KABC, CA
Jan 28 2005

Glendale Man Sentenced in Stalking Case

PASADENA – A Glendale man accused of keeping track of his ex-
girlfriend by attaching a cell phone equipped with a
satellite-enabled tracking system to her car was sentenced today to
16 months in prison.
Ara Gabrielyan, 33, pleaded no contest to stalking and making
criminal threats, said Deputy District Attorney Debra Archuleta, head
of the Stalking and Threat Assessment Team.

Pasadena Superior Court Judge Teri Schwartz immediately sentenced
Gabrielyan to 16 months in state prison.

Gabrielyan, who was arrested last Aug. 29, also faces deportation to
Armenia when he completes his prison term, according to the
prosecutor.

Glendale police said Gabrielyan attached a cell phone with a Global
Positioning System to the bottom of his ex-girlfriend’s vehicle to
keep tabs on her whereabouts.

The woman — who had broken off her relationship with Gabrielyan
nearly two years before — became suspicious when she started running
into him at various locations, police said. The woman contacted
police after spotting him under her car, where he apparently tried to
change the battery that powered the cell phone, according to police.