Settlement conference granted in robbery case
23-year-old accused of stealing packages from UPS facility
A Yuma County Superior Court judge on Tuesday granted a request from the defense for a settlement conference for the man charged in connection to an armed robbery and vehicle pursuit, which will be held sometime within the coming weeks.
In providing the court with an update on the status of the case, attorney Michael Donovan, who represents 23-year-old Adrian Guzman, said it was his original intention to ask the court for a settlement conference, but he had just been informed that a plea offer had been written. It was not available yet, however, because the prosecution is still waiting for victim notification.
When asked by Superior Court Judge Stephen Rouff, who is presiding over the case, if he still wanted the settlement conference, Donovan replied that it still might prove to beneficial in some capacity.
A settlement conference is a meeting between the prosecution, the judge and defense in an attempt to reach a mutually agreeable resolution to the case without having to go to trial.
Judge Rouff also scheduled a status hearing in the case for 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 25.
Guzman, who remains in custody at the Yuma County jail on a $200,000 cash-only bond, has been charged with seven felony offenses in a June robbery of the UPS facility located at 2851 S. Avenue 2½E, including one count of unlawful flight from pursuing law enforcement.
He has also been charged with five counts of aggravated assault and one count of armed robbery.
According to Yuma police, at around 8:30 p.m. on May 30, officers were sent to the UPS facility at 2851 S. Avenue 2½E in reference to a robbery.
Officers learned that two male subjects attempted to steal packages from the facility. During the incident, a handgun was also pointed at employees and the suspects left with several packages.
The suspects fled the scene in a dark passenger car. Witnesses, however, were able to obtain the car’s license plate number.
Approximately 30 minutes later, officers spotted the vehicle in the area of Araby Road and 24th Street and attempted to pull it over, but the driver refused to stop.
A pursuit then ensued, during which stop sticks were deployed. The vehicle was eventually brought to a stop on the 16th Street exit ramp from Interstate 8, where officers performed a high-risk vehicle stop.
Guzman was reportedly the sole occupant of the vehicle and was taken into custody.