Dean said she was working with a
Domestic Violence Advocate that functions as a liaison between the Sheriff's Office and Community Works, a local nonprofit and the sole service provider for domestic violence victims in the valley. She said the advocate put her in touch with the nonprofit because she did not feel safe staying in the trailer they shared despite the no-contact order.
"They put me in a hotel for a week, well the hotel is just down from the FEMA park where we were staying and he ended up knowing where I was staying," she said noting that she believes he may have seen her car in the parking lot. "When I went to leave to go to the doctor he was outside in the parking lot videotaping my car as I drove away."
She said when she contacted Community works to ask for a relocation she was told the
Domestic Violence Shelter was full and there were no other hotels available at the time. When contacted for comment, a Community Works administrator said the organization could not comment on specific cases.
Dean said she was finally able to get relocated thanks to a Social Services program available to fire survivors in the valley but the ordeal was still not over. When trying to file a restraining order against her Garibay she said she was told by the County's Civil Services Division that they could not locate him to serve the order.
"I'm like 'what do you mean you can't locate him he's in the trailer,'" she said noting that she had seen him at the location when she went to pick up food through a fire survivors meal service. "They were like 'oh okay well we are really short-staffed so you will have to call back on Tuesday to get it taken care of."
Lewis said he would look into the claim but said the department does get numerous requests for restraining orders and like many other offices has been periodically understaffed during the pandemic. He said Garibay was served on the 19th and the order went into place on the 20th and noted that while the order was being processed the no contact is still in place.
Dean said ultimately she was left feeling unsafe and overwhelmed with the amount of bureaucracy and hoops that she has had to jump through to get help.
"Every day you are talking to somebody new and trying to explain everything to everybody and it just was too overwhelming," she said in tears.
She said she understands that the pandemic has placed more burden on the system but feels the valley needs to provide more services to those in a situation like hers.
"I just feel like they were the ones that advised me to do all of these things and I did all of these things and then when I would call back it was like 'oh well you can call back,'" she said. "What happens in the meantime if he ends up hurting me again, he knows where I am staying. I have to look over my shoulder to make sure that he isn't there."
The District Attorney's Office confirmed that charges for Assault in the 4th Degree and Harassment were filed against Garibay on the 20th. He has previous charges pending for 4th Degree assault for an incident in August in which he is accused of bear spray against two individuals in Medford.
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