Burglary defendants Eleyigth Huerta and Kelly Sanders pleaded not guilty at their Sept. 23 arraignments in King County Superior Court, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
King County prosecutors charged Huerta, 33, and Sanders, 42, with residential burglary, second-degree theft and two counts of second-degree vehicle prowl in a Mercer Island incident that occurred in the 8300 block of Southeast 31st Street on Aug. 19, documents state.
Next up for the pair are their omnibus pre-trial hearings on Oct. 7, according to Casey McNerthney, director of communications of the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Court documents state that their trials are slated to occur on Nov 12.
Huerta is currently being held on $10,000 bail, and Sanders is currently being held on $50,000 bail.
They are accused of stealing two bicycles totaling approximately $7,500 from a garage along with a pro set of Callaway golf clubs and UW bag valued at about $2,000, a flashlight, the garage opener and a cat litter container, documents state. A silver bike was dumped nearby the home and was identified as the stolen item.
Court documents read that those bail amounts have been set because Huerta has prior convictions showing she is a flight risk and has prior convictions for violent offenses; and Sanders has amassed 76 warrants issued on his criminal cases along with a prior conviction for second-degree attempted escape.
“Inherent in residential burglaries is the possibility for violent confrontation between intruders and homeowners. Here, the victims were present at the time of the burglary; the possibility for confrontation was exceedingly high,” documents read.
Video surveillance monitored the defendants’ actions starting at about 4:47 a.m. as the victim family slept and also helped identify the defendants’ features. Mercer Island Police Department detectives checked out the footage later that day.
LURING CASE
In an update in the case of Mohammad Ajoly, 38, who pleaded not guilty of two counts of attempted kidnapping of two children in a Mercer Island incident in June, his defense attorney motioned to reinstate his client’s electronic home detention during a court appearance on Sept. 13. Representatives of King County Superior Court granted the motion.
The defendant, who is currently being held awaiting trial on $50,000 bail at the King County Correctional Facility, had an omnibus hearing slated for Sept. 24 with a trial date set for Oct. 21, according to court documents. The trial date is expected to be moved to a later date, McNerthney said.
After Ajoly’s bail was lowered from the initial $100,000 to $50,000, the court set terms for electronic home monitoring if Ajoly were to post bond, according the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Ajoly’s arraignment took place on Aug. 29 at King County Superior Court.
In the 7500 block of Mercer Terrace Drive on June 5, court documents state that Ajoly drove up to the two kids and said, “Hey, I have a panda bear for you; come get it.” Further in the documents, the kids stated that they refused the defendant’s offer and ran toward their residence to apprise their mom of the incident.
“No one was hurt and there is no active threat to the community,” Mercer Island Police Department notified the community a day later.
