Woman pleads not guilty in alleged Palm Desert hotel employee beating
A woman who allegedly took part in the beating of a Palm Desert hotel employee pleaded not guilty to an assault charge Thursday.
Danei Deborah Davis, 24, is one of four people accused in a June 27 altercation at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa, which left a female employee and a man beaten.
Read one suspect pleading not guilty
Davis, along with three co-defendants, allegedly got into an argument with other guests at the hotel, which escalated into a fight involving the employee.
Davis and Diane Portillo, 26, of Fontana, allegedly held the woman down while taking turns punching and kicking her in the head, according to a declaration in support of an arrest warrant.
Gregory Lamar Pate Jr., 24, of Los Angeles, who remains out of custody, allegedly “incited” Portillo and Davis to fight the employee, while Dalon Emil Decoud Jr., 25, of Hawthorne, is accused of punching a man, causing a broken orbital bone, the declaration states. It was unclear whether the male victim was also an employee or another hotel guest.
Decoud was arrested while allegedly trying to flee the scene on foot. Davis, Portillo and Pate were also taken into custody at the scene, but all four were later released on bail.
Read about Davis skipping arraignment
Decoud and Portillo pleaded not guilty last week to charges that included assault, making criminal threats, and resisting arrest. Davis was initially slated to be arraigned with her co-defendants but skipped her arraignment last week, prompting a judge to issue a bench warrant for her arrest.
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