Hearing continued until settlement conference held
Wednesday’s hearing in Yuma County Superior Court for a man charged in connection to a shooting was postponed until a settlement conference can be held in the case.
In asking that the hearing be continued, attorney William Knopf explained that the meeting is scheduled to be held on March 6 before Judge John Nelson.
Knopf, of the Yuma County Public Defender’s Office, also suggested setting the date for the next hearing, which is for the purpose of setting a trial date, or accepting a plea offer, be set for some time afterwards.
He was appearing on behalf of Carlos Ortiz, whose court appointed attorney could not be present due to an illness.
Ortiz has been charged with 10 felony offenses, including three counts of attempted first-degree murder per domestic violence. He has also been charged with two counts of aggravated assault per domestic violence.
Other charges include possession of a weapon by a prohibited possessor, endangerment, discharging a weapon at a residential structure and misconduct involving weapons.
He remains in custody at the Yuma County jail on a $1 million cash-only bond.
Because the prosecution offered no objection, Superior Court Judge David Haws granted Knopf’s request and scheduled Ortiz’s next hearing for 8:30 a.m. on March 27.
On Friday, Oct. 21, 2022, at approximately 3:22 a.m., Yuma police officers responded to a report of shots fired in the 3400 block of S. 4th Avenue.
The initial investigation revealed that an occupied residence was struck by gunfire, but no injuries were reported. The suspect, later identified as Ortiz, fled the scene prior to any officer’s arrival, police said.
He was arrested the following day at approximately 8:40 a.m. and booked into the Yuma County jail.