Know the Laws: North Carolina
UPDATED October 20, 2008
Even if you do not qualify for a Domestic Violence Protective Order, your abuser may have committed a crime. If you call the police, they may arrest him for a crime and they may issue a restraining order through the criminal courts.
Below is a list of crimes in North Carolina that your abuser may have committed. You will need to read the North Carolina Laws (statutes) to find definitions of each of these. Some of the General Statutes are on our NC Legal Statutes page. You may also want to look at the Laws of North Carolina online (then choose the section of the statute that you are interested in).
In North Carolina, there is no specific crime of domestic violence, but your abuser may have committed one or more of the crimes listed on the NC General Statute Chapter 14, Criminal Law Section :
- Assault (Article 8, Section 14-32.4 through 14-34)
- Kidnapping (Article 8, Section 14-39)
- Felonious restraint (Article 8, Section 14-43.3)
- Trespass (Article 22B)
- Willful injury to personal property (Article 23, Section 14-160)
- Communicating threats (Article 35, Section 14-227.1)
- Cyberstalking (Article 26, Section 14‑196.3)
- Stalking (Article 26, Section 14‑277.3)
- Rape and Other Sex Offenses (Article 7A) (please see below for links to more info about sexual assault)
- Labor trafficking (including sex trafficking) (Article 10A)
- Burglary and Other Housebreakings (Article 14)
- Other crimes listed in the General Statutes of the North Carolina State Laws
You may also want to contact the Stalking Resource Center if you are being stalked or harassed: www.ncvc.org/src .