Attorney for suspect in crash given additional time
The attorney representing a man accused of intentionally ramming another vehicle has been given more time to prepare the case.
When asked to provide the court with an update Thursday morning in Yuma County Superior Court, attorney Jerry Hernandez, of the Yuma County Attorney’s Office, who represents 29-year-old Jesse Ramirez, asked the court for a 30-day extension.
Hernandez explained that he is still in the process of investigating the case and negotiating with the prosecutor about a possible resolution.
Yuma County Superior Court Judge Roger Nel- son granted Hernandez’s request and s c heduled Ramirez’s next court date for 8:30 a.m. on April 17.
Ramirez, who remains in custody on a $50,000 cash-only bond, has been charged with attempted second-degree murder, three counts of aggravated assault, and three counts of criminal damage.
He has also been charged with one count of attempted first-degree murder and one count of criminal damage per domestic violence.
Also present at the hearing was a prosecutor from the Yuma County Attorney’s Office who informed the court that Ramirez’s family may have tried contacting the victim’s family.
In response, Hernandez told the court that he has told his client that contacting the victim or his family is not allowed and the prosecutor assigned to the case is looking into the matter.
“I’m not saying anything has happened,” Nelson warned. “But if I find out that something did, I’m going to do something about it.”
Ramirez said he wanted to address the court, and when allowed to do so, said he was being held illegally.
Ramirez explained that prior to the two sets of charges against him being combined into one case, he had paid his $25,000 bail and should of been released.
But that didn’t happen. Instead, he said, the Yuma County jail contacted Yuma police and informed them that he was about to be released and they filed additional charges against him, and his bond was increased to a $50,000 cash-only bond.
Nelson told Ramirez that his attorney has already raised the issue and he determined that the jail had done nothing wrong.
An angry Ramirez told his attorney that he wanted another judge as he was led from the courtroom by sheriff’s deputies back to the holding cells.
According to the Yuma police, at approximately 6:31 a.m. on Jan. 21, officers responded to a motor vehicle collision with injuries in the 2000 block of South 4th Avenue.
While officers were responding to the incident, it was reported that a sport utility vehicle involved in the collision was fleeing the scene.
Upon arrival, police say they located the victim’s vehicle, which sustained heavy crash damage near the parking lot of the Chevron Gas Station at 2002 S. 4th Ave.
The initial investigation revealed that a Ford Expedition, allegedly being driven by Ramirez, intentionally rammed the victim’s Toyota Celica in the 2000 block of South 4th Avenue.
The victim, according to Yuma police, had just dropped off Ramirez’s exgirlfriend at her place of employment, and she was the registered owner of the Ford Expedition, but had given it to the victim.
Ramirez allegedly fled the scene before police arrived, and the victim was transported to Yuma Regional Medical Center by ambulance where he sustained serious but nonlife-threatening injuries, including three broken ribs and other internal injuries.
The Ford Expedition was later found unattended with heavy front-end damage in the 1000 block of South Arena Drive. Within an hour of the crash, Ramirez called the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office and reported that it had been stolen.
Yuma police responded to Ramirez’s residence in the 900 block of South Dora, where he was arrested and booked into the Yuma County jail for attempted homicide, aggravated assault, endangerment and criminal damage.