Yolo County woman got restraining order after man beat her. He still tracked her with GPS

A Woodland man was sentenced Friday in a case involving him choking his girlfriend after watching her eat dinner with their child and tracking her location with a GPS and cameras despite a restraining order against him, prosecutors said.

Omar Rodriguez, 42, was sentenced to seven years in prison for inflicting corporal injury, false imprisonment with violence, stalking in violation of a restraining order, making criminal threats, dissuading a witness and illegally possessing a firearm. Rodriguez was also convicted of nine misdemeanor charges of violating a court order, the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.

One incident involving the couple included Rodriguez becoming upset with the victim after spotting her eating dinner a child.

He went to the victim’s home on Feb. 7, 2022, and began his attack. Rodriguez punched and shoved her onto the floor.

The 42-year-old continued to punch and kick the victim has she lay on the floor. He then began to choke her, prosecutors said.

During the attack, Rodriguez threatened to kill the woman and himself if law enforcement were involved. The woman reported he had a firearm during this incident, prosecutors said.

The woman was granted a restraining order after this incident, the release said.

But Rodriguez didn’t relent — he continued to send her texts and emails. He also showed up to places the victim frequented, violating the restraining order, prosecutors said.

Rodriguez’s behavior led the woman to believe she was being tracked. She searched her car and found two GPS devices placed there in January 2023, prosecutors said. She also found three cameras placed outside her apartment.

Law enforcement connected both devices to Rodriguez as well as two cameras, prosecutors said.

“(Rodriguez’s) sentencing serves as a reminder of the continuing and ongoing crisis of domestic violence and stalking that continues to plague many victims,” Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig said in a statement. “But for the bravery and resilience of the (victim) in this case, Mr. Rodriguez, despite arrests and a restraining order, would have continued to stalk, harass and ... terrorize the (victim).”

This story was originally published October 21, 2024 at 5:46 PM.