A man convicted of repeatedly stalking his ex-girlfriend over a five-month period, sending her letters and visiting her in the middle of the night, was sentenced yesterday in Long Beach to six and a half years in jail, according to the city prosecutor.
The judge also issued a 10-year protective order requiring Temple City resident Steven Faber, 48, to not contact her. The order is the maximum time allowed for such an order, Long Beach City Prosecutor Doug Haubert said.
Haubert called the sentencing “very significant” for a case that did not involve battery or aggressive violence.
“I think the judge is correct that this defendant would not have gotten the message if the sentence were light or if he only received probation,” Haubert said. “The defendant had many opportunities to do the right thing and stop stalking the victim but he refused to do it. I think the judge felt he didn’t have much recourse other than to sentence the defendant to six and a half years in jail otherwise this conduct might have continued.”
Last month, Faber was convicted of 13 misdemeanor counts by a jury that heard evidence of about 50 contacts made by the defendant after the court issued a restraining order prohibiting him from contacting the victim, officials stated.
Those contacts included text messages, social media postings, emails and letters left on her porch and car windshield.
Haubert said it was clear the victim—identified only as a Long Beach woman—was frightened by the defendant based on his conduct.
Before Faber was handed down his sentence, the victim read an impact statement inside the courthouse, talking about her ordeal since she ended their seven-week relationship over a year and a half ago.
“I cannot let go of the fear that he instilled within me when he began tormenting me through his words and his continual defiance of the law,” she stated. “I cannot open my front door without fearing that there will be something left there by Faber to let me know that he will never stop fighting for the control and power that he so desperately seeks. The nightmarish images of what this man might do to me or my son have kept me up on many nights. I became so distrustful, so cautious, so confused and so scared because of this man’s actions that I withdrew from people who love me.”
The victim described living each day with anxiety and fear, including changing the locks on her home door and windows, deactivating or changing her name on social media accounts and even installing a 24-hour surveillance. She said even now she goes to great lengths not to walk her dog in the same path for fear that Faber may be following her.
However, with all these precautions, the victim revealed plans to ultimately leave Long Beach, in order to feel more secure.
“Yes, I was a victim of a man who psychologically abused me by wreaking havoc upon my sense of safety and my sanity,” she stated. “But I am also a survivor. I was a survivor long before I met Steve Faber and I will continue to be one for the remainder of my life.”