questions & answers

Question: My ex-boyfriend was arrested in 2014 & sentenced to 4.5 year. I ended the relationship shortly afterward for many reasons including physical & mental abuse. He threatened me if I ever left him & tried to kill me twice. After his arrest, I became homeless & all of our belongings were lost. I have since met someone else & have gotten married. I wrote my ex in prison to let him know his belongings were gone & that I had gotten married & not to come looking for me or his things upon his release. I am afraid he will come after me.Is it possible to get an Order of Protection prior to his release?

Answer: A person may get an order of protection if they have been threatened by someone whom they have had a romantic relationship with. Orders of protection may be obtained at any court house and need to be served in order to go into effect. Orders of protection are good for up to year before they are served and then are good for a year after they have been served. For example a person who receives an order may do so on January 1, 2017 and that order will still be valid until December 31, 2017. On January 1, 2018 a person would no longer be able to ask law enforcement to serve the order. However, if a person got an order of protection on January 1, 2017 and had the order served on December 31, 2017 that order would be valid and effective until December 31, 2018.