A man who attempted to stab two San Diego County sheriff’s deputies in a pair of attacks that occurred months apart has pleaded guilty to charges of attempted murder and assault on a peace officer.
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Ernesto Olea, 31, admitted Monday to the May 9, 2025, attack on a deputy at the downtown San Diego Central Courthouse, and the Oct. 20, 2025, attack on another deputy at the George Bailey Detention Facility in Otay Mesa.
Olea is slated to be sentenced next month to 19 years to life in state prison for both incidents.
The first attack at the courthouse happened after Olea spoke with his attorney in a counseling room, prosecutors wrote in court documents.
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A deputy was then tasked with moving Olea back to a holding area, at which point Olea attempted to stab and slash at the deputy’s neck with an improvised weapon, court documents state. Nearby deputies rushed in and helped restrain Olea.
The weapon used in the attack was described as “a sharpened stabbing instrument constructed of a metal tip and a makeshift handle.” In a holding cell in which Olea was previously placed at the Vista Detention Facility, it was discovered that “the bottom of the metal holding cell door was rusted and had pieces of metal missing,” court documents state.
In October, Olea was being escorted by deputies from a day room to his cell at George Bailey when he began striking one of the deputies with a pair of toothbrushes that had both handles sharpened to points, according to court documents.
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