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Chapter 609

Section 609.749

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609.749 HARASSMENT; STALKING; PENALTIES.
    Subdivision 1. Definition. As used in this section, "harass" means to engage in intentional
conduct which:
(1) the actor knows or has reason to know would cause the victim under the circumstances to
feel frightened, threatened, oppressed, persecuted, or intimidated; and
(2) causes this reaction on the part of the victim.
    Subd. 1a. No proof of specific intent required. In a prosecution under this section, the state
is not required to prove that the actor intended to cause the victim to feel frightened, threatened,
oppressed, persecuted, or intimidated, or except as otherwise provided in subdivision 3, paragraph
(a), clause (4), or paragraph (b), that the actor intended to cause any other result.
    Subd. 2. Harassment and stalking crimes. (a) A person who harasses another by
committing any of the following acts is guilty of a gross misdemeanor:
(1) directly or indirectly manifests a purpose or intent to injure the person, property, or rights
of another by the commission of an unlawful act;
(2) stalks, follows, monitors, or pursues another, whether in person or through technological
or other means;
(3) returns to the property of another if the actor is without claim of right to the property
or consent of one with authority to consent;
(4) repeatedly makes telephone calls, or induces a victim to make telephone calls to the actor,
whether or not conversation ensues;
(5) makes or causes the telephone of another repeatedly or continuously to ring;
(6) repeatedly mails or delivers or causes the delivery by any means, including electronically,
of letters, telegrams, messages, packages, or other objects; or
(7) knowingly makes false allegations against a peace officer concerning the officer's
performance of official duties with intent to influence or tamper with the officer's performance of
official duties.
(b) The conduct described in paragraph (a), clauses (4) and (5), may be prosecuted at the
place where any call is either made or received or, additionally in the case of wireless or electronic
communication, where the actor or victim resides. The conduct described in paragraph (a), clause
(2), may be prosecuted where the actor or victim resides. The conduct described in paragraph
(a), clause (6), may be prosecuted where any letter, telegram, message, package, or other object
is either sent or received or, additionally in the case of wireless or electronic communication,
where the actor or victim resides.
(c) A peace officer may not make a warrantless, custodial arrest of any person for a violation
of paragraph (a), clause (7).
    Subd. 3. Aggravated violations. (a) A person who commits any of the following acts is
guilty of a felony and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than five years or to
payment of a fine of not more than $10,000, or both:
(1) commits any offense described in subdivision 2 because of the victim's or another's
actual or perceived race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, disability as defined in section
363A.03, age, or national origin;
(2) commits any offense described in subdivision 2 by falsely impersonating another;
(3) commits any offense described in subdivision 2 and possesses a dangerous weapon
at the time of the offense;
(4) harasses another, as defined in subdivision 1, with intent to influence or otherwise tamper
with a juror or a judicial proceeding or with intent to retaliate against a judicial officer, as defined
in section 609.415, or a prosecutor, defense attorney, or officer of the court, because of that
person's performance of official duties in connection with a judicial proceeding; or
(5) commits any offense described in subdivision 2 against a victim under the age of 18, if
the actor is more than 36 months older than the victim.
(b) A person who commits any offense described in subdivision 2 against a victim under the
age of 18, if the actor is more than 36 months older than the victim, and the act is committed with
sexual or aggressive intent, is guilty of a felony and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not
more than ten years or to payment of a fine of not more than $20,000, or both.
    Subd. 4. Second or subsequent violations; felony. (a) A person is guilty of a felony
who violates any provision of subdivision 2 within ten years of a previous qualified domestic
violence-related offense conviction or adjudication of delinquency, and may be sentenced to
imprisonment for not more than five years or to payment of a fine of not more than $10,000, or
both.
(b) A person is guilty of a felony who violates any provision of subdivision 2 within ten
years of the first of two or more previous qualified domestic violence-related offense convictions
or adjudications of delinquency, and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than ten
years or to payment of a fine of not more than $20,000, or both.
    Subd. 5. Pattern of harassing conduct. (a) A person who engages in a pattern of harassing
conduct with respect to a single victim or one or more members of a single household which
the actor knows or has reason to know would cause the victim under the circumstances to feel
terrorized or to fear bodily harm and which does cause this reaction on the part of the victim,
is guilty of a felony and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than ten years or to
payment of a fine of not more than $20,000, or both.
