The 65-year-old Hollister man accused in a shooting at the
Hernandez Labor Camp in June is scheduled to enter a plea Friday
and forego a trial, according to court records.
The 65-year-old Hollister man accused in a shooting at the Hernandez Labor Camp in June is scheduled to enter a plea Friday and forego a trial, according to court records.
The suspect, Maximo Hernandez, waived his right to a preliminary hearing in an appearance Tuesday at the San Benito County Courthouse before Judge Steven Sanders. Instead of the preliminary examination previously set for 1:30 p.m. Friday, Hernandez is scheduled to accept a plea, according to records. At a preliminary hearing, a judge customarily decides if there is enough evidence for a trial.
Public defender Greg LaForge, who is representing Hernandez, said he could not comment on specifics until after Friday’s hearing before Judge Thomas Breen.
The district attorney’s office has charged Hernandez with a felony count of assault with a firearm on a person, along with a special allegation of using a firearm to cause great bodily injury.
If convicted, the assault charge carries a penalty of two to four years in the state prison, while the special allegation could enhance that punishment.
The suspect was arrested June 8 on suspicion of attempted murder, less than a day after Hollister resident Santos Vasques, 21, was found with a gunshot wound to his face at the labor camp on Fallon Road, according to the county sheriff’s office.
Investigators believe that Vasques and Hernandez, who were both residents of the labor camp, got into an argument while working in the fields. It ended when, authorities allege, Hernandez shot Vasques in the face, according to witness reports. Vasques was flown by helicopter to a San Jose-area hospital where he was in stable condition with non-life threatening injuries.
After the gunshot, Hernandez fled the scene on foot, according to the sheriff’s office. He was arrested the next day after deputies received a tip about his location on McCloskey Road.
Hernandez is booked at the San Benito County Jail with his bail set at $500,000.
