Stalking/Enhanced Penalties.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 1
HOUSE BILL 1008

Short Title: Stalking/Enhanced Penalties. (Public)
Sponsors: Representative Baker.
For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
Referred to: Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
April 16, 2025
*H1008-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO ENHANCE TH E PENALTIES FOR SEXU AL BATTERY AND STALK ING 2
WHEN THE PERPETRATOR IS A LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTED OFFICIAL AND 3
THE VICTIM IS A FELL OW GOVERNING BOARD M EMBER OR SUBORDINATE 4
EMPLOYEE. 5
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 6
SECTION 1. G.S. 14-27.33 reads as rewritten: 7
"§ 14-27.33. Sexual battery. 8
(a) A person is guilty of sexual battery if the person, for the purpose of sexual arousal, 9
sexual gratification, or sexual abuse, engages in sexual contact with another person: 10
(1) By force and against the will of the other person; or 11
(2) Who has a mental disability or who is mentally incapacitated or physically 12
helpless, and the person performing the act knows or should reasonably know 13
that the other person has a mental disability or is mentally incapacitated or 14
physically helpless. 15
(b) Any person who commits the offense defined in this section is guilty of a Class A1 16
misdemeanor. Any person who commits the offense defined in this section while serving as a 17
public official as defined in G.S. 14-234.3 and the victim also was serving on the same governing 18
board or was an employee of that governing board at the time of the offense is guilty of a Class 19
H felony." 20
SECTION 2. G.S. 14-277.3A reads as rewritten: 21
"§ 14-277.3A. Stalking. 22
(a) Legislative Intent. – The General Assembly finds that stalking is a serious problem in 23
this State and nationwide. Stalking involves severe intrusions on the victim's personal privacy 24
and autonomy. It is a crime that causes a long -lasting impact on the victim's quality of life and 25
creates risks to the security and safety of the victim and others, even in the absence of express 26
threats of physical harm. Stalking conduct often becomes increasingly violent over time. 27
The General Assembly recognizes the dangerous nature of stalking as well as the strong 28
connections between stalking and domestic violence and between stalking and sexual assault. 29
Therefore, the General Assembly enacts this law to encourage effective intervention by the 30
criminal justice system before stalking escalates into behavior that has serious or lethal 31
consequences. The General Assembly intends to enact a stalking statute that permits the criminal 32
justice system to hold stalkers accountable for a wide range of acts, commu nications, and 33
conduct. The General Assembly recognizes that stalking includes, but is not limited to, a pattern 34
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 1008-First Edition
of following, observing, or monitoring the victim, or committing violent or intimidating acts 1
against the victim, regardless of the means. 2
(b) Definitions. – The following definitions apply in this section: 3
(1) Course of conduct. – Two or more acts, including, but not limited to, acts in 4
which the stalker directly, indirectly, or through third parties, by any action, 5
method, device, or means, is in the presence of, or follows, monitors, observes, 6
surveils, threatens, or communicates to or about a person, or interferes with a 7
person's property. 8
(2) Harasses or harassment. – Knowing conduct, including written or printed 9
communication or transmission , telephone, cellular, or other wireless 10
telephonic communication, facsimile transmission, pager messages or 11
transmissions, answering machine or voice mail messages or transmissions, 12
and electronic mail messages or other computerized or electronic 13
transmissions directed at a specific person that torments, terrorizes, or terrifies 14
that person and that serves no legitimate purpose. 15
(3) Reasonable person. – A reasonable person in the victim's circumstances. 16
(4) Substantial emotional distress. – Significant mental suffering or distress that 17
may, but does not necessarily, require medical or other professional treatment 18
or counseling. 19
(c) Offense. – A defendant is guilty of stalking if the defendant willfully on more than 20
one occasion harasses another person witho ut legal purpose or willfully engages in a course of 21
conduct directed at a specific person without legal purpose and the defendant knows or should 22
know that the harassment or the course of conduct would cause a reasonable person to do any of 23
the following: 24
(1) Fear for the person's safety or the safety of the person's immediate family or 25
close personal associates. 26
(2) Suffer substantial emotional distress by placing that person in fear of death, 27
bodily injury, or continued harassment. 28
(d) Classification. – The following shall apply to convictions under this section: 29
(1) A violation of this section is a Class A1 misdemeanor. A defendant convicted 30
of a Class A1 misdemeanor under this section, who is sentenced to a 31
community punishment, shall be placed on super vised probation in addition 32
to any other punishment imposed by the court. 33
(2) A defendant who commits the offense of stalking after having been previously 34
convicted of a stalking offense is guilty of a Class F felony. 35
(3) A defendant who commits the offense of stalking when there is a court order 36
in effect prohibiting the conduct described under this section by the defendant 37
against the victim is guilty of a Class H felony. 38
(4) A defendant who commits the offense of stalking while serving as a public 39
official as defined in G.S. 14-234.3 and the victim also was serving on the 40
same governing board or was an employee of that governing board at the time 41
of the offense is guilty of a Class H felony. 42
(e) Jurisdiction. – Pursuant to G.S. 15A-134, if any part of the offense occurred within 43
North Carolina, including the defendant's course of conduct or the effect on the victim, then the 44
defendant may be prosecuted in this State." 45
SECTION 3. This act becomes effective December 1, 2025, and applies to offenses 46
committed on or after that date. 47