Alleged Sexual Assailant Who Fled, Fought with Deputies Denied Lower Bail
Alleged Sexual Assailant Who Fled, Fought with Deputies Denied Lower Bail
by Contributing Editor
A judge Wednesday denied a bail reduction request from a convicted felon accused of tussling with sheriff’s deputies trying to arrest him on a sex crimes-related warrant in Temecula.
Virgil Warren Zwicker, 37, was arrested July 3 following the alleged confrontation with deputies in the area of Pechanga Parkway and Wolf Valley Road.
Zwicker is charged with resisting arrest, being a felon in possession of a firearm, stalking, aggravated sexual assault of a minor, lewd acts on a child and being in possession of a controlled substance.
His attorney, Kenneth Elliott, submitted a motion to Riverside County Superior Court Judge Stephen Gallon seeking a reduction in Zwicker’s $1.1 million bond requirement, but Gallon denied the request based on the seriousness of the charges.
The judge scheduled a felony settlement conference for Aug. 13 at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta.
The defendant is being held at the nearby Byrd Detention Center.
According to sheriff’s officials, deputies located Zwicker at a residence in the 31000 block of Bitterroot Court and attempted to serve an arrest warrant connected with the alleged sexual assault of a girl in September, about which no details were disclosed. The convicted felon allegedly turned hostile, refusing to comply with commands that he exit the residence, then bolted out the back door, briefly evading deputies on foot.
Additional deputies converged on the area, spotting Zwicker in Wolf Creek Park, where several lawmen tried to detain him, prompting Zwicker to reach into his waistband, as if going for a handgun, investigators allege.
A motorcycle deputy bumped into the defendant to stop his action, and other deputies then piled on him, forcibly taking him into custody, according to sheriff’s officials.
The motor deputy and Zwicker suffered minor injuries due to the contact, but neither was hospitalized, according to a sheriff’s statement.
Back at the residence, a firearm and ammunition were seized, though no gun was found in the defendant’s pants, officials said.
According to court records, Zwicker has a prior conviction for spousal abuse.
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All credit goes to Contributing Editor
Originally published on https://mynewsla.com
