Suspect In Cabazon Casino Stabbing Faces Felony Charges

CABAZON, CA — A 46-year-old man accused of beating and stabbing his girlfriend during a domestic dispute at the Morongo Casino Resort & Spa in Cabazon was charged Wednesday with attempted murder and other offenses.

Jesse Romero of Bellflower was arrested Sunday night following a Riverside County Sheriff's Department investigation on the casino property in the 49500 block of Seminole Drive.

Along with attempted murder, Romero is charged with assault with a deadly weapon and domestic violence, as well as sentence-enhancing allegations of inflicting great bodily injury during an act of domestic abuse.

The defendant, who is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Smith Correctional Facility, was slated to make his initial court appearance Wednesday afternoon at the nearby Banning Justice Center.

According to sheriff's Sgt. Phillip Pike, at about 10:30 p.m. Sunday, Romero and the victim, whose identity was not disclosed, were involved in an unspecified dispute within the casino when he allegedly struck her, pulled a knife and stabbed her.

The woman began "screaming for help," prompting witnesses to call 911, Pike said.

He said patrol deputies reached the location minutes later and found the victim suffering "several stab wounds." She was taken to a regional trauma center for treatment, and was in recovery Wednesday.

Pike said detectives gathered information from the woman and others pointing to Romero as the alleged assailant.

The defendant was tracked to the intersection of Haugen-Lehmann Way and Tamarack Road a few miles east in Whitewater, where he was taken into custody without incident roughly three hours later.

Romero has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.