VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Connor Land, the Virginia Beach man accused of stalking a woman to her home in April, was convicted and sentenced Tuesday.
Land was sentenced to 365 days in jail with 90 suspended, meaning he will serve 275 days. He was also barred from making contact with parties involved.
Land worked as a cashier at Wegmans back in July 2023. He admitted to giving an AirTag to a young girl while she and her mother were checking out, and later testified that he was romantically interested in the mother.
Watch previous coverage: Judge dismisses charge for cashier who gave child AirTag during checkout
His lawyer, Kristin Paulding successfully argued that his behavior was a result of his autism, and that he should be placed on a deferred finding which meant he checked in with the judge several times over the course of the year.
Due to good behavior, the judge in that case dismissed a misdemeanor charge of attempted unauthorized use of an electronic tracking device.
Just over two weeks after that dismissal, Land was arrested and accused of stalking another woman he spotted while driving on the highway. He followed that woman to a Dollar General, and then to her home twice in one day.
Watch previous coverage: New law designed to protect people with autism used for man who gave child AirTag
In court Tuesday prosecutors brought up a third case from 2023 when a fellow student at Christopher Newport University took out a protective order against him after he wound up in her dorm room.
Those charges were ultimately dismissed.
His defense attorney argued that he is just trying to make friends and has a very difficult time being social with other people.
But in the end, the judge disagreed and convicted him of stalking.
The victim and her fiancé told News 3 while they were leaving the courthouse that they hope this conviction will help him get the help he needs.
