If a victim is only receiving harassing emails, what charge could apply?

In the context of receiving harassing emails, the appropriate charge that could apply is typically related to how the behavior is defined under laws governing harassment and stalking. Harassment in the second degree generally pertains to instances where a person engages in a course of conduct that serves no legitimate purpose and causes alarm or substantial inconvenience to the victim, which can include sending repeated unwanted communications.

In this case, if the victim is only receiving harassing emails without any further threatening or physical contact, the behavior aligns more closely with the definition of second-degree harassment, which addresses repeated communications that create distress or a sense of being harassed without escalating to more severe actions involved in first-degree harassment, which often includes physical threats or higher levels of intimidation.

While the other options, such as cyberstalking and stalking, involve more aggressive or invasive behaviors—such as threats, monitoring, or following—second-degree harassment encompasses situations involving unwanted and repetitive communication like the harassing emails mentioned. Thus, this aligns well with the specifics of the scenario presented.