Agoura man victim of drunk driver

Robert Lee Jonte Marilyn Jonte thumbs through the pictures of her son, Robert Lee Jonte, remembering his unmistakable laugh, the love he showed his own 15-year-old son, Daniel, and the way he let life’s little problems simply roll off his back.

Alternating between smiles and tears, Marilyn sits in the backyard of her Agoura Hills home, where Robert—her only child— had lived for the last 28 years. Recounting the memories of her son doesn’t come easily.

On Sun., Aug 27 Robert, 42, died due to injuries he sustained after his motorcycle collided with a car making an illegal U-turn on Corbin Avenue in the San Fernando Valley, officials with the Los Angeles Police Department said.

According to the LAPD, Alejandro Pineda, the car’s driver, was arrested on suspicion of murder after field sobriety tests revealed Pineda’s blood-alcohol level was above .08 percent, the legal limit.

Pineda’s bail was set at $1 million and he’s being held in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s main jail in downtown Los Angeles.

Andrew Bassis, a deputy district attorney with the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office, said Pineda will face murder charges and also stand trial for three prior drunk driving convictions.

Pineda pled not guilty at his arraignment on Aug. 30, Bassis said. The preliminary trial will begin Oct. 18.

Robert Jonte was taken to Northridge Hospital Medical Center, where he died at about 9:30 p.m., nearly two hours after the accident, Marilyn Jonte said.

“When I got the call from the hospital, I didn’t know what was wrong with him,” Marilyn said. “At first, I thought he was driving my pickup, but when I heard he was on his motorcycle, I thought, ‘Oh, my God’. . . but I was still hoping for the best . . . It wasn’t until we got to the hospital that we realized how serious it had been.”

After Robert graduated from Agoura High School in 1982, he worked for a landscaping company before joining the family heavy-equipment repair business. For a number of years, Robert worked as a self-employed plumber.

The white pickup truck Robert used for work is still parked outside his mother’s house, with plastic piping extending from the truck’s bed. His boat remains at the home he owned in Agoura Hills. For his mom, both stir memories of her son’s life.

“He loved the Conejo Valley, and he loved Agoura,” Marilyn said. “He loved to take Daniel out on the water in the boat . . . He loved his son so much.”

Daniel lives in Las Vegas with his mother, Julie. Marilyn said about two weeks before the accident, Robert had taken Daniel to a paintball park in Santa Clarita.

“After the funeral, I told Julie that Daniel could have whatever he wanted . . . Daniel had found the shirt Robbie had worn when he went paintballing . . . That’s what he wanted,” said Marilyn.

An avid outdoorsman, Robert enjoyed skiing, fishing and spending time with his son. A fan of NASCAR, Robert maintained his car and motorcycle with an extensive tool collection.

“Robbie always kept in touch with people,” Marilyn said. “He had 3,000 minutes on his phone, and every month he went over . . . No wonder he had almost 300 people at his funeral . . . Everyone there said they had known him since he was four or fiveyears-old.”

Robert’s appetite for life was nearly matched by his appetite for food. “He loved to eat,” Marilyn said, with a laugh. “It was amazing . . . He could polish off a double-cheese pizza all by himself.”

As Marilyn looks over Robert’s pictures, her eyes well