Jury convicts man for slashing victim’s face with knife in Pismo Beach

SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, Calif. – A San Luis Obispo County jury convicted a Grover Beach man on Friday for severely slashing another man's face with a knife in Pismo Beach in January, according to the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office.

Jeremiah Hernandez, 43, was found guilty of attacking a man with a knife around 1 a.m. on Jan. 24, slicing his face from his hairline to his lower jaw and causing an injury that required "extensive" reconstructive surgery to repair, according to District Attorney Dan Dow.

“This vicious and senseless crime will result in the permanent disfigurement of the victim and very well could have ended his life,” said Dow. “Individuals committing violent crimes in our community will be met by aggressive prosecution and personal accountability.”

The jurors also found that nine factors of aggravation were true, including that the attack was violent and indicated a serious danger to society, Hernandez's prior convictions are numerous and increasing in seriousness, that he has served a previous prison term, and that he was lying in wait when he attacked the victim.

The jury convicted Hernandez of aggravated mayhem and assault with a knife involving a single victim – both violent crimes under California's Three Strikes law.

Hernandez is scheduled to be sentenced in San Luis Obispo County Superior Court on July 28, facing a potential life sentence.