Can calling be a crime?

The legal classifications for frequent, inappropriate phone calls range from harassment to stalking. So, it starts out as harassment. A prank phone call here or there. It's nothing serious but it's annoying. As it continues over a longer period of time or the frequency increases, it becomes a more serious misdemeanor and once it poses a threat, it is a felony.

The penalties for these crimes vary as well from 15 days in jail to 4 years and a hefty fine.

Calling can be a crime. It's not all fun and games. And intention does not weigh heavier than actions in this case.

Starting at the very beginning...

Eight weeks ago, the phone calls started. I don't know if the first time was really a wrong number or just an effort to see if I was home or really living here. Perhaps it started out as a joke. Or maybe this person is seriously obsessed with me or my family. Either way, it was the beginning of what has become a royal pain in my ass.

Some weeks, I get two or three calls. Other weeks, I get five to ten calls. And they come at the most inopportune times. The first couple of weeks, I was a little frightened. Now, I am just pissed off and I want it to stop.