A Contra Costa County jury found defendant Jason Laughlin of Concord guilty of three misdemeanors, including making criminal threats and stalking the victim Jane Doe.
During a 42-day period earlier this year, Laughlin called the victim over 1,300 times, left over 1,000 menacing voicemails and threatened to kill her. The case was investigated by the Walnut Creek Police Department.
Laughlin was sentenced to two years in county jail. The judge also ordered a ten-year criminal protective order for the victim and her immediate family.
On March 16, 2019, Laughlin began calling the victim repeatedly at all hours of the day and night. Laughlin shared a child with the victim and knew where she lived and where she worked. As the victim described the threats at trial, she felt like a “sitting duck.” Laughlin not only called the victim’s personal cell phone but called her personal work phone, her work’s main office line, and her co-workers. The calls included menacing death threats and told the victim to “just wait.”
The calls became so frequent and threatening that the company she worked for implemented a locked front door policy even during business hours. The victim told the police, “something will happen, it is just a matter of time.”
“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. The District Attorney’s Office and law enforcement agencies of the County are committed to ensuring the safety of victims, their families, and anyone else that domestic abuse affects,” stated DDA McCauley.
The misdemeanor counts against Laughlin for his verdict:
- Count 1, Stalking
- Count 2, Criminal Threats
- Count 3, Annoying Phone Calls
36 comments
Strong message my rear end. What a joke! The victim – plus the victim’s place of work and co-workers – go through fear and living hell from this perp, including repeated death threats, and all this slime ball gets is 3 misdemeanor convictions and 2 years in jail? And he’ll be out in less than that. No words for how wrong that punishment is.
What would it take for some felony counts? Guess he would have had to either murdered to attempted to murder the victim and co-workers, and perhaps the child.
He’ll be even crazier and full of vengeance when he gets out. With his wacko state of mind, why would anyone think he will abide by any protective order? I certainly don’t.
We’re in California Mary. I’m surprised he got anything! Any other state, he’d be doing some hard time with REAL threats coming his way!
You are correct the woman is in more danger than ever. A ten year protective order is a waste of time. He belongs in a mental institution.
You are correct on all counts. And this being California, the most she can do is get some pepper spray to carry with her outside of the home once he is out.
Our system is flawed but CPD and WCPD have done everything in their power to help us for the past 5 years. Sadly it took a death threat which Jason’s son heard to make this case move. The courts only allowed 42 days out of 5 years of evidence to be presented to the jury. Most posters here are correct, he will come to kill us. The business interruption spanned years. The threats, destruction of property, theft, harassment, and online harassment are more than the jury got to see.
I am disturbed that it was able to get to the point of 1000 threatening voice mails before anything was done. I’m also afraid that they didn’t seem to mandate the mental help the guy clearly needs so that he doesn’t do it again.
A two year sentence is only one year for anyone whose not a violent felon, right now all that they’re doing is saying “we hope your same enough to not kill her in a year from now”. Given the way they charged him only with misdemeanors though, I have a feeling there was not much more that they could do because of constraints of the way the laws are written. 2 years for 3 misdemeanors is normally a extremely harsh sentence, but in this case I would say it’s not enough.
I have a coworker who has a psycho ex like this. He finally disappeared for a while, then all of a sudden she wakes up one morning to 130 missed calls and a dozen or more threatening voicemails. All she can do is log it all and report it. Nothing ever happens to him.
There was a time when other men in her life would stomp the dude into the ground to help him get the message. We are too “civilized” for that now, I guess.
I too, prefer the Henry Hill approach.
Its nice to know that they take this sereiously now. This happens too too often.
unless the dude gets successful help from a shrink, this won’t be the end of it….. I hope I’m wrong…
Or, a girlfriend. Preferably one he’s in love. Maybe one of those women who write to and visits prison inmates. I hear Scott Peterson practically has a fan club of adoring women.
Can we get an “Annoying Phone Call” charge against the Solar companies and the other robo calls?
👍
Hilarious!!!
Too bad the charges are misdemeanors. Two years county time and a 10 year protective order isn’t really as strong a message as the DA seems to think it is.
