Charges filed against felon accused of assault, false imprisonment

Felony charges were filed today against a third defendant accused of holding a man against his will and beating him with a wooden paddle and other instruments over several days in Cathedral City.

Genaro Jaime Lozoya, 30, of Indio was arrested Tuesday. He remains behind bars on $1 million bail awaiting his initial court appearance, scheduled for Friday afternoon at the Banning Justice Center.

Lozoya is charged with one count each of false imprisonment, assault on a person causing great bodily injury and assault with a deadly weapon. Court papers allege he used a wooden paddle and a baton in the attack. Police dispatchers received a 911 call on June 1 from a 36-year-old resident who said he had been "beaten, zip-tied and held against his will for days," according to the Cathedral City Police Department.

The victim -- identified in court papers only as "Matthew H." -- led officers to the 37000 block of Bankside Drive, where unspecified evidence was collected that backed up his claim, according to Sgt. Larry Sanfillippo.

Two brothers -- Carlos Jose Espinoza, 30, and Eduardo Luis Espinoza, 32, both of Cathedral City -- were arrested the day the victim came forward, according to police, who did not release a motive or any other details of the
alleged crime.

Police later identified Lozoya as the third suspect after a witness said another man was seen fleeing the scene.

Lozoya was detained after "many hours of in-depth follow-up" and interviewed by detectives, police said.

"As a result of that interview and the totality of the investigation, he was arrested," according to a police statement.

Carlos and Eduardo Espinoza are each charged with one count of false imprisonment and two counts of assault on a person causing great bodily injury, along with sentence-enhancing allegations of using a weapon -- a wooden paddle during the commission of a felony.

Eduardo Espinoza is additionally charged with one felony count each of robbery, criminal threats and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

They have pleaded not guilty and remain in custody in lieu of $1 million bail, with a felony settlement conference scheduled for June 15 at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.

Eduardo Espinoza has felony convictions, including for grand theft; his brother has no documented felony convictions in Riverside County.

Lozoya has a felony conviction for receiving stolen property.