(b) For purposes of this subdivision, a "pattern of harassing conduct" means two or more
acts within a five-year period that violate or attempt to violate the provisions of any of the
following or a similar law of another state, the United States, the District of Columbia, tribal
lands, or United States territories:
(1) this section;
(2) section 609.713;
(3) section 609.224;
(4) section 609.2242;
(5) section 518B.01, subdivision 14;
(6) section 609.748, subdivision 6;
(7) section 609.605, subdivision 1, paragraph (b), clauses (3), (4), and (7);
(8) section 609.79;
(9) section 609.795;
(10) section 609.582;
(11) section 609.595;
(12) section 609.765; or
(13) sections 609.342 to 609.3451.
(c) When acts constituting a violation of this subdivision are committed in two or more
counties, the accused may be prosecuted in any county in which one of the acts was committed
for all acts constituting the pattern.
    Subd. 6. Mental health assessment and treatment. (a) When a person is convicted of a
felony offense under this section, or another felony offense arising out of a charge based on
this section, the court shall order an independent professional mental health assessment of the
offender's need for mental health treatment. The court may waive the assessment if an adequate
assessment was conducted prior to the conviction.
(b) Notwithstanding sections 13.384, 13.85, 144.291 to 144.298, 260B.171, or 260C.171, the
assessor has access to the following private or confidential data on the person if access is relevant
and necessary for the assessment:
(1) medical data under section 13.384;
(2) welfare data under section 13.46;
(3) corrections and detention data under section 13.85;
(4) health records under sections 144.291 to 144.298; and
(5) juvenile court records under sections 260B.171 and 260C.171.
Data disclosed under this section may be used only for purposes of the assessment and may not be
further disclosed to any other person, except as authorized by law.
(c) If the assessment indicates that the offender is in need of and amenable to mental health
treatment, the court shall include in the sentence a requirement that the offender undergo treatment.
(d) The court shall order the offender to pay the costs of assessment under this subdivision
unless the offender is indigent under section 563.01.
    Subd. 7. Exception. Conduct is not a crime under this section if it is performed under terms
of a valid license, to ensure compliance with a court order, or to carry out a specific lawful
commercial purpose or employment duty, is authorized or required by a valid contract, or is
authorized, required, or protected by state or federal law or the state or federal constitutions.
Subdivision 2, clause (2), does not impair the right of any individual or group to engage in speech
protected by the federal Constitution, the state Constitution, or federal or state law, including
peaceful and lawful handbilling and picketing.
    Subd. 8. Stalking; firearms. (a) When a person is convicted of a harassment or stalking
crime under this section and the court determines that the person used a firearm in any way during
commission of the crime, the court may order that the person is prohibited from possessing any
type of firearm for any period longer than three years or for the remainder of the person's life. A
person who violates this paragraph is guilty of a gross misdemeanor. At the time of the conviction,
the court shall inform the defendant whether and for how long the defendant is prohibited from
possessing a firearm and that it is a gross misdemeanor to violate this paragraph. The failure of the
court to provide this information to a defendant does not affect the applicability of the firearm
possession prohibition or the gross misdemeanor penalty to that defendant.
(b) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (a), when a person is convicted of a stalking
or harassment crime under this section, the court shall inform the defendant that the defendant
is prohibited from possessing a pistol for three years from the date of conviction and that it is
a gross misdemeanor offense to violate this prohibition. The failure of the court to provide this
information to a defendant does not affect the applicability of the pistol possession prohibition or
the gross misdemeanor penalty to that defendant.
(c) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (a), a person is not entitled to possess a pistol
if the person has been convicted after August 1, 1996, of a stalking or harassment crime under this
section, unless three years have elapsed from the date of conviction and, during that time, the
person has not been convicted of any other violation of this section. Property rights may not be
abated but access may be restricted by the courts. A person who possesses a pistol in violation of
this paragraph is guilty of a gross misdemeanor.
(d) If the court determines that a person convicted of a stalking or harassment crime under
this section owns or possesses a firearm and used it in any way during the commission of the
crime, it shall order that the firearm be summarily forfeited under section 609.5316, subdivision 3.
History: 1993 c 326 art 2 s 22; 1Sp1993 c 5 s 5; 1994 c 465 art 1 s 61; 1995 c 226 art 2 s
23; 1995 c 259 art 3 s 18,19; 1996 c 408 art 4 s 12; 1997 c 96 s 6-9; 1998 c 367 art 2 s 23,24;
1999 c 139 art 4 s 2; 1999 c 227 s 22; 2000 c 311 art 4 s 6; 2000 c 437 s 15,16; 1Sp2001 c 8 art
10 s 15,16; 2002 c 385 s 5-8; 2005 c 136 art 17 s 46; 2006 c 260 art 1 s 29; 2007 c 147 art 10 s 15

Official Publication of the State of Minnesota
Revisor of Statutes