect with trying to enter Taylor’s residence.
This isn’t the first time that the police have had to deal with stalkers or obsessed fans at this specific location. Reports show that a 35-year-old male attempted to show up at Taylor’s townhouse in the summer of 2022 and shouted threatening messages at the singer, warning her to either be romantically involved with the man or get hurt.
Earlier that same year in January, an intoxicated suspect intentionally crashed his vehicle into the side of Taylor’s home and then refused to leave the premises until he got to meet the pop star face-to-face.
A year prior to that, a stalker repeatedly attempted to show up at Swift’s place for six months before trying to break in. In 2019, another male stalker repeatedly attempted to break into Taylor’s house. At one point, he succeeded. Thankfully, the singer wasn’t at home at the time of the break-in. The stalker decided to take a shower and take a nap before he was discovered and arrested.
What is Criminal Stalking?
In New York, criminal stalking is defined as repeatedly following someone or communicating with them in such a way that causes them to feel threatened. Stalking could be described as following someone, keeping track of someone’s GPS location, constantly texting or calling someone after they’ve asked you to stop, or attempting to communicate with someone while they’re at work.
If you get charged with criminal stalking, then you’ll want to know more about your specific circumstances since there are varying levels of stalking.
Stalking in the fourth degree, for instance, is a class B misdemeanor that happens when someone causes harm to a person’s mental or physical health by continuing to contact them after they’ve asked them to stop, someone causes reasonable fear of harm through their actions, or threatens someone’s career by communicating with them at work. This crime could lead to a fine of up to $500 and a three month jail sentence.
Stalking in the first-degree, the most serious form of stalking, happens when you not only commit stalking behaviors but also cause the person physical harm. This type of crime is considered a Class D felony. It can result in a maximum sentence of up to 7 years in prison and fines of up to $5,000.
Have you recently been accused of criminal stalking? Don’t assume the courts will be on your side. Instead, schedule a meeting with our criminal defense attorneys to make sure you’re prepared to fight your charges.
