BANGOR, Maine — A man from Oregon convicted in April of interstate violation of a protection order was sentenced Monday morning in U.S. District Court to five years in federal prison, the maximum allowed under the law.
Frederick Conrad Staehle, 43, was found guilty by a federal jury on April 24 after a two-day trial in which he defended himself and his wife testified against him.
Staehle, his wife and two small children traveled in late 2007 from Washington state to Ellsworth, where he was arrested in January. Although his wife testified at the trial that she left Oregon willingly, Staehle committed a federal crime when he left Washington because there was an active protection order forbidding him contact with his wife and children.
In handing down the sentence, U.S. District Judge John Woodcock told Staehle that Congress had passed the law he had broken more than a decade ago with men like the defendant in mind.
Staehle was arrested by local police in an Ellsworth hotel after the church that was financially aiding the family expressed concern about their well-being, according to court documents.
Prosecutors urged Woodcock to impose the five-year maximum due to Staehle’s criminal record and previous violations of bail, probation and protection orders across the country. The defense asked for a lesser sentence.
Staehle has been held without bail since his arrest on Jan. 23. He is expected to be credited for time served.
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