Probationer Charged with Choking Assault on Girlfriend in Wildomar

MURRIETA (CNS) – A probationer accused of choking his girlfriend and threatening her with a gun during an attack at her Wildomar home was charged Tuesday 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. Copyright 2023, City News Service, Inc.