No Stalking By Proxy

The Washington State Supreme Court ruled yesterday with a 6-3 decision that stalking via a third party is a crime. With the ruling, the Court reinstated the conviction of a man who had friends follow his ex-girlfriend and report back to him. Andre Becklin's stalking conviction had been overturned in the Court of Appeals, but the Supreme Court ruled that using other people to intimidate or follow someone is, in the eyes of the law, the same as if you'd done the stalking yourself.

Though we obviously aren't Supreme Court justices or great legal minds, this seems like a no-brainer. Stalking is about power, control, intimidation, and knowledge. Having someone else do the "dirty work" for you doesn't make you any less guilty. If you hired someone to kill your spouse, you're still responsible for the crime that is committed at your will. Glad to see the same is now true for stalking in Washington.