STALKING LAW RULED TO BE ILLEGAL

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, April 10, 1993                   TAG: 9304100249
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND                                LENGTH: Medium
STALKING LAW RULED TO BE ILLEGAL
A Richmond General District judge ruled Friday that Virginia's stalking law is unconstitutional and ordered the charge dropped against a Richmond man.
Scott L. Camper, 27, was charged with stalking a University of Richmond student during the past four months. Among the complaints were that he attended her church and attempted to get a job where she works.
His attorney, David E. Durrett, argued that Camper could not be found guilty of the stalking charge because the law's language is too broad and Camper's activities were protected under the Constitution.
"Getting a job and going to church are usually considered laudable activities," Durrett said. "The stalking statute gives police and prosecutors the power to color these endeavors as illegal.
"If you have to guess what it means, it fails the constitutional test," he said. "It doesn't define what conduct means, or emotional distress." Judge Ralph B. Robertson agreed.
The case will be appealed in Circuit Court, Commonwealth's Attorney Joseph D. Morrissey said.
Morrissey said Camper's actions caused great distress to Lisa M. Baird, who filed the stalking charge against Camper on Feb. 19.
The law was passed by the General Assembly last year and took effect April 15, 1992.
"We're surprised. This statute has resulted in a number of convictions in other Virginia courts. We simply don't understand the judge's reasoning here," said David A. Parsons, a spokesman for the state attorney general's office.
Although Robertson dismissed the stalking charge, he revoked the suspension of Camper's one-year sentence for the Jan. 7 assault of a friend of Baird's. One of the conditions of the suspended sentence was that Camper have no contact with Baird.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB