Suspect in burglary at restaurant is charged
Lucio Lopez faces 1 felony, 2 misdemeanors
The man arrested in connection to the burglary of a business last month was on unsupervised probation at the time he allegedly committed the crime, according to the judge who presided over his arraignment in Yuma Justice Court Monday afternoon.
During that hearing Lucio Lopez, who appeared wearing a jail jumpsuit and shackles on his wrist and ankles, was informed by Justice of the Peace Greg Stewart that a criminal complaint had been filed against him, charging him with one felony and two misdemeanor offenses.
Those charges, Stewart said, were one felony count of burglary, one misdemeanor count of theft, and a misdemeanor count of criminal damage. Attorney Joshua Tesoriero of the Yuma County Public Defenders Office, who was assisting Lopez for the purpose of the hearing, waived a formal reading of the complaint.
When bail was addressed, Tesoriero requested his client’s cash-only bail be reduced or that he be released to pretrial supervision. Judge Stewart, however, denied the request, citing his concerns that Lopez still had cases pending against him in Yuma Municipal Court.
The 34-year-old Lopez, had been sought as an investigative lead in the burglary, and was located by deputies from the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday n the 2000 block of 8th Street and taken into custody.
In addition to appointing an attorney to represent him, Judge Stewart scheduled Lopez’s next court appearance as a preliminary hearing for 4 p.m. on Sept. 13. The case likely, however, will go before the grand jury instead.
According to YCSO, on Aug. 18 at approximately 4:40 a.m. deputies responded to the 1900 block of West 8th Street for a burglary at the Duron’s El Zarape Grill.
Once deputies arrived to the scene, they met with the person who reported the crime, who told them that unknown suspects broke the front window of the business to get inside.
During the ongoing investigation Lopez, a resident of Yuma, was identified as an investigative lead and deputies wanted to question him.
A statue that is considered a family keepsake and numerous bottles of alcohol were taken during the burglary.
A second suspect, who is yet to be identified, is also still being sought.