A parolee who briefly escaped from custody in Van Nuys this week pleaded not guilty Thursday to a felony count of escape by force or violence.
Fidel Topete, 24, allegedly kicked a parole agent on the wrist upon his arrival at the Van Nuys jail, jumped over the ledge of a ramp and fled on foot Monday before a police dog found him still handcuffed in a nearby carport storage cabinet at a storage yard.
Topete had been taken into custody that day for an alleged violation of the terms of his parole, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
He was convicted in 2012 of first-degree burglary, according to the criminal complaint.
If convicted as charged, Topete faces a maximum possible sentence of 13 years in state prison, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
— City News Service