Charges are Dropped Against Man in Beating
By Raul Hernandez
VenturaCountyStar.com
Prosecutors dropped all criminal charges against Gilbert Perez, who along with his brother Christopher, was accused of chasing, cornering and beating a 14-year-old last month. Chief Deputy District Attorney Michael Frawley said Friday that after the preliminary hearing on Wednesday, prosecutors determined not to pursue felony charges against Gilbert Perez, 29.
"The evidence was not strong enough to pursue a case against him," said Frawley. Frawley said Christopher Perez, 25, is still being charged with attempted murder and using a deadly weapon against the boy, who was caught inside the Perez brothers' mobile home. Perez is in custody under $510,000 bail.
On Wednesday, a judge rejected arguments by defense attorneys to reduce the felony charges against the two brothers. Attorney John McNamara, who is representing Gilbert Perez, told the judge that his client could be accused only of aiding and abetting in this crime, and, even so, McNamara argued that the evidence is insufficient.
Attorney Philip Dunn, who is representing Christopher Perez, told the judge on Wednesday that there was no intent to kill the boy, saying that this was a "highly provoked incident" triggered by the "heat of the moment." Neither McNamara nor Dunn could be reached for comment Friday afternoon.
The incident occurred March 20 near Oxnard. Officers testified that the boy apparently got into the brothers' mobile home by cutting a screen and was inside when they came home. The brothers chased him through two mobile home parks, losing sight of him once before cornering him in a backyard.
Officers testified that Gilbert Perez said he only punched the boy once and knocked him out. Officer Sarah Shobe had testified that Christopher Perez swung the bat: "He told me that he struck him with a bat several times," she said. "I believe he told me four or five times."
