A 25-year-old felon accused of attacking his girlfriend when he discovered another man at her La Quinta home failed to appear for a court hearing Thursday in Indio, prompting a judge to issue a warrant for his arrest.
Joseph Villareal was arrested on May 4, 2019, and subsequently charged with robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, false imprisonment, abuse of a domestic partner and other crimes, court records show. He was released from custody after posting $100,000 bail.
Villareal was slated to appear for a trial-readiness conference before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Harold Hopp but was nowhere to found on Thursday. Hopp signed a bench warrant for his arrest and revoked his $100,000 bond.
According to court papers, Villareal allegedly entered the woman’s home at 52575 Eisenhower Drive in La Quinta around 3 p.m. and grabbed the woman “around the throat after noticing she had another male in the house.”
Villareal then allegedly tried to stab the man with a pencil before fleeing the home with a purse and phone. The names of the victims were not included in court records.
Villareal was arrested at 3:15 p.m. the day of the incident on the corner of Avenue 52 and Madison Street, according to jail records.
Court records show the woman had filed for a restraining order against Villareal due to an alleged assault three days earlier.
Villareal has a felony conviction for assault with a deadly weapon, records show.