I’m certain he won’t be getting any psychological help while he’s in jail, and in his twisted mind he will justify what he did and will do it again when he gets out. Next time it could be deadly.
She needs to think about leaving the state and going into hiding. He’s going to have two years to build up more hate for her putting him in jail. He will kill her when he gets out.
Agreed. 2 years is way too light a sentence. It will just piss him off.
Afraid you are right.
What a shame they share a kid between them. That makes hiding very difficult. She’ll end up being the law breaker.
change phone #’s
422 PC is a felony – but the DA charged it as a Misd.
A year for an arrest ??
OMG!! Two years is not ENOUGH punishment for what this person was doing to the poor victim, someone he shares a child with, no less. I, too, hope she is able to leave the state and become as anonymous as possible so that it is impossible for him to find her when he is let out in less than two years.
Well now who knew making criminal threats and stalking was only a misdemeanor ? ? ? ? ? An with Jail overcrowding anyone wanna bet he’ll be out in way less than a year ? Let us hope this idiot stalker doesn’t have a pilots license. Anyone remember the wing nut pilot ? ? ?
When this clown gets out of Jail that PIECE OF PAPER called a protective order will surely keep her safe ? ? ? — (Extreme Sarcasm)
An if she applied for a concealed carry permit it would be denied.
Remember this case when District Attorney runs for reelection ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
Like you’d worry about getting in trouble for carrying a weapon when someone is trying to kill you? At least you will still be alive to get in trouble for it. Pack a gun.
Far too lenient for the level of harassment. I fear he’s going to get out and kill some people.
It is sending a strong message. It tells the victims you will, sooner or later, be murdered. Two years equal one year in jail with good behavior. Ten years criminal protective order is a waste of the paper it is written upon. No way to protect the victim.
The victim should arm herself if she hasn’t already. She may need to protect herself and her child from this person who will absolutely try to find her once he’s out of jail in a few weeks/months. This is among the many reasons why the 2nd amendment is important. Locks, security cameras, etc will not protect you when someone is determined and police are only minutes away when seconds count. I recommend a .357.
A) years ago I was acquaintances with the guy due to mutual friends, and he has always been off. Seriously hope he gets some kind of mental help, for all their sake
B) honest question, I always thought trials took a long time. From the end of April to already being sentenced seems light speed compared to how I thought things worked. Is this normal?
The Sixth Amendment guarantees the right to a speedy trial. In California, I believe it’s 60 days.Trials that take a longer time is because the defendant waived that right. If a defendant does not waive their right and if it goes beyond 60 days, the court will have to dismiss all charges.
I wish it was 42 days, however our sentence has been 5 years so far.
You’re in my prayers. God bless you.
Knowing this psycho and Jane, I hope only for the best for her. Sadly the comments here are not helping. Reality with domestic abuse is a sobering situation. One can only hope Bubba makes friends with Jason and he gets some extra special attention.
These are only misdemeanor counts? That is not a strong message, it’s a light slap on the wrist – at best.
Stalkers never go away. I can vouch for this…
Yes.
Weak punishment to say the least. She will have a lifelong sentence of wondering where this jerk will be hiding. Easy to suggest she move away from her current life to escape this stalker but that would be her best bet. Too bad he is the father of her child…there is just no easy solution.
@Jane Doe, You need to carry a weapon at all times but only after you have taken self-defense classes and classes on how you use your weapon safely.
I highly recommend Front Sight in NV it’s well worth the price.
http://www.frontsight.com/courses/defensive-handgun-training-course.asp
If you can’t get a CC permit in CA take the CC class at Front Sight to show that you have sought out professional training even when you were denied this God-given right to bear arms as a US citizen. Another thing to know is if you get caught CC in this jacked up state it’s only a misdemeanor as well.
Just do it, it’s your right to protect yourself and your duty to protect your children and loved ones.
No one is going to protect you, you have to train yourself so you know how to protect yourself in the time of need, it’s sad but true.
Best wishes to you and your loved ones, you can do this!!!!
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