Felon accused of beating Cabazon man with wood, stabbing him to stand trial
A felon accused of beating a Cabazon man with a chunk of wood and stabbing him multiple times must stand trial on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon, a judge ruled today.
Sergio Martinez Gutierrez, 45, was arrested last summer following a Riverside County Sheriff's Department investigation.
At the end of a preliminary hearing Monday, Superior Court Judge Jorge Hernandez found there was sufficient evidence to warrant a trial on the assault count, as well as a sentence-enhancing allegations of inflicting great bodily injury and engaging in violent conduct posing a "serious danger to society."
The judge scheduled a post-preliminary hearing arraignment for Feb. 20 at the Banning Justice Center and ordered the defendant to remain held in lieu of $150,000 bail at the Benoit Detention Center in Indio.
According to sheriff Sgt. David Greenwalt, the attack occurred in the early morning hours of July 27 in the area of Bonita Avenue and Elm Street in Cabazon.
Greenwalt alleged that Gutierrez got into an argument with the victim, whose name was not released, culminating in the defendant picking up a "large piece of wood'' and striking the man, then stabbing him "multiple times'' with a knife.
The ex-con fled as witnesses called 911, according to the sergeant.
The victim was taken to a Coachella Valley trauma center, where he was treated for serious but ultimately non-life-threatening injuries, from which he has since recovered.
Detectives soon identified Gutierrez as the alleged assailant, and five days later, he was located and taken into custody without incident in the same area where the attack occurred, Greenwalt said.
According to court records, the defendant has prior convictions for firearm assault, gang activity and attempted grand theft.
