By SHEL SEGAL
A Rosemead man was sentenced Friday to 40 years to life in prison for criminally threatening a young woman who had refused his romantic advances, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office.
Frank Hernandez, 65, has been described as a “prolific sexual predator.” He cut off his GPS ankle bracelet and lured a church acquaintance to a coffee shop where he pulled a gun on her, according to a published report.
Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney David Ayvazian said Hernandez should be in jail the rest of his life as he must serve all 40 years of his sentence before being eligible for parole, which would make him 105 years old.
While being sentenced to 40 years to life, the jury was not able to reach a verdict on two other charges: attempted kidnapping and attempted carjacking. And Ayvazian said the district attorney would not retry those as they would have no bearing on Hernandez’s sentence.
A lifelong criminal, Hernandez has spent time in jail for rape and bank robbery. He was paroled from prison in 2011 after being convicted of rape in 1990, Ayvazian said, and he also served time for a 1984 rape.
Hernandez had robbery convictions in his youth in the 1960s and went to prison in 1970 for bank robbery, Ayvazian said. But it is important to note all of these convictions happened before 1994 when the state’s three-strikes law was passed.
Hernandez met his last victim – a 23-year-old – in September through his church, according to the report.
The woman – who had no idea of Hernandez’s past – rejected him. However, she was persuaded to meet him at a Starbucks coffee shop on Fremont Avenue in Alhambra, Alhambra police Sgt. Edward Rodriguez said.
Before they met, Hernandez cut off a court-ordered GPS tracking device that he was wearing. And when she arrived at the Starbucks, Hernandez went to her and pulled a gun on her, Ayvazian said.
He also tried to force his way into the car and hit her with the gun, Ayvazian said. However, some good Samaritans came to her rescue and called police.
(Shel Segal can be reached at ssegal@beaconmedianews.com. He can be followed via Twitter @segallanded.)
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