Man Accused of Assaulting Deputy With Knife Enters Plea

An ex-con who allegedly came at a sheriff's deputy with a knife -- prompting the lawman to shoot him -- pleaded not guilty today to assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer.

Patrick Domingo Halbert, 29, of Perris was arrested last week after the alleged confrontation with a Riverside County sheriff's deputy in Perris.

Halbert appeared with his public defender before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Helios Hernandez, who scheduled a Jan. 8 felony settlement conference and kept the defendant's bail at $90,000.

Halbert is being held at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside.

According to sheriff's spokesman Deputy Albert Martinez, a deputy was called around 7 a.m. on Dec. 18  to investigate reports of a man -- later identified as Halbert -- brandishing a knife in the 700 block of Penasco Grande Street.

A homeowner who spotted the defendant and an associate prowling around outside his garage confronted the pair, at which point Halbert flashed a knife and "threatened the caller," Martinez alleged.

As the deputy was rolling to the location, he spotted Halbert and the other suspect walking toward the intersection of Arrowhead Circle and Mountain Avenue, according to Martinez.

"The (deputy) exited his car and attempted to stop and question the suspects ... one (of whom) stopped and complied with the deputy's command," Martinez said. "(Halbert), who was armed with a knife, ignored the commands and advanced toward the deputy."

According to Martinez, the deputy opened fire in self-defense, inflicting a non-life-threatening wound. The deputy was not hurt.

Halbert was transported to Riverside County Medical Center in Moreno Valley for treatment. The other man, whose identity was not disclosed, was briefly detained for questioning, then released, Martinez said.

According to court records, Halbert has prior convictions for grand theft, misdemeanor battery on a peace officer, possession of illegal drugs and being under the influence of a controlled substance.

—City News Service