Man who escaped from patrol car turns himself in

A Yuma area man suspected of selling drugs and sexually exploiting at least one minor is facing several felony charges.

Jonathan Emmanuel Pereda, 19, is now incarcerated at the Yuma County jail following an extensive manhunt for him which was conducted after he managed to escape from Sheriff's deputies on Nov. 18.

He appeared in court on Tuesday to face charges of escape, misconduct with weapons, possession of marijuana, dangerous drugs and narcotics, as well as possession of marijuana, dangerous drugs and narcotics for sale.

These charges came after a search warrant was executed at his residence located at 13519 E. 51st Place in reference to drug activity on Nov. 18.

On that date, Pereda was detained and placed in a patrol vehicle while the search was being conducted by Yuma County Sheriff's deputies.

While detained, the suspect managed to open a window in the patrol vehicle, and while deputies were engaged with several family members, Pereda exited the vehicle and fled on foot into the darkness, the Yuma County Sheriff's Office stated.

An extensive ground search was conducted utilizing the assistance of other agencies, including a canine unit, but Pereda was not found.

During his hiatus, deputies maintained an intensive search for Pereda and contacted several of his associates during their investigation.

Pereda was eventually persuaded to surrender to authorities by his mother and he contacted YCSO Tuesday morning.

At about 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, Pereda, who was located near Avenue 6E and 46th Street, was arrested without incident.

During their investigation into Pereda's whereabouts, deputies found evidence indicating he had allegedly been involved in sex crimes involving at least one minor.

He appeared before Justice of the Peace Gregory Stewart on Wednesday afternoon to face the sex charges which allegedly occurred on May 9.

During his Wednesday appearance, Pereda was informed there are four felonies pending against him including two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, one count of luring a minor for sexual exploitation, and sexual conduct with a minor.

When Pereda was asked if he understood the charges against him, he said “yes sir.” His jaw twitched as the allegations were made against him in court.

There was no victim or victim's representative present in the court room at his hearing.

Pereda will appear again in court on Friday at 1 p.m. to find out if charges are filed against him concerning the sex case.

“At that time we will know if a formal complaint has been filed by state prosecutors,” Stewart said.

If no formal complaint is brought against him, the judge will sign an order releasing him from custody on the sex charges. However, he will still face the drug and escape charges.

In reference to the sex case, Stewart set Pereda's bond at $200,000 payable in cash only.

No further information detailing the alleged sex crimes or the age of those involved was available as of press time Wednesday.

Chris McDaniel can be reached at cmcdaniel@yumasun.com or 539-6849.