MURRIETA (CNS) – A probationer accused of choking his girlfriend and
threatening her with a gun during an attack at her Wildomar home was charged
today with attempted murder and other offenses.
Juan Carlos Perez, 30, of Wildomar, was arrested Friday following a
Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation in the 33000 block of
Mountain View Avenue, near Lakeview Terrace.
Along with the attempted murder count, Perez is charged with domestic
violence, firearm assault, assault resulting in great bodily injury and being a
convicted domestic violence probationer in possession of a gun.
The defendant pleaded not guilty during an arraignment before Superior
Court Judge Elaine Kiefer, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for
Feb. 16 at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta and ordered that Perez be
held in lieu of $2 million bail at the nearby Byrd Detention Center.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Robert Thomas, last Thursday night,
deputies were sent to the Mountain View location after receiving reports of a
domestic assault.
Deputies found the victim, whose identity was not released, alleging
she had been “strangled” and had suffered other life-threatening abuse at the
hands of the defendant, Thomas said.
“The victim suffered moderate injuries,” he said.
Deputies began scouring the area, and shortly before 7 a.m. Friday,
they encountered Perez at the intersection of Honeydew Lane and Vine Street in
Lake Elsinore, where he was taken into custody without incident, the sergeant
said.
“A search warrant was served at Perez’s residence, and evidence
related to the crime, including a firearm, was seized,” he said.
According to court records, Perez has a domestic violence conviction
from 2021, as well as a conviction for driving on a suspended license.
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