Motocross racer pleads guilty to bribing deputies with event tickets

CHINO -- A low-level Motocross racer accused of trying to bribe sheriff's deputies with event tickets after a drunken-driving arrest pleaded guilty this morning to criminal charges.

Jered Peter Thomas, 20, pleaded guilty to bribery, a felony, and DUI as part of a plea bargain reached with prosecutors in Chino Superior Court.

The plea agreement, if approved by a judge, carries a jail sentence of 180 days and three years of probation.

Thomas was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving Jan. 31 after a San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy saw him driving erratically near Rolling Ridge Drive and Chino Hills Parkway in Chino Hills.

As Thomas, of Perris, was being booked in the Chino Hills sheriff's station, he reportedly offered tickets to upcoming Motocross events to two deputies and their supervisor, a sergeant, if they would "let him off" or reduce his charge.

Thomas told deputies that he'd bribed a Riverside County officer with event tickets in the past, and he assured them he'd keep their arrangement secret, according to an investigative report attached to Thomas' court file.

"In order to assure us and minimize our concerns, Thomas said that his mother's ex-husband was a law enforcement officer," Sgt. Chris Ilizaliturri wrote in the report.