Robbery and drug charges were filed Thursday against a documented gang member accused of robbing a man at gunpoint in Coachella two days after Christmas.
Jose Juan Gaytan, 40, of Thermal was arrested Tuesday and is charged with two felonies — robbery and possession of a controlled substance for sale, along with a pair of misdemeanors — possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
He also faces a sentence-enhancing allegation of using a gun during the commission of a felony.
Gaytan remains in custody at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning without bail. He is slated to make his initial court appearance Friday via video conference before a judge at the Banning Justice Center.
According to Riverside County sheriff’s Sgt. Mariano Matos III, deputies arrested Gaytan during the service of a search warrant in the 85200 block of Avenue 55 in Thermal stemming from the investigation into the Dec. 27 robbery, which occurred in the 53500 block of Cesar Chavez Street.
The sergeant said deputies found stolen property and methamphetamine during their search.
Gaytan is on parole, and is a documented gang member, Matos said.
Gaytan has felony convictions in Riverside County, including robbery, kidnapping and evading arrest, and an unresolved felony case from last year on a charge of possessing a controlled substance for sale, court records show.