Two men convicted of gun charges related to a January incident at Hollister’s Jack in the Box were suspected of violating terms of probation and have found themselves back in the court system.
Alfred Valencia, age 19 at the time of his January arrest, appeared in court Thursday and pleaded not guilty to the assault with a firearm charge levied against him related to an Oct. 14 incident locally, according to court records. Valencia recently finished a 120-day jail sentence for carrying a loaded weapon in the fast-food parking lot incident.
Aside from felony assault with a firearm, prosecutors charges Valencia alleging her permitted another person to discharge a firearm from a vehicle and that he was a person prohibited from possessing ammunition.
Valencia will appear in court at 9 a.m. Nov. 15 and then again Nov. 29 for a preliminary setting to schedule a preliminary hearing, where a judge decides if there’s enough evidence for a jury trial.
Daniel Villagomez, age 20 at the time of the January arrest, also recently finished a 120-day sentence with three years of probation and was found to be in violation of his probation after his release. Court records indicate Villagomez admitted he was in violation of probation terms and was given an additional 45 days of jail time. Records indicate he failed to abstain from the use of a controlled substance.
According to the initial police report issued by Hollister police after the January incident:
Hollister police arrested three men on firearms possession charges outside the Jack in the Box on McCray Street in Hollister.
According to a statement from the Hollister Police Department:
On January 29, 2018, Hollister Police Officers arrested three suspects related to being in possession of loaded firearms.
On the night of January 30, 2018, at about 9:00 PM, Hollister Police Officers received a report of several young men drinking alcoholic beverages and displaying handguns at the parking lot of Jack in the Box (391 McCray Street).
When officers arrived, they contacted five males found in and around a vehicle. Police officers conducted an investigation and found Daniel Villagomez (20) and Alfred Valencia (19), in possession of loaded concealed handguns. Both suspects were taken into custody without incident. Officers found ammunition in the vehicle, and later learned one of the firearms was stolen.
Two juveniles were also contacted and released to their parents. Daniel Villagomez was arrested and charged with carrying a loaded firearm, having a firearm concealed in a vehicle and possession of stolen property.
Alfred Valenica was arrested and charged with carrying a loaded firearm, concealing a firearm in a vehicle and obstruction. The driver of the vehicle, Jose Astorga (20) was arrested and charged with allowing firearms in his vehicle.
Law Enforcement depends on its partnership with the community including people willing to come forward and report crimes. It is with their help that we can achieve our mutual goal to make Hollister a safer community. The Hollister Police Department would like to thank those citizens who called police to advise us of this dangerous situation.
Anyone having information on this case is asked to call Officer Yerena at the Hollister Police Department at 636-4330. Persons wishing to remain anonymous can call the WeTip Hotline at 800-78-CRIME. Information provided to WeTip may qualify for a reward.
After serving time for gun charges, suspects re-arrested
