A convicted felon who stole a car and led sheriff’s deputies on a pursuit in San Jacinto and Hemet was bound for state prison Thursday to serve a nearly three-year sentence.
Pedro Pineda, 30, pleaded guilty to auto theft during a hearing Tuesday at the Banning Justice Center. The plea was part of a negotiated agreement with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. In exchange for his admission, prosecutors dropped charges of evading a peace officer and being in possession of methamphetamine.
Superior Court Judge Mark Singerton certified the terms of the plea bargain and sentenced Pineda to two years, eight months in prison.
Sheriff’s deputies initiated the defendant’s transfer to a state correctional facility Thursday morning, according to court records.
Sheriff’s Sgt. Wade Lenton said about 11:30 a.m. on Jan. 15, Pineda was spotted at the wheel of a sedan reported stolen, prompting deputies to attempt a traffic stop at Lake Park Drive and the Ramona Expressway in San Jacinto.
“The driver fled from law enforcement and drove in a reckless manner through the city,” Lenton said in January.
He said that patrolmen backed off out of concern for public safety, turning the chase over to a sheriff’s helicopter crew, monitoring from overhead.
A few minutes later, Pineda stopped in the 700 block of La Jolla Avenue, near Oakland Avenue, in Hemet, where he jumped out of the vehicle and ran into a neighborhood, Lenton said.
He said deputies swarmed the area and quickly apprehended the defendant without further incident.
No one was injured.
According to court records, Pineda has prior convictions connected with thefts, as well as criminal threats, in Santa Clara County.