Man who harassed ex-GF, rammed Sheriff’s vehicle pleads guilty
A 36-year-old man who stalked and harassed his ex-girlfriend while he had a no-contact order against him and rammed his car into a Riverside County Sheriff's Department patrol vehicle is set to be sentenced next month after pleading guilty to felony charges.
Jose Lopez Jr. pleaded guilty Thursday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio to one felony count each of stalking and assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer, according to court records. He additionally pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count each of making threats to cause great bodily injury, violating a stay-away court order, driving under the influence and willfully resisting.
He is set to be sentenced July 18 at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.
According to a declaration in support of a bail increase filed by Deputy E. Martin with the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, he responded to a home in Coachella on Sept. 24, 2022 when Lopez's ex-girlfriend described how he was being verbally aggressive, calling and texting her to try to see their children even though he had a no-negative-contact order against him.
Lopez told his ex-girlfriend that he saw patrol units in front of her house as he drove past several times and, between 5 p.m. that day and 1 a.m. the following day, he called her over 60 times, Martin wrote. Deputies pinged the cell phone numbers and found Lopez in Indio.
Deputies used a ruse to lure Lopez out of the apartment complex, he exited in his vehicle and allegedly led officers on a pursuit, according to Martin. At some point during the pursuit, he crashed into a wall on Van Buren Street, pulled off, drove in a circle, and crashed into the same wall.
"He then revered his vehicle directly into Sgt. Allert's marked patrol unit," Martin wrote. "Lopez continued the pursuit northbound onto Indio Blvd where he lost control of his vehicle and fled on foot southbound through an open field."
Lopez tried to run away but was apprehended with the assistance of a sheriff's canine, Allert said in a statement.
He was booked at the John J. Benoit Detention Center in Indio, where he was being held on $1 million bail.
