Probationer Pleads Guilty To Assaulting Banning Cop, Other Charges

BANNING, CA — A 29-year-old probationer who rammed a Banning police car while fleeing in a stolen vehicle pleaded guilty Tuesday to assault on a peace officer with a deadly weapon and other charges.

Jessie Edward Robey of Yucaipa admitted the assault count, as well as felony evading, eluding a law enforcement officer, being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, carrying a loaded firearm without a permit, vehicle theft, being in possession of controlled substances and being a felon in possession of ammunition.

No charges were dismissed.

Riverside County Superior Court Judge Mark Singerton scheduled a sentencing hearing for June 16 at the Banning Justice Center. The proposed term of imprisonment was not specified in court records.

Robey is being held without bail at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta

According to spokeswoman Sol Avila of the Banning Police Department, on the morning of Sept. 14, 2021, Robey passed out in the parking lot of a Holiday Inn Express on Ramsey Street, where he had parked a stolen Honda Civic.

Passersby saw him slumped over the wheel and called 911, at which point patrol officers converged on the location and attempted to make contact with the defendant, Avila said. When they peered inside the vehicle, they allegedly spotted a handgun near Robey's lap, prompting one of the patrolman to reach inside and seize it.

The probationer was awakened and threw the sedan into gear, running into a parked patrol unit with an officer inside, according to police. The lawman was not hurt.

Robey fled the location with another patrol car in pursuit, heading into Cherry Valley, where he plowed into a residential fence, bringing the car chase to a halt. However, the defendant bailed out and fled on foot, managing to escape the dragnet of Banning police officers and sheriff's deputies sent to assist, according to Avila.

Robey's identity was soon verified, prompting police to obtain an arrest warrant. He was tracked to a property in Yucaipa, where he was taken into custody without incident almost four weeks later.

According to court records, Robey has prior convictions for burglary, receiving a stolen vehicle and possession of controlled substances.