A 49-year-old man reversed his not guilty plea three days into trial and was sentenced to nine years in prison Thursday for robbing a Desert Hot Springs resident, then fleeing to a nearby hotel, where he stripped naked and dove into the hotel’s pool to disguise his appearance as officers searched the area.
The trial of Christopher McCurdy of Desert Hot Springs began Monday for 11 felony counts along with four misdemeanor charges of robbing an unidentified victim the morning of June 9, 2018 at a Desert Hot Springs home, then fleeing the residence with stolen property, according to Desert Hot Springs Police Sgt. Christopher Saucier.
After three days of prosecution testimony, McCurdy reversed his original plea and pleaded guilty to all counts in an agreement with the Deputy District Attorney Shea Strand, according to court records.
Officers were called to the home in the 66400 block of San Juan Road around 9:15 a.m. in 2018 for a possible robbery. When they arrived, McCurdy had fled the property, according to police.
Subsequent search efforts, which included Desert Hot Springs officers and a California Highway Patrol helicopter, led officers to a hotel, where staff notified police that McCurdy was in the pool area, Saucier said.
The CHP helicopter spotted McCurdy allegedly stripping naked, hiding his clothes and jumping into the pool, which the sergeant alleged was McCurdy “trying to disguise his appearance.”
As officers approached, he was now outside the pool, “clad in only a towel,” Saucier said, and fled from police through the hotel’s rear exit. Officers gave chase and took him into custody in the hotel’s parking lot, according to the sergeant.
The 15 charges McCurdy pleaded guilty to include three counts of inflicting corporal injury with a prior conviction within seven years, two counts of criminal threats, two counts of burglary, stalking with an active restraining order, assault with a deadly weapon that is not a firearm, two counts of battery on a spouse or roommate, robbery, dissuading a witness, maliciously removing a wireless communication device and willful resistance of arrest.