A judge Tuesday is scheduled to rule if an ex-con and a woman accused of breaking into a Palm Springs residence and holding the elderly homeowner and a caretaker hostage will stand trial.
Indio residents Juan Antonio Beltran, 25, and Itati Maribi Ceja, 23, are charged with breaking into the senior’s home in the 2200 block of Sunshine Circle South about 1:45 a.m. on Nov. 14, 2018.
The pair allegedly assaulted and restrained the homeowner and the victim’s caretaker, then “ransacked the residence,” according to Palm Springs police.
Officers established a perimeter around the home and arrested the defendants after they tried to run out the back door, police said.
The victims, whose names were not released, were hospitalized for treatment of injuries of unknown severity.
Both defendants are facing charges of robbery, burglary and false imprisonment of a hostage, while Beltran is additionally charged with kidnapping, elder abuse, making criminal threats, dissuading a witness and for being a felon in possession of a firearm. They previously pleaded not guilty to all their charges.
At the pair’s preliminary hearing Tuesday, a judge is scheduled to rule if prosecutors have sufficient evidence to warrant a trial.
Beltran “had several felony convictions prior to this incident,” while Velador has no prior criminal record, according to Palm Springs police.
Beltran remains in custody in lieu of $1 million bail in the Indio jail, while Ceja previously made bail, which was set at $100,000.
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