Man suspected of vehicle theft in Desert Hot Springs pleads not guilty to felony charges
A 33-year-old man suspected in a vehicle theft pleaded not guilty today to felony charges in a case where police said they found multiple firearms and home-made explosive devices.
Zachary Hernandez was charged with one felony count each of receiving a stolen vehicle, taking a vehicle without the owner's consent and receiving stolen property, according to court records. He also faces sentence-enhancing allegations of being a repeat offender of vehicle theft.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges Tuesday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.
Detectives responded at around 7:15 a.m. Wednesday to execute a search warrant stemming from a vehicle theft investigation in the 66300 block of Granada Avenue, according to the Desert Hot Springs Police Department.
During the search, detectives allegedly found several firearms and homemade explosive devices which were seized, police said. The Riverside County Sheriff's Department Hazardous Device Team responded to the scene to remove the devices.
Detectives arrested Hernandez on suspicion of vehicle theft, 31-year- old Carlos Adrian Mayorga Quirino for alleged firearm and ammunition possession, and Jesus Aguilera Jr., 34, for allegedly possessing an explosive device, according to police.
Quirino was charged with one felony count each of being a convicted felon and narcotic addict in possession of a firearm and possessing ammunition while Aguilera was charged with one felony count of possessing a destructive or explosive device near private habitation.
They pleaded not guilty to their respective charges Friday afternoon at the Larson Justice Center and were scheduled to make their next court appearance Jan. 24 at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta.
Hernandez, Aguilera, and Quirino remain held at the John J. Benoit Detention Center in Indio without bail. No inmate information was available on Romero.
