Judge affirms trial date for couple charged in mask dispute at store
A Yuma County Superior Court judge on Thursday reaffirmed the trial date for the couple involved in a skirmish with police following a disturbance at a store for not wearing a mask.
During a hearing for Frank Robert Montoya and Victoria Alexis Parra-Carranza, Superior Court Judge Roger Nelson scheduled their three-day trial to begin at 9 a.m. on May 25.
Nelson also noted that theirs is one of five trials scheduled for that day so there is still a possibility that it may have to be postponed and rescheduled.
Montoya, who is being represented by attorneys Richard Edgar and Ray Hanna of the Yuma County Public Defender’s Office, has been charged with three felony offenses and two misdemeanors.
The felony charges are two counts of aggravated assault on a police officer and one count of resisting arrest, while the misdemeanors were assault and trespassing.
Represented by attorney Bill Fox of the Yuma County Legal Defender’s Office, Parra-Carranza has been charged with aggravated assault of a police officer, resisting arrest, hindering prosecution and a misdemeanor offense of trespassing.
Both Montoya and Parra-Carranza are out of custody and appeared in person for their hearings. Their cases are also being tried together.
According to Yuma Police, the incident happened in July at the Walmart store located at the intersection of Avenue B and 24th Street, with officers responding to a report of disorderly conduct.
It was reported that Montoya and Parra-Carranza were refusing to wear masks and started coughing on store employees who asked them to leave.
Upon arrival, an officer attempted to speak with Montoya and Parra-Carranza in order to give them an official trespass notice to return to the store, but they allegedly refused to comply and attempted to leave.
While attempting to detain Montoya, police said he became confrontational and began arguing with the officer before trying to flee the area on foot. After a short chase, officers caught Montoya.
As officers were in the process of trying to arrest Montoya he reportedly began fighting with them.
Parra-Carranza allegedly then came up to the scene, which was still in the Walmart parking lot, and was trying to interfere.