Taryn Manning’s Cyber Stalker Pleads Guilty To Misdemeanor Charge, ‘Orange Is The New Black’ Star Refutes Claim That The Charges Were Dismissed

The woman accused of stalking actress Taryn Manning has plead guilty to misdemeanor criminal contempt in the second degree after violating a protection order last month.

Janine Heller, a former friend of Manning, was arrested on Sept. 2 when she called and e-mailed the actress, violating a protection order instated when she previously stalked and harassed the "Orange is the New Black" star.

According to E! News, the Manhattan DA's office confirmed that Heller had pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor offense on Tuesday, Oct. 7.

Under her plea, Heller will reportedly go through six months of treatment, including mental health counseling. Heller must appear in court in January to report on her progress.

Heller's attorney Jeremy Saland reportedly told E! News,

"This plea reflects what we have maintained since the inception of this case. That is, Ms. Heller was not on a campaign to harass and stalk Taryn Manning. Simply, Ms. Heller took responsibility for a phone call she placed to Ms. Manning in August. Although Ms. Heller made no threats of any kind during that call, any contact, even if initiated by a party with whom there was a prior relationship, is impermissible where an order of protection is in place."

"Ms. Heller welcomed the dismissal of the stalking charges and looks forward to moving past the allegations and obtaining a non criminal resolution when the case is finally closed," Saland added.

Manning, who has addressed the case on her Twitter account, appeared to respond to Saland's claim that the stalking charges had been dismissed.

In July, Manning accused Heller of cyber stalking her and allegedly claimed that Heller had tried to make her paranoid that another friend intended to sell secrets about her to the media.

In September, Manning's lawyer Andrew C. Quinn made a statement to E! News regarding the case.

"The persistent and relentless violations of Ms. Manning's privacy by Ms. Heller have caused Ms. Manning and her family tremendous concern for their safety and well-being," said Quinn. The lawyer then explained that the protection order, which is still in place, "prohibits any further attempt by Ms. Heller to contact Taryn Manning through any medium possible, electronic or otherwise."

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Taryn Manning
Orange is the New Black
Stalker
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