Man accused of stalking ex-girlfriend with GPS

Police say woman discovered him under her car attempting to change cell phone battery
By Associated Press

Sunday, September 05, 2004 – GLENDALE — A 32-year-old man has been
charged with stalking for allegedly attaching a cell phone and global
positioning system to his ex-girlfriend’s car to track her whereabouts,
authorities said.

Ara Gabrielyan, of Glendale, was scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday
on one count of stalking and three counts of making criminal threats.

He was arrested last Sunday and held on $500,000 bail. He faces a
maximum sentence of six years in state prison.

Police said Gabrielyan, who ran a music and video shop, used the
satellite tracking system to follow the unidentified 35-year-old woman
and meet her unexpectedly at a book store, an airport, a cemetery
and dozens of other places after she ended their relationship.

“This is what I would consider stalking of the 21st century,” said
Lt. Jon Perkins of the Glendale Police Department.

The woman finally learned how he was following her when she discovered
him under her car attempting to change the cell phone’s battery,
police said.

Authorities say the phone contained a motion switch that turned
on whenever it moved and transmitted a signal each minute to a
satellite. Information was then sent to a Web site that allowed
Gabrielyan to monitor her location.

Police believe he placed the device on her car Aug. 16, and accuse
him of threatening to kill himself and his ex-girlfriend over a
six-month period.

An attorney for Gabrielyan could not immediately be reached for
comment Saturday morning.