Two Men Plead Guilty to Weapons Charges in Case of March 17 Fatal Pursuit that Started in Beaumont

Two parolees who were involved in a fatal crash in March as their alleged driver fled Beaumont police pleaded guilty Friday to felony weapons possession charges in Murrieta court.

Vicente Reyes, 24, of Banning, and  Michael Leonard, 27, of Perris, were in a pickup truck with Charles Thomas Durnin, 21, of San Jacinto, on March 17 as they fled Beaumont police and crashed into another vehicle near the Soboba Casino, authorities said.

Fatally injured in the crash was Mike Wayne Morgan, 57, of Hemet, who was not involved in the pursuit.

Reyes and Leonard entered guilty pleas Friday to charges of possession of an assault weapon, manufacture/import/sale/possession of an undetectable firearm, and being a convicted felon or narcotic addict in possession of a firearm, said John Hall of the Riverside County District Attorney's Office.

Durnin had already entered not guilty pleas to second-degree murder, reckless disregard of public safety, and illegal possession of weapons and drugs, Hall said.

The pursuit started about 11:15 a.m. March 17 at 4th Street and Beaumont Avenue, when a Beaumont police officer tried to pull over a Ford F-150 pickup for a traffic violation, according to Beaumont police.

The pickup driver did not stop and led officers south on Highway 79, then southeast on Gilman Springs Road, police said.

The pickup driver then "began driving recklessly at a high rate of speed," a Beaumont spokeswoman said.

Police officers lost sight of the truck and were preparing to return to Beaumont when they saw a plume of smoke. They went to the smoke and found a crash involving the pickup and another vehicle near the entrance to Soboba Casino, police said.

Firefighters responded and found two vehicles with four patients trapped at Soboba Road and Juaro Canyon Road, said Cheri Patterson of Cal Fire-Riverside County.

Three were critically injured, one had moderate injuries, and all four were transported to hospitals by ambulance.

Morgan was pronounced dead at Hemet Valley Medical Center in Hemet, according to coroner's investigators.

The driver of the pickup was identified as Durnin, authorities said.

The other suspects in the pickup were identified as Reyes and Leonard, who were both found to be on parole.

Sentencing for Reyes and Leonard was scheduled for July 15, Hall said. They were held with out bail Friday at Southwest Detention Center in Murrieta, according to inmate records.

Durnin was held on $3 million bail at the same lockup, according to inmate records.

In April, Morgan's daughter, Michelle Luna, attended a crime victims' candlelight vigil on the steps of Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta.