One of the two Arizona men who attempted to ram a Sheriff’s patrol car following a traffic stop in Twentynine Palms in October pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer. During his preliminary hearing on November 8, Ulysses Way, 50, accepted a plea bargain to two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, not a firearm, against a police officer. Way and Dave Jensen, 50, had driven from Arizona to Twentynine Palms with the intention of stealing copper wire—valued at $10,000—from Hi-Grade Materials in Twentynine Palms. As the men were returning to Arizona early in the morning of October 28, a deputy made a traffic stop of their vehicle at about 3:10 a.m. on Highway 62 and Godwin Road in Wonder Valley. As the deputies got out of their patrol car, Way put his vehicle into reverse and intentionally rammed into the front of the patrol car before speeding away eastbound on the highway. As the deputies pursued the men; the passenger, Jenson, threw large objects from his vehicle in an attempt to disable the deputies’ patrol unit. Way stopped his vehicle east of Gold Crown Road and again put it in reverse in another attempt to ram the deputies’ patrol car. However, Way lost control of his vehicle, which became stuck on the dirt embankment alongside the highway. Both men were captured by deputies. Ulysses Way was sentenced to five years in state prison at Chino for one count and four years for the second count, to be served concurrently. David Jensen did not accept a plea bargain at the preliminary hearing and is still being held for investigation of evading a police officer and assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer. David Jensen was booked into the West Valley Detention Center with his bail set at $350,000.
