A 33-year-old man was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in prison and five years probation for stalking a woman and continually violating an order of protection.
Philip Barto’s prison sentence will be suspended after he serves two years, according to Judge Karen Nash Sequino.
Barto had a laundry list of criminal charges pending — including three charges of first-degree stalking and eight charges of violating an order of protection.
Those charges were all felonies.
The crimes happened between May and December of 2008.
During that time he allegedly arrived at the victim’s Seymour house, waiting for her at her job after work — even showing up in the trunk of her car.
In October, while driving from Shelton to Trumbull, the victim felt “her vehicle shake back and forth, as is something heavy was shifting in the vehicle,” according to court documents.
She later spotted Barto standing behind the car. She then noticed her car’s back seats had been pushed down and the contents in the trunk had been shifted to one side.
Barto’s crimes were apparently triggered by bi-polar disorder, a condition for which had stopped taking medication, according to court documents.
Kim Northrup, senior assistant state’s attorney, said Barto’s obsession with the woman — especially the number of incidents — warranted jail time.
Frank Cannatelli, Barto’s lawyer, said his client has already been in jail for nine months and that he was sorry.
“I don’t believe he is going to go after her. I think it’s over,” Cannatelli said.
Sequino said Barto should confer with doctors about his psychiatric condition — and let his doctors know if the meds aren’t working.
“It’s a fatal disease. You don’t care what happens to you. You don’t care what happens to others,” she said. “You do understand you have to address it.”
As part of his sentencing, Barto will have to participate in “Evolve,” an intensive program for men with a history of domestic violence.
Barto wept during his sentencing. A judicial marshal handed him tissues. After he was sentenced, he mouthed “I love you” to his mother, who was sitting in the front row of the court room in Derby.
