A 55-year-old Northeast Cobb man faces a stalking charge after Cobb County Police say he spent months following and contacting a woman in violation of a court order that barred him from going near her.
Robert Steven Read was taken into custody Monday, Aug. 17, at a Canton Road shopping center and charged with one misdemeanor count of stalking, according to East Cobb News, which reviewed booking records and the arrest warrant. His bond was set at $5,720.
Read was still being booked into the Cobb County Adult Detention Center Monday afternoon, according to Cobb Sheriff's Office records.
Months of alleged contact
A Cobb Superior Court protective order issued April 28 forbade Read from coming within 500 yards of the woman, her family, her home, her workplace or school. The order also prohibited all contact by phone, text, email, voicemail or any other means. Read and the woman had previously lived together, according to the warrant.
Despite that order, the warrant states Read went to the woman's Northeast Cobb home between May 3 and June 29. He is also accused of contacting her 20 times between May 6 and May 30 and publishing multiple social media posts about her.
Restaurant confrontation
On the last weekend of June, Read allegedly followed the woman to a restaurant in Roswell where her favorite band was performing. According to the warrant, he sat behind her and a friend as the live music played. The woman's friend alerted security, and Read was escorted off the premises.
Misdemeanor charge despite felony warning
An arrest warrant was issued Aug. 13 after the woman filed a complaint. The protective order itself warned Read he could face prosecution for aggravated stalking, a felony carrying one to 10 years in prison. However, the charge filed was a single misdemeanor count. The reason for the lesser charge has not been publicly explained.
Under Georgia law, a first stalking conviction is a misdemeanor. A second conviction elevates the offense to a felony punishable by one to 10 years. Stalking committed in violation of a protective order can also be charged as aggravated stalking.
No court date has been announced. Residents with information can contact the Cobb County Police Department.
