Heather Joy Miley, 46, was booked into a San Antonio jail on Thursday after police say she kept stalking and harassing a couple even after a court ordered her to stay away. Investigators allege she sent a string of messages from different phone numbers, some containing explicit images, and was spotted waiting in a car outside one victim’s workplace, which led to a fresh charge for violating the protective order.
According to WOAI, the male victim told police he met Miley once in October and that the harassment started after he cut off contact. The couple later secured a restraining order following Miley’s January arrest on a stalking charge, and officers say the new round of allegations includes repeated unwanted contact and Miley showing up near the victims’ workplace.
What the charge carries
Under Texas law, violating certain court orders in family-violence or stalking cases is generally treated as a Class A misdemeanor, although it can be bumped up to a state-jail or third-degree felony in more serious situations such as prior convictions, assaults or stalking during the violation, according to Texas Penal Code §25.07. That translates to penalties that can range from possible jail time and fines for misdemeanors up to prison terms for felony-level violations.
How police enforce orders and where victims can get help
San Antonio Police Department policy allows officers to make warrantless arrests when they have probable cause to believe a protective order was violated, and it spells out how officers should verify and enforce those orders before taking someone into custody, as laid out in the department’s policy manual. Victims who need help or support getting a protective order can contact the Bexar County Family Justice Center at 210-631-0100 for advocacy, assistance with protective-order applications and referrals.
WOAI reports that details on Miley’s bond and her next court date were not immediately available. Prosecutors with the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office are expected to review the complaint as the case moves forward and to decide whether any additional charges will be filed.
