Winston-Salem man convicted of stalking Wilmington woman

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) – A Winston-Salem man will have to undergo a mental health evaluation as well as spend 18 days in jail for stalking a woman.

On Friday, a New Hanover County jury found Jeffrey Keith Hobson, 42, guilty of misdemeanor stalking.

Hobson and the victim dated causally for a few months in late 2009 through early 2010.

In the middle of 2011, Hobson called, texted and emailed the victim repeatedly. She blocked his number but Hobson continued to call from different numbers.

Hobson also mailed defamatory letters to the victim’s friends and family and left a note on her car attempting to initiate a relationship.

Hobson also went to her gym were she worked as a peronal trainer. He was eventually banned from the gym.

A judge issued a restraining order against Hobson in 2012. In October of that year, he approached the victim while she was trick-or-treating with her children. She was granted another 12 month restraining order.

In 2014, Hobson mailed fliers to people that included the victim’s photo, name, address and phone number, as well as work address and phone number. The fliers made it appear the victim was soliciting sexual services. Offensive language was used against the victim and numerous people complained to local and federal agents.

A former girlfriend of the defendant came forward to the police. Hobson had physically assaulted her in January of 2013, breaking her nose and causing significant
bruising on her head and arms.  Hobson was charged with assault on a female, but Hobson, with threats of more violence, forced his girlfriend to request the charges be dismissed. Hobson had spoken to his former girlfriend of his idea of mailing out an offensive flier about the victim to “teach her a lesson,” and he showed her a draft of some fliers he had made, but did not mail.

The former girlfriend took a copy of this flier and gave it to law enforcement.

Connie Jordan, the assistant district attorney who prosecuted the case said, “Stalking behavior is one of the most dangerous indicators of future serious violence, potentially lethal violence, that we investigate and prosecute. Our homicide investigator, J.W. Hedge, took the lead on this investigation because of our fear for the victim’s safety. While this charge is a misdemeanor, the statute acknowledges the potential for a quick escalation of violence. If the defendant engages in this behavior
in the future, this conviction for stalking will elevate a future charge of stalking to a class F felony for this defendant. Hobson’s former girlfriend was so brave to come forward and testify in this case despite her fear of the defendant. She was integral in showing a clear picture of Mr. Hobson’s violent nature.”

Hobson received the maximum sentence he could receive under the law for the misdemeanor charge of stalking: 75 days suspended, 18 days in the New Hanover County Jail, followed by 5 years of supervised probation.

During his probation, Hobson will have to undergo mental health and substance abuse evaluations and treatment, successfully complete an abuser treatment program, he is not allowed to possess firearms, he is not allowed to possess a device or application that can disguise his identity, and he was ordered to have no contact whatsoever with the victim or his former girlfriend who was called to testify in the trial.