SCV court cases continued

Three felony trials involving violent crimes alleged in the Santa Clarita Valley continued to make their respective ways through the court system this week.

The cases involved a murder allegation from a domestic dispute, an attempted murder allegation against a suspect in a deputy-involved shooting and a kidnapping and assault alleged against a father.

Christian Ortiz

Christian Ortiz, 24, of Valencia, was arrested Sept. 25, 2017, in connection with the murder of Brayan Rodriguez. The two were in a relationship at the time of the murder, according to officials.

Ortiz was 21 at the time of the alleged murder, and has been awaiting trial since.

Rodriguez’s body was found inside a closet in a house on the 23600 block of Via Valer, the day before.

Rodriguez, who was 20 years old at the time of his death, was reported missing on Sept. 22, 2017, resulting in a number of searches to find him throughout the weekend.

In October 2018, after Ortiz’s preliminary hearing was postponed four times, a judge ruled Ortiz should stand trial for the murder.

He’s due back in court Tuesday, and remains in jail in lieu of $2 million bail.

Monolito Guerra

Monolito Guerra, 32, of Newhall, stands accused of shooting a sheriff’s deputy in the neck on the 21300 block of Bottletree Lane in Newhall in December 2017. Guerra had been a parolee in Newhall for a little over a month for assault and evading arrest convictions, before the latest allegation against him, a Homicide Bureau lieutenant said.

Guerra served less than two years before receiving parole Oct. 19, 2017. He returned to Santa Clarita, and not long after, he was shot multiple times in a shootout with Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies, after allegedly shooting at a deputy on Bottletree Lane, according to Lt. Joe Mendoza, of the Sheriff’s Department Homicide Bureau, who’s part of the investigation for Guerra’s most recent allegations. The deputy injured in that shooting has made a full recovery and continues to serve as a deputy for the SCV Sheriff’s Station.

Guerra is being held in lieu of $5.5 million bail. He’s also due in court Tuesday.

David Charles

David Charles, 58, faces two counts of attempted murder and one count each of injuring a spouse, mayhem, child abuse under circumstances or conditions likely to produce great bodily injury or death, assault with a deadly weapon — a car — and assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury.

Charles was arrested on Sept. 9, 2019, and was initially booked on an attempted murder charge and held in lieu of $2.1 million bail after an alleged domestic violence incident led to a pursuit and wrong-way freeway crash.

Charles is suspected of taking his teenage child and fleeing from deputies, then going onto Highway 14, heading the wrong direction. The suspect then reportedly crashed his vehicle into another motorist and the pursuit came to an end.

Charles is due back in court in January.