Police: Bribe offered in assault case

WEST CHESTER >> An East Bradford contractor has been held on charges that he attempted to bribe the man at whom he allegedly fired shots from a semi-automatic rifle and his family, hoping to have the original charges against him dropped.

Marvin Lucero-Valenzuela had initially been charged by West Chester police with terroristic threats, simple assault, and endangering the welfare of children in August stemming from an incident that began with a housing dispute with one of his laborers, Jose Santiago Perales, who was living at a property he owned, and escalated into shots being fired at the tenant and his family.

But before his preliminary hearing at West Chester District Court in August, police say, Lucero-Valenzuela had his wife reach out to Santiago and offer him about $900 and a used pickup truck if he would agree to drop the charges. Lecero-Valenzuela and his wife had three conversations about the offer while he was awaiting his preliminary hearing at Chester County Prison, all of which were recorded. He can allegedly be heard discussing the offer, including telling his wife not to “pay Jose” until after the charges have been dropped.

According to the criminal complaint filed by Chester County Detective Benjamin Martin, although Santiago accepted the offer and Lucero-Valenzuela’s wife signed a promissory note detailing its terms, no money ever exchanged hands and Santiago ultimately testified against his former employer at the Aug. 24 hearing.

The plot came to light when Santiago told the two West Chester officers who had investigated the initial case, Micaela Winter and Harry O’Neill, about the offer, telling them he wanted to drop the charges “because he had worked out a deal.” Santiago showed Winter a copy of the promissory note that Lucero-Valenzuela’s wife had signed.

In general, victims of crime do not have the authority to order

charges against others be withdrawn. Only the arresting police department or the Chester County District Attorney’s Office can do that.

On Friday, Lucero-Valenzuela, 31, of Wawaset Road, waived his right to a preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Bret Binder, agreeing to have the charges of intimidation of witnesses, hindering prosecution, and criminal use of a communication facility, held over to Common Pleas Court. He is currently held on $50,000 cash bail in county prison, awaiting trial on the assault charges before Judge Allison Bell Royer.

Lucero-Valenzuela’s initial arrest came Aug. 11, when a dispute he was having with Santiago turned dangerous and led to a standoff between police and the contractor. Santiago told police that he had worked for Valenzuela-Lucero as a landscaper, and rented a room from him at a house on Wawaset Road. At some point Valenzuela-Lucero tried to have Santiago, his wife, and young child, evicted from the house.

Three days later, Santiago called West Chester police and reported another incident in which Valenzuela-Lucero pointed an AR-15 rifle at him. When police arrived around 6:30 p.m. Aug. 11, they found Valenzuela-Lucero barricaded inside his house. It took several minutes for Valenzuela-Lucero to come out of his house and be taken into custody.

Police later found a loaded AR-15 in a closet, with a bullet in the chamber and the safety off.

Winter and O’Neill’s complaint states that Santiago said his boss fired at least five shots at him, one whizzing by his ear. “He said I had to get out, and he almost shot me and my wife,” Santiago testified at the preliminary hearing. “I didn’t know what he was going to do.”

After his arrest, Lucero-Valenzuel allegedly made three calls to his wife, Elizabeth Ann Lucero, from the prison. The first time, he instructed her to find “Jose” and offer him $1,000 to drop the charges, according to the complaint. He said to ask him nicely, and also to offer to give him a truck.

“Jose can find another place to live, and they can remain friend if he drops the charges,” Lucero-Valenzuela allegedly told his wife.

Two more calls were made discussing the offer, until on Aug. 24, the date of the assault hearing, Elizabeth Lucero and Santiago had the promissory note detailing the offer signed at the county Prothonotary’s Office.

Elizabeth Lucero has not been charged in the case. First Assistant District Attorney Michael Noone said Monday the investigation is continuing.