FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – March 5, 2020
Contact: Scott Alonso, 925-957-8638 office, 925-536-8110 cell
[email protected]
Redwood City Man Found Guilty of Stalking & Vandalism
Martinez, Calif. – Last week, a Contra Costa County jury found defendant Aboozar Hajipour of Redwood City guilty of two misdemeanors, including one count of vandalism over $400 and stalking. In the middle of the night of January 10, 2020, the defendant traveled to El Cerrito and broke all the windows at Jane Doe’s residence with a tire iron. Moments after Jane Doe notified police of the incident, El Cerrito police officers arrested the defendant and found a tire iron in his car.
Before this incident, he also wrote threatening emails to a protected party in which he mentioned that he would punish the victim and had a “plan” for her for the alleged wrongs she committed against him. The defendant falsely blamed Jane Doe for his situation with his former partner. He also wrote to the protected party that he would travel to “El Cerrito and break all their windows” and in another message wrote that he would “burn her house down.”
Hajipour faced up to two years in county jail for the convictions. On February 25, the defendant was sentenced to 94 days of county jail. He was released that same day for time served.
Hours after being released from custody, Hajipour traveled to San Francisco and allegedly violated a restraining order. The protected party associated with the restraining order testified for the People at this trial. He was subsequently arrested by the San Francisco Police Department for the violation.
Due to the defendant’s arrest in San Francisco, our Office filed a petition to revoke defendant’s probation in Contra Costa County on February 26. A judge signed an arrest warrant for the alleged probation violation.
Stalking is a serious crime that is often an indicator of other forms of violence. Nearly 3 out of 4 victims know their stalkers in some capacity and the most common relationship between the victim and the perpetrator is a current or former intimate partner. 1 in every 6 U.S. women and 1 out of every 19 U.S. men have been stalked in their lifetime.
Abusers use stalking to intimidate and control their victims and the pattern of threats and harassment can come in many forms as it did in this case. Victims can get help by reporting the conduct to the police, by calling the STAND! for Families Free of Violence 24-hour toll free crisis line at 1-888-215-5555 or visiting the Family Justice Centers in Richmond (256 24th St.), Concord (2151 Salvio St., Ste. 201) or Antioch (3501 Lone Tree Way, Suite 4). In any life-threatening emergency, victims should always call 911.
To protect their confidentiality, our Office does not release the name or age of the victim, or their relationship to a defendant for this type of case.
The case was investigated by the El Cerrito Police Department. Deputy District Attorney Natasha Mehta prosecuted the case on behalf of the People. DDA Mehta is assigned to our Western Operations Division.
Case information: People v. Aboozar Hajipour, Docket Number 02-331472-1
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