Stalking; using electronically transmitted communication, penalty.

This legislation expands Virginia’s legal definition of stalking to explicitly include persistent harassment via electronically transmitted communications, such as text messages, emails, and social media posts. Current law often struggles to address digital-only patterns of intimidation that do not involve direct physical contact. By categorizing these digital actions as criminal stalking, the bill provides law enforcement and the courts with clearer authority to prosecute cyber-stalkers and protect victims from pervasive online harassment. For Arlington residents, this update offers a stronger legal recourse against individuals who use technology to threaten their safety or peace of mind. It aims to modernize the state's criminal code to reflect the reality that harmful, repetitive behavior frequently occurs in digital spaces as much as in physical ones.