Transient gets year in jail for beating, robbing another transient

Projected release date is Oct. 1

By Neal Putnam

A transient who pleaded guilty to robbery and felony assault of a 65-year-old Ramona man was sentenced Aug. 14 to one year in jail and ordered to pay $200 to the victim.

The projected release date for Mark Anthony Pinales, 51, is Oct. 1, according to the sheriff’s department. He was placed on three years probation and given credit for spending the last three months in jail plus time off for good behavior.

The victim, Gerald Miller, was found crawling to the AM/PM Mini Market at Main and 10th streets on May 4. He was bleeding from his head and said he was punched and kicked while he was asleep behind the store.

The court outcome for the second person arrested, Jimmy Dean Freeman, 53, was different as he refused to plead guilty with Pinales and stood trial. A jury acquitted Freeman July 19 on all charges, and he was released from jail.

When Pinales pleaded guilty on the eve of his trial, El Cajon Superior Court Judge Herbert Exarhos told him he would receive probation with up to one year in county jail.

Deputy District Attorney Nikki Weiner said Pinales was in possession of the victim’s stolen money at the time of his arrest. The sheriff’s department said both Pinales and Freeman had fresh blood on their hands.

Miller was homeless at the time of the beating and testified at Freeman’s trial. He wasn’t present for Pinales’ sentencing.