Murder victim previously arrested for drug offense

EL CENTRO -- A review of county Sheriff’s Office arrest records reveal that a 36-year-old Imperial woman who was found murdered in her home in January had been arrested for alleged drug offenses by local narcotic officers in April 2016 in Brawley.

Yunique Puckett Dorame had been booked into county jail for allegedly possessing a controlled substance, possessing a controlled substance for sale, transporting a controlled substance for sale and possessing drug paraphernalia by Imperial County Narcotics Task Force personnel on April, 25, 2016 in the 1500 block of C Street.

Dorame’s arrest did not result in the ICNTF submitting any criminal case to the county District Attorney’s Office for possible prosecution, said DA Gilbert Otero.

Following her April 2016 arrest, Dorame was held on a $30,000 bond. Information included in her arrest report remains unknown. The ICNTF’s arrest report was not made available in response to a public records request.

Dorame’s arrest report is being kept from public disclosure as a result of the ongoing investigation by authorities into her Jan. 17 murder, Otero said.

While not referring specifically to the circumstances surrounding Dorame’s arrest, arresting agencies may at times choose not to recommend criminal cases for prosecution if available evidence proves insufficient, Otero said on behalf of the ICNTF.

Aside from Dorame’s arrest in April 2016, she was also arrested in 2002 for allegedly being under the influence of a controlled substance, and in 2005 for allegedly driving without a license. Both were misdemeanors that resulted in dismissed charges, county Superior Court records stated.

Alongside Dorame, a 27-year-old Westmorland man was also arrested and booked into county jail by ICNTF personnel in April 2016 for an apparent probation violation, arrest records stated.

The arrest of Arthur Michael Perez for an alleged probation violation also did not result in prosecution, court records stated.

Dorame had been discovered dead inside her home in the 300 block of Chisolm Trail by firefighters who had responded to an early morning report of a fire at the residence.

Dorame’s death was subsequently ruled a homicide shortly after the fire was reported. Although authorities never publicly disclosed the cause of her death, Dorame’s death certificate stated she had died of multiple gunshot wounds.