2022 South Carolina Code of Laws
Title 16 - Crimes and Offenses
Chapter 3 - Offenses Against The Person
Section 16-3-1700. Definitions.

Universal Citation: SC Code § 16-3-1700 (2022)

(A) "Harassment in the first degree" means a pattern of intentional, substantial, and unreasonable intrusion into the private life of a targeted person that serves no legitimate purpose and causes the person and would cause a reasonable person in his position to suffer mental or emotional distress. Harassment in the first degree may include, but is not limited to:
(1) following the targeted person as he moves from location to location;
(2) visual or physical contact that is initiated, maintained, or repeated after a person has been provided oral or written notice that the contact is unwanted or after the victim has filed an incident report with a law enforcement agency;
(3) surveillance of or the maintenance of a presence near the targeted person's:
(a) residence;
(b) place of work;
(c) school; or
(d) another place regularly occupied or visited by the targeted person; and
(4) vandalism and property damage.
(B) "Harassment in the second degree" means a pattern of intentional, substantial, and unreasonable intrusion into the private life of a targeted person that serves no legitimate purpose and causes the person and would cause a reasonable person in his position to suffer mental or emotional distress. Harassment in the second degree may include, but is not limited to, verbal, written, or electronic contact that is initiated, maintained, or repeated.
(C) "Stalking" means a pattern of words, whether verbal, written, or electronic, or a pattern of conduct that serves no legitimate purpose and is intended to cause and does cause a targeted person and would cause a reasonable person in the targeted person's position to fear:
(1) death of the person or a member of his family;
(2) assault upon the person or a member of his family;
(3) bodily injury to the person or a member of his family;
(4) criminal sexual contact on the person or a member of his family;
(5) kidnapping of the person or a member of his family; or
(6) damage to the property of the person or a member of his family.
(D) "Pattern" means two or more acts occurring over a period of time, however short, evidencing a continuity of purpose.
(E) "Family" means a spouse, child, parent, sibling, or a person who regularly resides in the same household as the targeted person.
(F) "Electronic contact" means any transfer of signs, signals, writings, images, sounds, data, intelligence, or information of any nature transmitted in whole or in part by any device, system, or mechanism including, but not limited to, a wire, radio, computer, electromagnetic, photoelectric, or photo-optical system.
(G) This section does not apply to words or conduct protected by the Constitution of this State or the United States, a law enforcement officer or a process server performing official duties, or a licensed private investigator performing services or an investigation as described in detail in a contract signed by the client and the private investigator pursuant to Section 40-18-70.
(H) A person who commits the offense of harassment in any degree or stalking, as defined in this section, while subject to the terms of a restraining order issued by the family court may be charged with a violation of this article and, upon conviction, may be sentenced pursuant to the provisions of Section 16-3-1710, 16-3-1720, or 16-3-1730.
HISTORY: 1995 Act No. 94, Section 1; 2001 Act No. 81, Section 4; 2005 Act No. 106, Section 7, eff January 1, 2006; 2013 Act No. 99, Section 1, eff June 20, 2013.
Editor's Note
2005 Act No. 106, Section 1, provides as follows:
"This act may be cited as 'Mary Lynn's Law"'.
Another long-time scammer wasting law enforcement's time. The police asked about this thread. Clearly, there are numerous posters here and it is all fair use reporting of what Ronnie Branch himself posted. First Amendment and Fair Use commentary at its finest. This thread in no way constitutes harassment. Ronnie Branch made all kinds of videos and posts that were open to the public, so his privacy has never been violated in any way. He got comments on what he had made public. It serves the very legitimate purpose of exposing scams and scammers in order to protect, warn and inform the public.

And, Ronnie might benefit from looking at his own lie-filled, highly inflammatory posts about me all over the internet. So, nothing will be taken down and I will continue to comment on here as appropriate.

Don't call me again Ronnie! Read up on the law. The statute of limitations is one year. These posts therefor are not actionable.

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