(1) It is the intent of the Legislature to enact laws dealing with stalking offenses which will protect victims from being willfully harassed, intentionally terrified, threatened, or intimidated by individuals who intentionally follow, detain, stalk, or harass them or impose any restraint on their personal liberty and which will not prohibit constitutionally protected activities.

(a) Harass means to engage in a knowing and willful course of conduct directed at a specific person which seriously terrifies, threatens, or intimidates the person and which serves no legitimate purpose;

(b) Course of conduct means a pattern of conduct composed of a series of acts over a period of time, however short, evidencing a continuity of purpose, including a series of acts of following, detaining, restraining the personal liberty of, or stalking the person or telephoning, contacting, or otherwise communicating with the person;

(c) Family or household member means a spouse or former spouse of the victim, children of the victim, a person presently residing with the victim or who has resided with the victim in the past, a person who had a child in common with the victim, other persons related to the victim by consanguinity or affinity, or any person presently involved in a dating relationship with the victim or who has been involved in a dating relationship with the victim. For purposes of this subdivision, dating relationship means frequent, intimate associations primarily characterized by the expectation of affectional or sexual involvement but does not include a casual relationship or an ordinary association between persons in a business or social context; and

(d) Substantially conforming criminal violation means a guilty plea, a nolo contendere plea, or a conviction for a violation of any federal law or law of another state or any county, city, or village ordinance of this state or another state substantially similar to section 28-311.03. Substantially conforming is a question of law to be determined by the court.

Cross References

Registration of sex offenders, see sections 29-4001 to 29-4014.

Annotations

Given the language of Nebraska's stalking statutes and the purpose announced by the Legislature for enacting the statutes, an objective construction of the statute is appropriate, and the victim's experience resulting from the perpetrator's conduct should be assessed on an objective basis. In re Interest of Jeffrey K., 273 Neb. 239, 728 N.W.2d 606 (2007).
Nebraska's stalking statutes focus both on the behavior of the perpetrator and on the experience of the victim. In re Interest of Jeffrey K., 273 Neb. 239, 728 N.W.2d 606 (2007).
Evidence was insufficient to support a finding that an alleged harasser's behavior fit the statutory definition of a harassing "course of conduct" as defined by subdivision (2)(b) of this section, where the incident between the alleged harasser and the alleged victims occurred within a span of 10 to 20 minutes on one particular day, and there was no evidence of harassment prior to or after the incident. Knopik v. Hahn, 25 Neb. App. 157, 902 N.W.2d 716 (2017).
Nebraska's stalking and harassment statutes are given an objective construction, and the victim's experience resulting from the perpetrator's conduct should be assessed on an objective basis. Glantz v. Daniel, 21 Neb. App. 89, 837 N.W.2d 563 (2013).

Any person who willfully harasses another person or a family or household member of such person with the intent to injure, terrify, threaten, or intimidate commits the offense of stalking.

Annotations

Nebraska's stalking statutes focus both on the behavior of the perpetrator and on the experience of the victim. In re Interest of Jeffrey K., 273 Neb. 239, 728 N.W.2d 606 (2007).

(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, any person convicted of violating section 28-311.03 is guilty of a Class I misdemeanor.

(2) Any person convicted of violating section 28-311.03 is guilty of a Class IIIA felony if:

(a) The person has a prior conviction under such section or a substantially conforming criminal violation within the last seven years;

(d) The person was also in violation of section 28-311.09, 28-311.11, 42-924, or 42-925, or in violation of a valid foreign harassment protection order recognized pursuant to section 28-311.10 or a valid foreign sexual assault protection order recognized pursuant to section 28-311.12 at any time during the violation; or

(e) The person has been convicted of any felony in this state or has been convicted of a crime in another jurisdiction which, if committed in this state, would constitute a felony and the victim or a family or household member of the victim was also the victim of such previous felony.

Sections 28-311.02 to 28-311.04, 28-311.09, and 28-311.10 shall not apply to conduct which occurs during labor picketing.