A probationer who chased a Lake Elsinore boy to whom he exposed himself, then tangled with deputies as they attempted to arrest him, pleaded guilty Thursday to felony and misdemeanor charges.
Jordan Lopez, 19, was taken into custody last month after the confrontation with Riverside County sheriff’s deputies near the intersection of Heald Avenue and Spring Street.
During a status hearing before Superior Court Judge Mark Mandio, Lopez admitted two counts of obstructing a peace officer and one count of annoying a minor. In exchange for his admissions, the District Attorney’s Office agreed to drop a charge of battery on a peace officer.
Mandio scheduled a sentencing hearing for April 12 at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta and ordered that Lopez be held without bail at the adjacent Byrd Detention Center. The defendant had been held in lieu of $150,000 bail.
According to sheriff’s officials, Lopez began following a 13-year-old boy walking home, trying to get the youth’s attention, on the afternoon of March 6. When the victim ignored him, Lopez turned aggressive, and the boy ran to his family’s apartment on Spring Street, locking himself inside, according to an affidavit prepared by Deputy Michael Hill.
“When the victim looked out the window, he could see Lopez standing in front of his door with his genitals exposed,” Hill wrote.
The victim called 911, and deputies arrived a short time later, according to sheriff’s Sgt. Jeff Reese.
He said the two deputies spotted Lopez walking near the residence, and based on the description provided by the victim, they went to detain the convicted felon. However, as the lawmen attempted to handcuff Lopez, he became physically aggressive, and a “struggle ensued,” Reese said.
The deputies managed to wrestle the probationer into custody, but during the process, one of them suffered a minor injury, the nature of which was not disclosed.
According to court records, Lopez was sentenced in February to three years probation after admitting a Feb. 13 robbery in southwest Riverside County.