Stalkers target public figures or celebrities, children, and sometimes even complete strangers.
But, in most cases, a stalker is someone you know and with whom you have had a relationship. Typically, a stalker is an obsessive person who attempts to threathen or harm you, force attentions on you, or create or maintain relationships with you which you do not desire. Often, stalkers are former spouses or partners. Stalkers usually begin with persistent and annoying behavior that is not criminal, but progress to behavior that can be punished under Iowa criminal laws. Iowa criminal statutes which can be used in an effort to deter stalking include laws against harassment and assault, and a more recently enacted specific stalking law.