Robert David Pearsall III was sentenced to 28 years in prison for attempted murder and aggravated assault after attacking a camper at Bear Siding in 2018 then running from law enforcement for over two years.
Yavapai County Superior Court Judge Tina Ainley sentenced 44-year-old Pearsall to 28 years in the Arizona State Prison on Sept. 15. He still faces a pending felony charge for failure to appear at his trial on Sept. 20, 2019, and will likely face additional drug and firearms charges as well, according to a press release from the Yavapai County Attorney’s office.
The attempted murder charges stem from an incident that occurred Sept. 8, 2018, in the remote area of the Verde River known as Bear Siding, located near Perkinsville, approximately 35 miles northwest of Cottonwood.
That evening, the victim, a Navy veteran and former firefighter, was camping in the area when Pearsall ambushed him and hit him over the head with a 2- by 2-inch construction board.
Pearsall did not know the victim and was heavily under the influence of alcohol at the time of the attack. He immediately fled the scene afterward.
The victim’s life was saved by a nearby group of campers who heard the attack and rushed to help. Because of a lack of cell service in the area, the group of campers, two of whom were trained paramedics, stabilized the victim themselves then drove him to the highway where he was flown to the Flagstaff Medical Center for treatment. He spent eight days in the hospital recovering from severe head injuries.
“[If not] for the acts of the good Samaritan campers, the victim likely would have not survived,” the press release stated.
Pearsall turned himself in to police several days after the incident when a warrant was issued for his arrest. When it came time for Pearsall’s trial on Sept. 20, 2019, he went on the run from law enforcement and began living under an alias. He was tried for his crimes and found to be guilty of attempted murder and aggravated assault by a jury in his absence.
Pearsall was on the run for around two years. Police offered a $2,200 reward for any information leading to his arrest through the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office Catch 22 program. He was finally caught in Payson on July 22, 2021, according to the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office.
He was stopped for a traffic violation while riding a moped. Pearsall again fled police, but he was chased down and arrested. He also reportedly assaulted the arresting officer during his attempt to escape.
