The Monterey man who hid under his house to escape police capture pleads no contest to multiple charges.

Leslie Flores, 59, went to a lot of trouble to avoid arrest on multiple charges for several months by building a tunnel and elaborate hiding space under his Monterey home. The police finally caught up with him in July and managed to extricate him from a six-foot hole using a chainsaw to cut away floorboards.

On Friday, Oct. 18, Flores pleaded no contest to a variety of felony and misdemeanor charges which had been consolidated from 15 cases in to three cases, according to a press release from Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine Pacioni.

The charges he pleaded no contest to included: possession of a short-barreled rifle/assault weapon; failure to appear in court while on bail and while on his own recognizance; reckless evading of a police officer; resisting a police officer; various drug-related charges; mail theft; assault likely to cause great bodily injury; and trespassing on a renter's property without consent.

Flores could face up to seven years, eight months in prison.

His plea came just before his jury trial was about to begin on Monday, Oct. 21, when jurors would have heard details of Flores' crimes and his dramatic capture.

His "crime spree," as the DA's Office called it, began the night of St. Patrick's Day in 2022, when Flores and his son Leslie Flores Jr. assaulted a bar bouncer who denied them entry. Flores was charged with felony assault—his son took a plea deal and that case was closed.

Flores remained out on bail for two-and-a-half years while his case was pending. Meanwhile he was caught multiple times with controlled substances or drug paraphernalia, according to the press release. During a traffic stop, he was found in possession of an illegal assault rifle with a shortened barrel.

In addition, Flores, who owns multiple rental properties in Monterey, was also found in possession of tenants' mail and was caught on video trespassing on one of his tenant's properties without consent or proper notice.

"Because of changes to California's bail laws, Flores was able to remain out of custody despite continuously picking up more and more active criminal cases," the press release states.

In 2023 Flores began not showing for court appearances "either with no justification or false representations that he was in residential treatment programs, when he in fact was not," according to the DA's announcement. 

Judges issued bench warrants, but when police caught up with Flores, he would flee, twice leading officers on high speed chases through Monterey neighborhoods.

Police finally caught up with him on July 3 at his home on Cielo Vista Drive. Monterey Police with SWAT and assistance from multiple agencies set up a perimeter to prevent Flores from escaping. All total there were 30 officials on scene involved in the seven-hour stand-off.

Officers used a drone to check the interior of the house, then entered, finding no Flores, including inside a hiding area under the house.

When one officer noticed a fresh handprint on the wall of the hiding area, they discovered a tunnel, but it was blocked. Realizing Flores was hiding in a hole beyond, they used a chainsaw to remove floorboards to extricate him.

Flores will be sentenced by Judge Andrew Liu on Nov. 15. He pleaded no contest to the charges with no conditions or promises from the prosecution or the court, according to the press release. He remains in custody at Monterey County Jail.

One of the apartment complexes Flores owns on Larkin Street in Monterey was put into receivership by the city earlier this year after he reportedly refused to make repairs on dilapidated units condemned by the city.