Cherokee man convicted for the 5th time for stalking ex-girlfriend, banned from Georgia

CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — A Cherokee County man is currently serving a sentence for his fifth conviction of stalking the same woman, but when he gets out this time, he’ll be banned from the State of Georgia.

Last month, 39-year-old Christopher Mackey Kaufman was sentenced to 35 years with 15 to serve in prison after pleading guilty to six counts of aggravated stalking and five counts of violating a family protective order.

Cherokee County District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway’s Office says Kaufman and the victim previously dated and had a child together. While they were in a relationship, she said he physically assaulted and threatened her, but she never called law enforcement.

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In 2016, Cherokee deputies say they learned that Kaufman was watching her home, calling her repeatedly and even sleeping in a trailer on her property. He was arrested. But while he was in jail, investigators say kept calling her.

He was convicted of 22 misdemeanors, including stalking, trespassing, harassing communications and more. He was sentenced to jail time, ordered not to contact his ex-girlfriend and was given a permanent protective order.

Prosecutors say he did not follow these guidelines and was convicted four more times of the same crimes.

While he was incarcerated each time, he got contraband cellphones from the state prison and used them to reach out to his ex-girlfriend on social media.

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“Modern culture often depicts ‘stalking’ as either non-threatening, romantic gestures or as direct, violent threats. In reality, aggravated stalking is typically a more subtle contact that inflicts fear and terror in its intended target. This defendant was violent with the victim when they dated, to the point that he threatened to kill her if he couldn’t have her,” said Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Rachel Ashe. “With this history, his relentless contact with the victim was perceived as sinister and dangerous.”

Superior Court Judge Tony Baker added onto Kaufman’s sentence that he is to never contact the victim again and will be banned from the State of Georgia.

According to Georgia Department of Corrections records, Kaufman began his sentence on April 30 and is currently being held at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison in Butts County.

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