Jason Hoppy: Arraigned For NEW Stalking Charges Against Bethenny Frankel!

Remember when Bethenny Frankel said that Jason Hoppy was torturing her, and that her life was hell because of it?

Obviously, there were bits of hyperbole thrown in there, but apparently she was super serious about parts of that.

Serious enough that ex Jason Hoppy’s had to make another court appearance.

This is actually pretty alarming.

Remember how Bethenny Frankel was granted a restraining order early this year after Jason Hoppy’s arrest for stalking her?

We sure do.

You know that they sure do.

Well, now Jason Hoppy’s facing new charges of stalking in the third and fourth degrees.

Now, we looked up exactly what those charges mean according to New York State law (so that you don’t have to).

Fourth degree stalking has a few definitions, but this is the one that we think applies here:

“Conduct consists of following, telephoning, or initiating communication or contact with such person, a member of such person’s immediate family or a third party with whom such person is acquainted, and the actor was previously clearly informed to cease that conduct.”

Apparently Frankel’s attorney provided the court with documents, including 160 unwanted texts from Hoppy.

That’s more unwanted texts than there were first-generation Pokemon, folks.

Third degree stalking is a little more complicated, because a lot of it has to do with prior acts of fourth degree stalking as precedents.

But third degree stalking could also mean taking action that might make Bethenny fear for her safety.

Look, Bethenny Frankel says dumb things sometimes, mostly because she forgets that things that don’t impact her at all can be life-and-death for others.

But that doesn’t mean that she deserves to be harassed, hounded, and stalked.

Jason Hoppy’s vow to destroy Bethenny Frankel is honestly pretty terrifying.

Like, that kind of line is dramatic and a little goofy on soap operas.

In real life, like … that can mean everything from a harmless feud to the kind of obsessive hatred that ends in a murder-suicide.

Nobody needs that in their lives.

Unfortunately, stalking is a hugely common problem.

New York and LA have laws in place that cover these situations much better than some places.

All over the country, a lot of women deal with threats of violence that they receive online from people whom they’ve never met.

Unfortunately, many police departments don’t know what to do about that, many law codes haven’t been updated to cover physical threats made online.

And a lot of women don’t have the resources to protect themselves or pursue restraining orders.

But just because Bethenny Frankel is a woman of means doesn’t mean that she’s impervious to harm.

Harassment is a very real crime that can impact just about anyone.

And, honestly, if there are threats of harm involved in these recent charges, those should be taken seriously, too.

Just because Jason Hoppy isn’t an axe murderer doesn’t mean that his words should just be brushed off as “talk.”

A lot of horrible acts start off as “talk.”

Threats and harassment are not the way to handle your divorce, folks.

And we totally get why Bethenny’s describes her experience as “torture.”

Whatever Jason Hoppy’s alleged actions that led to these charges, she might have some very real and very understandable fears.

That’s what the legal system’s supposed to be there for.

Let’s hope that this gets resolved in court.

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Toby Willis, Former TLC Star, Arraigned on Child Rape Charges

Toby Willis, the patriarch of a family who formerly starred in its own TLC series, has been arraigned on four counts of child rape on Monday in Tennessee.

According to The Tennessean newspaper, Willis pleaded not guilty to the charges and his trial will begin on July 18.

The ex-reality star was arrested in September after authorities completed their investigation into an alleged sexual encounter he had an underage girl a dozen years ago.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigations confirmed last fall that Willis fled his home in Ashland County to avoid arrest at the time and was eventually apprehended by the police in Greenville, Kentucky.

The victim’s name has not yet been released, but The Daily Beast followed up initial reports by speculating that the individual may have been one of Willis’ own kids.

The website wrote in September that a “child rape” charge only enters into the conversation in Tennessee if the alleged victim is between the ages of 3 and 12.

Moreover, court documents obtained by FOX411 a few months back stated outright that the alleged victim is a female Willis family member.

Toby and his wife are the parents to eight kids, although it remains possible the victim could have been an outside relative, such as a niece.

Elsewhere, Nashville’s Newschannel 5 reported on other lewd details of the alleged incident back when this scandal was making major headlines in September.

“The report stated she was removed by Willis from her bed and raped,” the station claimed, adding:

“The reports added unlawful penetration by Willis took place when the child was older than 3 but younger than 13…

“Authorities confirmed Willis was told he was not allowed to go around his biological children or his wife.”

Toby Willis and his family previously starred on TLC’s The Willis Family, which ran for two seasons, after rising to fame while competing on season 9 of America’s Got Talent.

Willis set to appear in court on May 31 after completing psychological testing requested by his attorney.

However, the state chose to present its cause to the March grand jury, Circuit Court Clerk Julie Hibbs told the newspaper.

Shortly after Toby’s arrest, wife Brenda issued the following statement:

I was shocked and devastated by the revelation of events leading to Toby Willis’ arrest.

As these are very trying times for the Willis family, I kindly ask all to respect our family’s privacy. As a mother of twelve, my first priority remains with my children and helping them through this traumatic event.

We are cancelling all appearances for the foreseeable future to focus on the children and their well-being. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

We have, and will continue, to fully cooperate with law enforcement officials and ask that you direct all inquires regarding Toby Willis’ case to the District Attorney’s office who have our complete support.

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