Felony charges are expected to be filed Wednesday against a probationer accused in a domestic violence attack near Blythe that left the alleged victim with severe injuries.
Manuel Hector Gomez, 23, of Blythe was arrested and booked at the Blythe jail on Friday on suspicion of attempted murder, spousal abuse and false imprisonment, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. He’s being held in lieu of $1 million bail.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Ed Reynoso, deputies were sent at about noon to the 18100 block of Maple Drive located in the unincorporated community of Mesa Verde west of Blythe to a report of a domestic violence incident.
Reynoso said the victim, whose name was not provided, suffered “extensive injuries consistent with an assault.” He also said deputies obtained a search warrant for a house where unspecified evidence related to the incident was recovered prior to the suspect’s arrest.
Gomez was out on bail at the time of his most recent arrest stemming from an Oct. 3 incident in the 17500 block of Palowalla Road in which a 22-year-old was killed.
Gomez was previously charged with negligent discharge of a firearm, along with two counts of possessing a firearm while on probation, but not with murder. He is scheduled to be arraigned in the case on Feb. 18.
His co-defendant in that case, 20-year-old Brandon Jesus Hernandez, pleaded not guilty to murder and other felony charges Tuesday at the Blythe Courthouse.
Gomez is serving a three-year probation term stemming from a 2019 misdemeanor conviction for possessing brass knuckles. He has no documented felony convictions in Riverside County.