RIVERSIDE, CA — A judge Friday denied a Jurupa Valley man's request to dismiss his attorney and instead scheduled a date for trial proceedings, stemming from allegations that he severely beat his girlfriend with a tire iron and snatched their year-old son.
Armando Julio Alvarez Ramirez, 46, is charged with attempted murder, domestic abuse, assault with a deadly weapon, child cruelty, making criminal threats and sentence-enhancing allegations of using a deadly weapon during a felony and inflicting great bodily injury.
Ramirez submitted a request to Riverside County Superior Court Judge Timothy Hollenhorst last month, asking the court's permission to fire his public defender for reasons not specified in online court records.
On Friday, during a so-called "Marsden hearing" — named for the 1970 state court precedent that permitted defendants to challenge the appointment of legal counsel — Hollenhorst found there were no grounds for dismissal, denying Ramirez's motion and setting his trial for June 1 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
Ramirez is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Byrd Detention Center.
According to sheriff's Sgt. Miguel Ramos, shortly before 8 a.m. on Aug. 15, 2022, Ramirez was involved in a dispute with his girlfriend, identified in court documents only as "D.N.," at her residence in the 2000 block of Gail Drive in Jurupa Valley.
Ramos alleged Ramirez became enraged, striking the woman in the "head, face and neck ... causing significant injuries."
Court documents confirmed the weapon used was a tire iron.
Before the victim could call 911, the defendant allegedly grabbed their toddler son, Bradley, and fled in a 2000 Dodge Caravan, the sergeant said.
"Based on the information received by deputies, it was believed the child was in danger," Ramos said.
An Amber Alert was issued by the California Highway Patrol, notifying the public to be on the lookout for Ramirez and his vehicle.
Within an hour, a Nuevo resident spotted Ramirez in the 22000 block of Ramona Avenue and called the sheriff's department. Ramos said deputies converged on the location and took the defendant into custody without incident.
Bradley was found unharmed and returned to his mother, who spent months recovering from her injuries.
Ramirez has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.
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