Porterville man to do jail time for violating probation on stalking case

A Tulare County judge sentenced 51-year-old John Belcher of Porterville to five years and eight months in state prison for violating probation on a felony stalking case.

According to the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office, on June 26, 2012, Judge Darryl Ferguson sentenced Belcher to felony probation in two felony cases. The district attorney’s office reports that on April 9, 2012, Belcher pleaded no contest to one count of felony stalking, one misdemeanor count of trespass, one count of transportation of methamphetamine, one count of transportation of marijuana and one count of possession of methamphetamine for sale. All the crimes occurred in Porterville.

As a condition of his probation, Belcher was ordered to not contact his ex-girlfriend. Belcher was also subject to a stalking restraining order.

Within two months of the June 2012 sentencing, the stalking victim reported receiving unwanted phone calls from Belcher in violation of the restraining order. A violation of probation hearing was heard on Dec. 17, 2012, with Belcher being found in violation of his felony probation on both cases.