Sexual Assault/Rape
Sexual assault is any sexual act that is forced or against your will. It can be anything from unwanted touching to rape. It is an act of violence, not the result of an uncontrollable sex urge. Over half of all sexual assaults occur between people who know each other, but the rapist can be anyone.

Avoiding certain situations can help protect you:

• Never put yourself in a position to be a victim.
• Never walk alone at night.
• Avoid dark streets.
• If you must walk in an unfamiliar area, plan your route in advance.
• Walk briskly and confidently.
• Do not look vulnerable or afraid.
• Stay alert.
• Call out for help if the situation looks dangerous.

If you are assaulted, do whatever you need to do to get out alive.

Afterward, go to a safe place and call:

• Local Police
  • 911 or (605) 347-2573
• Local Sheriff
  • 911 or (605) 347-2681
• Crisis Intervention Services
  • (605) 347-0050
  • (800) 755-8432

Stalking
According to South Dakota law, any person:

• Who willfully, maliciously, or repeatedly follows or harasses* another person; or
• Who makes a credible threat to another person with the intent to place that person in reasonable fear of death or great bodily injury;

is guilty of the crime of stalking. Stalking is a Class 1 misdemeanor.

* “Harasses” is defined as “a knowing and willful course of conduct directed at a specific person which seriously alarms, annoys, or bothers the person, and which serves no legitimate purpose.”

If there is a violation of a restraining order, injunction, or protection order, it is a FELONY.

South Dakota law states “any person who violates South Dakota Law 22-19A-1 when there is a temporary restraining order, or an injunction, or a protection order, in effect prohibiting the behavior described above as stalking against the same party, is guilty of a Class 6 Felony.”

The term “stalking” is more commonly used to describe specific kinds of behavior directed at a particular person such as harassing or threatening another person. However, the variety of specific strategies employed and behaviors displayed by stalkers are limited only by the creativity and ingenuity of the stalkers themselves. Virtually any unwanted contact between a stalker and his/her victim which directly or indirectly communicates a threat or places the victim in fear can generally be referred to as stalking.

For more information on stalking please contact your local police or sheriff’s department or your local State’s Attorney’s office:

• Local Police
  • 911 or (605) 347-2573
• Local Sheriff
  • 911 or (605) 347-2681
• Meade County State’s Attorney
  • (605) 347-4491