LANCASTER, Pa. — An East Earl man who refused to comply with court orders not to contact a teenage girl he believed was his “fiancée” was sentenced to state prison on Thursday.
Melvin E. Lapp served an initial 4-month prison term for stalking, before being paroled in June. He was jailed two weeks after release for trespassing at a church that banned him.
Earlier this month, while in prison, he sent the stalking victim letters about his “jealous love,” despite a Lancaster County judge’s prior order forbidding him to contact her in any way.
On Thursday in county court, President Judge Dennis Reinaker ordered a 2.5-to-5-year prison term for those violations of parole.
Lapp has refused to take medication or undergo treatment for a mental-health condition because he doesn’t believe he has a problem, according to Assistant District Attorney Susan Ellison, who prosecuted the case.
Ellison said Lapp’s “unwillingness” to comply with those treatments left her no choice but to request continued incarceration for the protection of the victim and the public.
Lapp is still facing prosecution on new stalking charges that were filed regarding the prison letters. He has a preliminary hearing on those cases later this month.
