Restraining Orders

A person commits the offense of stalking if s/he does any of the following:

1. purposely or recklessly engages in a “course of conduct” (defined below) that targets you or any specific person, which causes you to fear for your safety or the safety of a member of your immediate family and which would reasonably cause anyone to fear for his/her safety or family’s safety;
2. purposely engages in a “course of conduct” (defined below) that targets you or any specific person, which s/he knows will place you in fear for your safety or the safety of your immediate family; or
3. after being served with a protective order that prohibits contact with you or any specific person, s/he purposely or recklessly engages in a single act of conduct that both violates the provisions of the protective order and that is listed below in the definition of “course of conduct.”

A “course of conduct” means two or more of the following acts, or similar acts, that are committed by the offender over any period of time and that have no legitimate purpose other than to contact you. The offender could commit the same type of act twice or a combination of the following acts:

• threatening your safety or the safety of an immediate family member;
• following, approaching, or confronting you or a member of your immediate family;
• coming close to you or your immediate family member, or entering the home, work, school of you or your immediate family member or entering another place where you or your immediate family member can be found;
• causing damage to the residence or property of you or your immediate family member;
• placing an object on the property, either directly or through a third person, of you or your immediate family member;
• causing injury to the pet owned by you or your immediate family member;²
• any act of communication, including through email, text, phone, mail, etc.³

Note: Any of the following people can be considered an immediate family member: parent, step-parent, child, step-child, sibling, spouse, grandparent, any person living in your home, or any person involved in an intimate relationship with you.⁴

¹ N.H. Rev. Stat. § 633:3-a (I)
² N.H. Rev. Stat. §§ 633:3-a(II)(a)
³ N.H. Rev. Stat. §§ 633:3-a(II)(a); 644:4(II)
⁴ N.H. Rev. Stat. §§ 633:3-a(II)(b)