Man Pleads No Contest to Assaulting Jail Guard

Jesse Contreras Jr. pleaded no contest to assaulting a custody deputy with force likely to cause great bodily injury related to an attack in Santa Barbara County Jail on 9/30. Contreras, who was in custody for alleged possession of a firearm by a felon, is said to have rushed through an opening door and attacked the 44-year-old deputy, punching him in the face and knocking him to the ground, leaving the deputy with several broken bones. Contreras could spend a total of 18 years in state prison when he is sentenced on 3/1.