A convicted felon arrested in connection with a shooting that left a person wounded earlier this year in Indio pleaded not guilty Friday to gun and drug charges.
Gabriel Salazar of Salton City was arrested along with Luis Armando Noverola of Desert Hot Springs on Tuesday in connection to an April shooting reported in the area of Cardinal Avenue and Bobolink Street, according to Indio Police Department spokesman Ben Guitron.
Salazar, 36, is charged with nine gun- and drug-related felonies. The charges he faces include being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and possessing a controlled substance for sale.
He was arraigned before Superior Court Judge Alfonso Fernandez, who kept the defendant’s bail at $1 million and scheduled a felony settlement conference for Aug. 25 at the Larson Justice Center in Indio. Salazar remains behind bars.
Indio police and other law enforcement agencies served four search warrants in Desert Hot Springs, Salton City and Indio on Tuesday stemming from a four-month investigation into the shooting that injured one person, who survived, Guitron said.
Despite Salazar and Noverola being arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, Salazar was not charged with that crime.
Noverola, 28, who is also a convicted felon, made $250,000 bail on Wednesday and has not yet been charged. Jail records indicate he is expected to make his initial court appearance on Dec. 16.
During the searches, police found three guns, including two reported stolen, along with “hundreds of rounds of ammunition, hundreds of M-30 oxycodone pills (which contain fentanyl) packaged for sales, and methamphetamine,” Guitron said.
Ralph Ramos, 44, of Indio, also was arrested during the operation, but he does not appear to be connected to the shooting. He was arrested on suspicion of being a felon in possession of ammunition, jail records show. He was released on $2,500 bail the same day.
Salazar has documented felony convictions in Riverside County including evading arrest, vehicle theft and possessing a firearm while on probation.
Noverola was previously convicted of felonies including possession of a controlled substance for sale and manufacturing/possessing a short-barreled shotgun.