Charges filed against man shot by homeowner
A criminal complaint with five felony offenses was filed Monday in Yuma Justice Court against the 38-year-old man who was shot by a homeowner after he entered a house through a doggie door while trying to avoid being captured by police.
Appearing before Justice of the Peace Greg Stewart for his arraignment, Jesus Gildardo Coronado was informed that he previously had two separate cases against him, but they had now been combined into a single complaint.
Stewart told Coronado that he was being charged with armed robbery involving a weapon, burglary, criminal trespass, misconduct involving weapons and unlawful flight from pursuing law enforcement.
Attorney Jerry Hernandez of the Yuma County Public Defender’s Office, who was only representing Coronado for the hearing, waived the formal reading of the complaint and further advisement of his rights.
When asked if he knew if Coronado planned to hire his own attorney or ask the court to appoint one for him, Hernandez said he had not yet spoken to him in that regard, but added he thought Coronado wouldn’t be hiring one due to his current financial situation.
After Coronado told the court he had been unemployed for two months, Stewart asked him why. Coronado responded by saying he quit his job because he had a warrant out for his arrest and thought police would eventually come there to arrest him.
In addition to setting Coronado’s bond at $120,000, Stewart scheduled his next court appearance for 4 p.m. Dec. 22 for a preliminary hearing.
According to Yuma police, the incident began around 1:45 p.m. on Thursday when an officer spotted Coronado, who was wanted by police, near the Las Flores Apartments, located at 145 S. Avenue B.
A foot pursuit ensued, with Coronado running west across Avenue B and into a dirt lot on the corner of Augusta Drive, where he jumped the backyard fences of three residences.
At that point, officers lost sight of him and while they were searching for him, Coronado made entry into a residence in the 2500 block of West Augusta Drive, where he was confronted by the homeowner, who was armed.
A confrontation then took place between the homeowner and suspect, during which several shots were fired, with one hitting Coronado in the hand.
Hearing yelling and the gunshots, police officers entered the residence and were told by the homeowner that the suspect had fled out the front door and had taken his weapon.
Coronado was located across the street and was taken into custody without incident. He was transported to Yuma Regional Medical Center with a gunshot wound that was not lifethreatening.
James Gilbert can be reached at jgilbert@yumasun.com or 5396854. Find him on Facebook at www. Facebook.com/YSJamesGilbert or on Twitter @YSJamesGilbert.