Wednesday Weirdness: Jailed After Sending Flowers to Her Son

Welcome to Wednesday Weirdness, a recurring theme where we post something truly weird and wacky in adoption or child welfare.

This week’s post is about a birthparent whose rights were terminated in 2003. Her son was adopted in 2004. She repeatedly contacted her son. She has now been convicted multiple times. The latest conviction carries a substantial sentence.

A search of Court of Common Pleas of Lebanon County, Pennsylvania records reveals that in 2008, Emily Zavitsanos was convicted of two misdemeanors. She pled guilty to a Misdemeanor 1 charge of Stalking-Repeatedly communicating to cause fear with a 124 day to 23 month possible sentence . She pled guilty to a Misdemeanor 3 charge of Harrassment-Repeatedly Communicating in another matter with a 15 day to 1 year possible sentence.

In 1999, she was arrested on a charge of interfering with child custody, a Misdemeanor 2 charge that she pled guilty to in May 2000. No information on sentencing is in the public document.

In 2003, there is indication of a migrated case in which she pled no contest “terroristic threats” with a sentence of 6 months confinement, 6 months to 1 year, 6 months of I.P.P.  (Intermediate Punishment Program), which is a probationary period with intense monitoring and possible drug/alcohol screening.

The latest case includes an April 18, 2012 conviction by jury. She was sentenced to  “state prison for 15 months to seven years and ordered her to pay a $500 fine.” She was convicted of a Felony 3 charge of Stalking-Repeatedly communicating to cause fear that caused this sentence. She also was convicted of Harassment – Course of Conduct W/No Legitimate Purpose that carried no further sentence. A Misdemeanor 1 and 3 for the same reasons as the 2008 arrests were withdrawn to pursue the felony stalking charge.

What was that conduct with no legitimate purpose? The article says “She was arrested after she sent a floral arrangement to the family’s home and a card to the boy on May 14 last year.”

 

Woman sent to prison for stalking family who adopted her son

[Lebanon Daily News 6/6/12 by Les Stewart]