SAN DIEGO -- A man who threatened to rape and strangle nine women, including several San Diego television news reporters, was sentenced Friday to nearly eight years in prison and ordered to register as a sex offender.

Christopher Carl Hass, 58, pleaded guilty last month to nine charges, including stalking and making criminal threats.

Deputy District Attorney Wendy Patrick told Judge Charles Gill that Hass made "very personal" threats to his victims, the kind "usually seen in the movies."

Patrick said the women took the threats seriously and took steps to ensure their safety.

"It was a very personal type of stalking," the prosecutor told the judge.

Patrick said Hass was arrested in 1973 and again in 2004 for similar conduct, but wasn't charged.

Defense attorney Gregory Turner said Hass -- a substitute teacher -- committed the recent crimes when his life "was falling apart."

"It was an ongoing breakdown," Turner said, telling the judge that Hass had problems paying his mortgage and problems with gambling.

Turner said Hass didn't go through with any of his threats, which were made via telephone calls and letters.

"The words he used fit perfectly. He wanted to crawl in a hole and die when he realized what he put the women through," said Turner.

Turner asked that Hass be placed on probation so he could get treatment.

But the judge said Hass still posed a potential danger to society, noting the defendant threatened the women and caused them emotional harm for nearly three years.

Hass was arrested at his San Diego home on Feb. 11 after a "distinctive crime spree," Patrick said.

A search of Hass' car turned up "voluminous" amounts of information, including the victims' names, telephone numbers and addresses, Patrick said.

The prosecutor said Hass would call the women or send threatening mail, instructing them to wear certain articles of clothing, hoop earrings and open-toed shoes, and have them say or do things.

"If they didn't comply, he threatened to rape them, strangle them with pantyhose or worse," Patrick said at an earlier hearing, adding that his letters and phone calls included the phrase "Don't mess with me, I'm a dangerous sicko."

In one letter to a 10News reporter, Hass said, in part: "Now you do as I say, cooperate, and you won't get hurt or raped. Believe me, I'm a dangerous sicko who will stalk and get you ... I don't play ... games. I have done this many times to a lot of pretty ladies, and my record for the last ten is 100% cooperation."

Patrick told 10News, "They would sleep with Mace by the bed, installed alarm systems, had people escort them to their homes, some would change appearance after they got off the news in order to not be recognized."

In addition to the news reporters, victims included school teachers, an office manager and a real estate agent. One of the alleged offenses occurred in Temecula.

Hass was identified by fingerprints found on some of the threatening letters, and DNA was also used to identify the defendant, Patrick said.