Guilty Plea From Man in O.C.’s 1st ‘Stalking’ Case : Courts: He is sentenced to 60 days in jail and five years’ formal probation for harassing a former date.

In the first case of its kind in Orange County, an Anaheim man who for more than 12 years harassed a Westminster woman whom he once dated pleaded guilty Thursday to a “stalking” charge.

James Otis Sims Jr., 37, also pleaded guilty to three counts of vandalism for slashing the tires of Sandra Potter, 31.

Sims was sentenced to 60 days in Orange County Jail and five years’ formal probation for the four misdemeanor counts. He was also ordered to pay $200 in restitution to Potter and her husband, Ronol Potter, 36.

Under his probation, Sims is to have no direct or indirect contact with the Potters and to stay at least 10 miles from their home and workplaces, said Deputy Dist. Atty. James Tanizaki, who handled the case.

“I’ve been on cloud nine since Mr. Tanizaki told me,” Sandra Potter said Thursday evening as she and her husband headed out to celebrate the verdict. “This is by no means an end to it, but I can’t explain how happy I am.”

Sims’ lawyer, Jack M. Earley, said his client entered the plea so he could shorten his jail sentence.

“He would have spent more time in jail fighting these charges even if he was found not guilty,” Earley said. “His interest was to be able to get out of jail . . . and obviously not have anything to do with the people in this case.”

Potter’s ordeal with Sims started when she was 19. They dated for five months, but she broke off with Sims because of his possessiveness, she said.

From that moment on until his arrest last month, Sims harassed her and her family on and off for more than 12 years. Sims is the first person in the county to be charged under the stalking law, which took effect Jan. 1, 1991, authorities said.

Potter has a restraining order against Sims. Under the stalking law, a violation of a restraining order is a felony.

According to court records, Sims had also harassed and assaulted two other women, who, like Potter, were redheads with green eyes.

Police reports said that Sims stalked and beat Potter on three different occasions and consequently was convicted of assault and sentenced to state prison. While on parole, he continued to stalk her and her family and was sent back to prison, the records show.

Since 1979, Potter has changed her phone numbers five times, and when she married and changed her name, the ordeal still did not stop. On her 31st birthday, Sims sent Potter two letters, one of which stated that he would rescue her from what he called her unhappy marriage, according to court records.

“I’ve gone through mental and physical harassment for 12 1/2 years,” Potter said. “The beatings . . . you can pick yourself up and keep going, but to constantly go through life and not know when he’s going to come out . . . that was my life spent in jail for more than 12 years.”

Based upon her relationship with Sims, Potter said she does not think the sentence will keep him away. “I don’t know if it’s ever going to be over,” she said. “But, after 12 1/2 years, things are starting to turn around.”