Three Arrested In Hemet Attack Investigation Charged With Other Crimes

One of the suspects arrested in a three-county raid in connection with attempted attacks on Hemet police pleaded not guilty today to being a white supremacist gang member and having a “zip gun,” which is the sort of weapon used in one of the attacks.

In all, 23 suspects were arrested on Tuesday, but none have been charged with the attacks.

Police have stopped short of blaming any one group or even conceding that all the acts are related, and news reports that the crimes may have been carried out by white supremacists remained unconfirmed late this afternoon.

However, Patrick Mike Nugent, 40, is charged with two counts of possession or manufacture of an undetectable firearm, or zip gun, a single count of having a nunchuks martial arts weapon, two counts of being a felon in possession of a zip gun and a single count of participating in the Coors Skins, a well-known white supremacist gang in Hemet. He also faces gang allegations.

Nugent was ordered back to court Thursday for a felony settlement conference. A preliminary hearing was tentatively set for May 6. Riverside Superior Court Judge Angel Bermudez set his bail at $50,000.

Two others were also charged today.

Joseph Matthew Zito, 29, pleaded not guilty with being a convicted felon in possession of a handgun with a gang activity enhancement, and illegal possession of testosterone, which is a misdemeanor.

He also faces allegations that he is a convicted felon in possession of a handgun and that he did not remain free from custody for five years after a previous conviction.

He was ordered back to court Thursday for a felony settlement conference and a preliminary hearing was tentatively set for May 6. His bail was set at $1 million.

Christian Ray Lewis, 44, was charged with misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. He made his first court appearance today but his arraignment was postponed to Wednesday, according to court records.

Law enforcement officers conducted the raids to seek information on those responsible for a series of recent attacks on Hemet police and city facilities.

On New Year’s Eve, someone rerouted a natural gas line into a Hemet/San Jacinto Gang Task Force building.

On Feb. 23, a member of the task force opened a gate at its headquarters and was nearly struck by a bullet discharged by a homemade “zip gun” that was rigged to fire when the gate moved.

On March 5, another task force member found an explosive device attached to his unmarked patrol car when he pulled into a gas station in Hemet, and in late March, four city code enforcement trucks were torched in the Hemet City Hall parking lot.

The most recent attack occurred April 12, when a fire damaged a mobile home used for police training.

“The people we ended up arresting are not necessarily responsible for the attacks,” Hemet police Capt. David Brown said earlier, although he added, “some of them may have been involved.”