The recent arrest of an Appling man charged with attempting to stalk Miley Cyrus made national news.
The majority of cases that involve stalking in Columbia County, however, are far less publicized.
Authorities arrested Mark McLeod, 53, at his Linder-McCurdy Road home Aug. 4 on a charge of criminal attempted stalking after he was seen in the Tybee Island, Ga., area, where Cyrus was filming The Last Song .
About two months earlier, police warned McLeod to stay away from the Hannah Montana star after he was arrested for disorderly conduct in June while attending a shoot for Cyrus' new movie.
During a visit to a Manhattan book signing featuring Cyrus, McLeod said he would marry the entertainer in a video clip posted by the New York Daily News . He also had said the 16-year-old singer and actress communicated with him through secret messages in photos and her TV show.
On Tuesday, Aug. 25, a Tybee Island judge ruled that McLeod is a danger to Cyrus and refused to reduce his bond to $20,000 with conditions that would restrict him to the county.
McLeod remained in the Chatham County jail Thursday on a $55,200 bond, according to jail records.
That type of stalking is "very rare," within the county, said Columbia County sheriff's Capt. Steve Morris.
"I would say well over 90 percent involve individuals they know," Morris said about the stalking cases reported this year. "A vast majority of them involve violation of TPOs (temporary protection orders)."
So far this year, there have been 23 cases of stalking in the county, he said. There were 19 cases in 2008, while in 2007, there were 36 incidents.
"Unfortunately, it's getting more and more common," Columbia County Chief Magistrate Bobby Christine said about the number of arrest warrants issued for stalking. "But then again, with just the increase in population, all sorts of things are."
Most of this year's cases involved stalking by relatives and former family members, Morris said. Only two stranger-on-stranger stalking incidents have been reported this year.
Stalking is committed when a person follows, watches or contacts someone else without that person's consent in order to harass or intimidate them, according to state law. The act causes victims emotional distress and to become fearful for their own or immediate family's safety.
A charge of aggravated stalking arises when someone has been charged with stalking and the contact continues, or if a court order requiring no contact between the parties is violated, Morris said. These orders can include temporary protection orders, permanent and temporary restraining orders, and conditions of a person's bond.
Morris said that most cases are resolved without a warrant ever being issued.
"A report is filed, and they (the victim) do not request prosecution," he said. "They just want the contact to stop.
"Then we'll advise that individual that a report has been made, and that they need to cease and desist any and all contact or face the possibility of being charged criminally."
Stalking, a misdemeanor, is punishable by up to 12 months in prison and a maximum $1,000 fine, Morris said. Those charged with aggravated stalking, a felony, could face up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Through her work sheltering homeless women and their children, Pat Bourke said she assisted a woman who lost her job in the medical field in 2006 due to stalking.
"Her employer had to let her go, because the employer feared for the safety of everyone in the office," said Bourke, the executive director of Julie's House, located in Columbia County. "By the time we became involved, the stalking had pretty much ceased, but she still had that fear that every time she would go to the house she might see him."
The woman, who had a temporary protection order against her ex-husband, was relocated to a different area, Bourke said.
"The safest thing to do is relocate to another town or to stay in a shelter," she said. "I recommend that they don't go stay with friends and family members."
Bourke is petitioning for a bill that would ensure unemployment insurance for women who have lost their job because of stalking and/or domestic violence in Georgia. She hopes to put the item on the Georgia General Assembly agenda in the next two years. Bourke said 28 states, as well as Washington, D.C., have passed similar bills.
Christine said that stalking cases frequently arise from domestic situations.
"With added attention and education relative to domestic violence issues, stalking cases are getting more and more frequent," he said.
As technology continues to advance, Christine said that methods of stalking as well as court orders have become more complex.
"The (court) orders are getting more and more thorough," he said. "We just have to keep up with the pace of technologies."
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