MARTINEZ — An East Bay man has been convicted of harassing a woman by calling her more than 1,300 times over a six-week period and threatening her, authorities said Thursday.
Jason Laughlin, of Concord, was convicted last week of stalking, making criminal threats and making annoying phone calls, according to a statement from the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office. Judge Nancy Stark sentenced him to two years in a Contra Costa County jail for the crimes, all of which were misdemeanors.
Laughlin began making the calls March 16, and they continued for the next 42 days at all hours, authorities said. He knew where she lived and where she worked, authorities said.
The calls eventually became so threatening that the woman’s place of employment implemented a locked-door policy during business hours, authorities said. Laughlin called the woman on her personal cell phone, work phone and work office’s main line, and when he couldn’t reach her there, he called co-workers, authorities said.
More than one of the calls included death threats, authorities said. In all, authorities said he left more than 1,000 voicemails.
“Something will happen,” the victim told authorities, according to the District Attorney’s Office. “It is just a matter of time.”
Walnut Creek police investigated the victim’s complaints and made the arrest.
“The conviction sends a strong message that domestic abuse is intolerable and will be punished to the fullest extent of the law — misdemeanors and felonies alike,” Deputy District Attorney Kyle McCauley said in a statement.
Stark also issued a 10-year restraining order against Laughlin that forces him to stay away from the woman and her immediate family.
