A man accused of breaking into a Sky Valley home and striking one of the occupants in the head with a shotgun, as well as pointing the firearm at a pregnant woman, pleaded not guilty Thursday to assault with a gun, robbery and burglary charges.
Weston Jay Bright, 33, of Desert Hot Springs, is one of two men accused in the Aug. 17 home invasion robbery in the 72800 block of 17th Avenue. His alleged accomplice emerged from the surrounded home several hours later and was arrested, but Bright was nowhere to be found when deputies eventually entered the home, according to Deputy Armando Munoz of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
Bright was arrested Tuesday on Edom Hill Road in Cathedral City after more than two weeks on the lam, according to county jail records.
Jeremy Dean Hulse, 41, of Desert Hot Springs is charged with robbery and burglary. Both men are due back in court Sept. 27 for a felony settlement conference.
Bright and Hulse allegedly entered the home around 2 a.m. and took property from the victims. An arrest warrant declaration alleges that Bright pointed a 12-gauge shotgun at a pregnant woman inside the residence and demanded her phone, then used the butt stock of the shotgun to strike a man in the head. He’s also accused of taking a rifle from the man, then fleeing the scene.
The pregnant woman was able to flee the home and contact law enforcement, which established a perimeter around the home in the belief that suspects and/or victims remained inside. Hulse and the male victim exited the home after about two hours and Hulse was taken into custody, according to Munoz.