Twin Falls, ID – September 19, 2013 – Convicted felon and alleged gang member, 31 year old Juan Roberto Jimenez was already being arraigned on charges that he raped a 14 year old girl multiple times as well as charges that he shot his brother. So when three Repossessors arrived to repossess his car, he did the predictable.
Jimenez, is claiming self-defense in the trial but is now charged with three counts of felony aggravated assault and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, also a felony.
Police arrived at Jimenez’s home on Tuesday at about 10 p.m. for a call about a man pulling a gun.
Three people, Justin Rutherford, Katie Presgraves and Danny Hadley reported that they were trying to repossess the vehicle.
Jimenez’s attorney, a very busy man, George Essma, claims that the vehicle was paid in full and has no liens against it, so there was no rightful reason for it to be repossessed.
Rutherford, Presgraves and Hadley reported to Police that at first, Jimenez was cooperative and began to get his tools out of the vehicle.
Then he changed his mind and told the three he needed the car for his jury trial in the morning. He closed the back hatch of the car and told his children to go inside because “it could get bad.”
“Jimenez cracked his knuckles and with his thumb raised his shirt,” the report says.
He had a handgun beneath his shirt, the three witnesses told police. They believed he was reaching for the firearm to pull it out and shoot them.
Rutherford had a can of Mace and sprayed Jimenez with it out of fear of being shot. Jimenez then went back into the house, the handgun still in his waistband.
Once officers arrived, the report says, Jimenez was cooperative.
In a search of the house, police reported finding a slide for a handgun on the floor. Near the slide was a backpack. Detectives reported finding the lower receiver part of the handgun along with two magazines and .40 caliber and 9 mm ammunition. Also in the backpack was a map of Mexico.
At the arraignment, prosecutor Peter Hatch pointed to the map, a history of violence, the current trial and pending lewd conduct charges as reasons Jimenez’s bond should be set at $1 million.
“It makes us believe he’s intending to flee the jurisdiction,” Hatch said.
“I have a map of Germany in my house,” Essma responded. “It doesn’t mean I’m thinking about going to Germany.”
All of Jimenez’s prior felony convictions are about 10 years old, Essma said.
“Mr. Jimenez is currently in the middle of a vigorous, substantial, valid defense of the two charges,” Essma said of the current trial. “It’s not a frivolous defense. It’s a valid self defense.”
Essma also said he’s looked into the lewd conduct charges and believes there’s a solid defense to them, as well. In that case, police said Jimenez raped a 14-year-old girl over the course of several months. A December trial is scheduled on lewd conduct charges.
Essma asked that Jimenez’s bond be set at $5,000 or $10,000.
Magistrate Judge Calvin Campbell said he was concerned about the continuing allegations of criminal conduct against Jimenez and set his bond at $250,000. Jimenez remained in Twin Falls County Jail as of Wednesday night.
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