Ohio teacher Hannah Freeman sentenced for stalking ex-boyfriend

on July 22, 2025

A week behind bars, probation for a year and a half, house arrest with electronic monitoring and mandatory therapy was the sentence handed down to Hannah Freeman. The former elementary school teacher in Ohio, found guilty of persistently and alarmingly harassing her ex-partner sobbed in court despite the lenient sentence.

Obsession led to stalking and robbery according to the investigation, Freeman did not accept the breakup with her ex-boyfriend and, for weeks, pursued him with an insistence that soon crossed the limits of legality. In a single month, she was recorded by security cameras following the man to his workplace on at least 33 occasions.

During the stalking, Freeman was also accused of breaking into her ex-boyfriend’s car and stealing $1,100 worth of items, including his wallet, two backpacks and two computers.

A total ban on contact with the victim was enforced, however, Freeman's defense lawyer Michael Kinlin attempted to reverse the agreement, citing misunderstandings in the terms, but Cuyahoga County Judge David Matia dismissed the argument without hesitation: "Your malpractice is not my problem," he told the court, closing the door on any attempt at leniency. 

From respected teacher to controversial figure until November 2024, Hannah Freeman served as a fourth-grade teacher at Ranger High-Tech Academy, an elementary school in the Cleveland metro area suburb of North Ridgeville. She was suspended from her duties following her initial arrest, and it has not yet been reported whether she will be able to resume her teaching career.

Stalking laws in the U.S. vary by state, but all states have enacted laws against stalking, which generally define it as unwanted and repeated surveillance or contact that causes fear or distress to the victim. Federal law also addresses stalking, particularly when it involves crossing state lines or using electronic communications, under 18 U.S.C. § 2261A, which can lead to severe penalties, including imprisonment.

The Law

In California, stalking is defined under Penal Code 646.9 and involves willfully, maliciously, and repeatedly following or harassing someone, while also making a credible threat with the intent to place them or their immediate family in reasonable fear for their safety. Stalking can be charged as either a misdemeanor or a felony, with penalties including jail time, fines, and restraining orders.

18 U.S. Code § 2261A - Stalking

Whoever—

(1) travels in interstate or foreign commerce or is present within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States, or enters or leaves Indian country, with the intent to kill, injure, harass, intimidate, or place under surveillance with intent to kill, injure, harass, or intimidate another person, and in the course of, or as a result of, such travel or presence engages in conduct that—

(A) places that person in reasonable fear of the death of, or serious bodily injury to—

(i) that person;

(ii) an immediate family member (as defined in section 115) of that person;

(iii) a spouse or intimate partner of that person; or

(iv) the pet, service animal, emotional support animal, or horse of that person; or

(B) causes, attempts to cause, or would be reasonably expected to cause substantial emotional distress to a person described in clause (i), (ii), or (iii) of subparagraph (A); or

(2) with the intent to kill, injure, harass, intimidate, or place under surveillance with intent to kill, injure, harass, or intimidate another person, uses the mail, any interactive computer service or electronic communication service or electronic communication system of interstate commerce, or any other facility of interstate or foreign commerce to engage in a course of conduct that—

(A) places that person in reasonable fear of the death of or serious bodily injury to a person, a pet, a service animal, an emotional support animal, or a horse described in clause (i), (ii), (iii), or (iv) of paragraph (1)(A); or

(B) causes, attempts to cause, or would be reasonably expected to cause substantial emotional distress to a person described in clause (i), (ii), or (iii) of paragraph (1)(A), shall be punished as provided in section 2261(b) or section 2261B, as the case may be.

For Help with Stalking

Stalking Hotline

Chat 24/7 by text or by phone: 1-855-484-2846

National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1−800−799−7233 or TTY 1−800−787−3224 En Español

The National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)