Suspect in armed robbery enters plea agreement
One of the four suspects charged in connection to an armed robbery of a man standing on a street corner earlier this year pleaded guilty to the offense in a plea agreement with prosecutors Wednesday morning in Yuma County Superior Court.
During what was a change of plea hearing before Superior Court Judge David Haws, Andres Cedeno, who remains in custody on a $50,000 cash-only bond, pleaded guilty to one count of theft of means of transportation. In return for his guilty plea to a felony charge of criminal damage against him was dismissed.
In explaining the terms of the plea agreement to him, Judge Haws told Cedeno that he could receive a prison sentence ranging from two years to eight years, with the presumptive sentence being 3-1/2 years if convicted.
Haws said that the plea also contained a stipulation that Cedeno apply to the Superior Court’s Drug Court Program, and that if he fails to do so, is not accepted, or does not complete it, the plea will be withdrawn.
The plea also stipulates that if Cedeno successfully completes Drug Court, the prosecution will agree to a sentence of up to five years of probation, which Judge Haws added could include him serving up to a year in the county jail as a condition of that probation.
Before he could accept the plea, Judge Haws told Cedeno that he would need to listen to a prosecutor read a factual basis of the charge against him and agree that it was true, which he did.
“He fled from police, causing extensive damage to two patrol cars,” the prosecutor read.
Haws then scheduled Cedeno’s sentencing for 8:30 a.m. July 26.
According to Yuma police, at approximately 6:07 p.m. March 15, officers responded to a report of an armed robbery that took place in the 1500 block of South Avenue A.
The victim told police he was standing on the northwest corner at S. Avenue A when a white BMW pulled up to him.
A passenger in the vehicle then demanded property from the victim while brandishing a handgun, which appeared to have a malfunction. At that point, the victim ran from the area and called police.
Minutes later, an officer located the vehicle in the area of 8th Street and Avenue B, but the driver refused to stop. The pursuit was soon called off due to safety reasons.
The vehicle was last seen crossing the Ocean-to-Ocean Bridge into California, according to police, and was found abandoned a short time later in a Winterhaven parking lot. The BMW was later reported stolen.
James Gilbert can be reached at jgilbert@yumasun.com or 5396854. Find him on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/YSJamesGilbert or on Twitter @YSJamesGilbert.