Man guilty of stalking, faces up to 10 years in prison
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A Kern County jury convicted a man of stalking for a series of incidents in which he repeatedly showed up at the victim’s home, broke a car window and stole her property.
Martin Raymond Lopez, 40, faces up to 10 years in prison at his sentencing hearing next month, prosecutors said. He was found guilty last week.
At the time of his arrest, Lopez was on probation for stalking the same victim.
“Stalking is a terrifying crime that often leads to devastating outcomes,” District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer said in a release. “This conviction provides relief, preventing any potential tragedies.”
In the weeks leading up to his arrest last year, Lopez, in separate incidents, did the following: went to the victim’s home and shoved her against a fence, then followed her inside in violation of a domestic violence court order; followed her to a parking lot and broke a rear window of her vehicle while she was in a store; stole tools from her property; and went to her home and told her to let him in or he’d break windows.
Lopez left each time the victim called law enforcement, but on Oct. 22, after again showing up at her home, was located with the help of a sheriff’s K-9 and a helicopter. He was taken into custody after a 30-minute standoff.
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