Wyoming Lawmakers Consider Tougher Stalking Penalties After Teen Case Sparks Outcry

A high-profile stalking case in Converse County has Wyoming lawmakers looking to stiffen the state’s laws, Casper Star-Tribune reports.

The Legislature’s Joint Judiciary Committee voted earlier this month to draft a bill that would make it a felony for an adult to stalk a minor, carrying up to 10 years in prison. Right now, stalking a child is only a misdemeanor.

The push comes after two Glenrock moms, Cathy Holman and Brandi Sorenson, watched a 41-year-old woman stalk their teenagers for more than a year. The woman, Marcie Smith, pleaded no contest in March and walked away with probation and a fine — a punishment the moms said felt like no justice at all.

“We’re not doing this for us,” Holman said after the hearing. “Our case is over. This is about making Wyoming better so other families don’t go through what we did.”

About a dozen Glenrock residents showed up at the Aug. 12 committee meeting to back the bill.

The draft bill would:

• Make stalking a minor a felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
• Initially included cyberstalking methods like AI, but lawmakers dropped that for now to avoid creating legal loopholes.
• Removed language that said the offender had to be at least three years older than the victim.
• Dropped a proposed $10,000 fine.

Lawmakers said they want to keep the bill straightforward to make sure it has a shot in February’s budget session.

A second draft bill — one that would criminalize grooming minors for sexual offenses — didn’t make it past the committee. Lawmakers worried its wording was too broad and could accidentally criminalize things like an 18-year-old texting a 17-year-old classmate. They plan to revisit the idea later with clearer language.

Even so, Holman said she’s encouraged by the progress.

“It’s about the big picture,” she said. “We can add in details about AI or fines later. For now, the focus has to be on making sure stalking a child is treated as seriously as it should be.”