BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — A 22-year-old man accused of confronting a Kern County sheriff’s deputy with a sword during a disturbance call in Rosamond on Monday is scheduled to undergo competency testing next month, according to Kern County court records.
Joshua Dribin is charged with assault with a deadly weapon on an officer likely to cause great bodily injury, obstructing or resisting an executive officer, exhibiting a firearm or deadly weapon to resist or prevent arrest, and resisting a peace officer.
Dribin was scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday, but the proceedings were suspended after a Kern County judge ordered a competency evaluation for Dribin.
The Kern County Sheriff’s Office said that on August 3, 2026, at about 5:30 p.m., deputies assigned to the Rosamond substation responded to Desert Oasis Mobile Estates in the 3300 block of 15th Street West for a peace disturbance. Shortly after a deputy arrived, the deputy was confronted by Dribin, who was armed with a sword, the sheriff’s office said. The encounter led to a deputy-involved shooting, according to the sheriff’s office.
Dribin was arrested, treated for his wounds by deputies at the scene and taken by ambulance to a hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, the sheriff’s office said. No deputies or additional civilians were injured.
The sheriff’s office said Dribin was initially arrested for obstructing and resisting, exhibiting a deadly weapon to resist arrest, and attempted murder on a peace officer.
KCSO homicide detectives responded to take over the investigation. In a release, officials said, “Kern County Sheriff’s Office detectives investigate any use of deadly force by any member of the department. Investigations are submitted to the Kern County District Attorney’s Office for criminal review.”
Officials said additional information and a video presentation will be released at the end of the investigation.
Dribin is due back in court on Sept. 10, 2026, according to court records.