The crime of harassment in Tennessee is a serious matter.
It is usually a Class A misdemeanor punishable up to 11 months and 29 days, although in some cases it could be a felony.
A permanent conviction for this type of crime can have many negative consequences.
The harassment statute is found in the Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39, Chapter 17, Section 308.
Under Tennessee law, a person commits harassment who threatens an illegal act against someone else, and does so knowing that the person will be annoyed or alarmed.
It can be through phone, in writing, or by electronic communication such as text messaging, fax, email, or other internet services.
Harassment can also be repeated phone calls, whether anonymously or at hours known to be inconvenient to the victim, in an offensively repetitious manner to knowingly annoy or alarm the victim.
It can even be a single phone call made to the victim telling them that a family member is ill, or has been injured or killed, when this information is not true.
Additionally, harassment in Tennessee can be sending an image to the victim (such as a picture) with the intent to frighten, intimidate, or cause emotional distress.
The image must be sent without legitimate purpose, and can be sent through any of the previously mentioned methods such as text message or email.
The image must actually cause the victim to be frightened, intimidated, or emotionally distressed.
The felony provision of the law makes it a crime for anyone who has been convicted of an offense, while incarcerated, on probation, or parole for that offense, to make unwanted contact with the victim of that offense.
The contact must be anonymous, threatening, or offensively repetitious, with no legitimate purpose, and made knowing that it will annoy or alarm the victim.
Felony harassment in Tennessee is punishable up to six years.
Harassment can come in many forms.
Communication through telephone and in writing are more traditional forms, and the law now criminalizes any type of electronic harassment as well.
This can include email, text messaging, and social networking services such as Facebook.
What constitutes harassment in Tennessee can be broad, and many people accused of this crime find themselves in a situation they did not intend to create.
If this has happened to you, a Tennessee criminal attorney can explore all defenses and work to keep the charge off your record.