Shovel-wielding suspect pleads guilty

By Neal Putnam

A Ramona man who surrendered to sheriff’s deputies after damaging cars with a shovel and then hiding in an attic has pleaded guilty to felony assault and resisting an executive officer.

Daniel Michael Ponce, 24, will be sentenced Jan. 6 in El Cajon Superior Court. He is free on $30,000 bond.

Charges of vandalism to the cars and a second assault charge were dropped Oct. 30 after he pleaded guilty to the remaining charges. He faces a maximum sentence of four years and eight months in prison, according to court records. He could also be placed on probation with a restitution order.

His mother wrote a letter to the judge, saying he was drunk at the time. She wrote that her son recalled little about the incident, but he did have a serious leg injury that day.

Medical records submitted to the court show that he was being treated for pain in his leg and was using crutches and/or a cane for awhile.

The incident on Sept. 27 began around 3:30 p.m. with a call to deputies about a man wielding a shovel and damaging vehicles at Raymond Avenue and Ramona Street.

Ponce fled the scene and holed up in an attic in the 600 block of 16th Street. A dog was sent into the attic and after Ponce was bitten several times, he surrendered and was arrested.

Ponce remains free on condition he has no contact with the victims.