Aaron Martinez received a plea hearing date and his bond was lowered during his hearing in the Montezuma County District Court on Tuesday.
Martinez appeared in custody. Martinez’s representation told Chief Judge Todd Plewe that they had received an offer from District Attorney Jeremy Reed, but wanted to think about it more before making a decision.
He asked Plewe if they could instead set Martinez for preliminary hearing and address bond.
Martinez will appear for his preliminary hearing on Friday, June 13 at 10 a.m.
When it came to the bond discussion, Plewe was informed that Martinez had hoped to be out of jail in time to attend his son’s graduation in Utah, but that time had already passed.
When Plewe asked Reed his thoughts on the bond, Reed said that a cash surety bond would be appropriate. The bond was originally set at $20,000 because of concerns with the case involving firearms and drugs, but Reed said there was no evidence Martinez was the one who had fired a gun or that he had brandished one.
Plewe lowered the bond to $3,000 cash surety, advising Martinez that he is not permitted to leave the state.
Martinez was arrested on April 28 after police responded to Rust Trailer Park for reports of possible gunshots.
As officer Taylor Marston arrived on scene, a white Jeep left the area, heading east on Empire Street.
A man told Marston that he had heard what sounded like backfire or a firecracker popping before a truck drove away. Another person told Sgt. Kolby Guttridge a white vehicle left the trailer park as police arrived.
The Jeep was pulled over by officer Tyler Smith on East Main Street. The driver, Zachary Bush, told Smith that he was jump-starting a vehicle when a fight started. He said an individual in a dark vehicle fired a gun into the air.
Martinez was sitting in the backseat. When police searched the Jeep, they found a Taurus Arms 9 mm handgun with green paint on the handle that was hidden under a beanie where Martinez was sitting, a machete, knife and AR-15-style rifle with its serial number defaced.
Officers also found drug paraphernalia, including smoking devices with burned residue and hypodermic needles, and a small bag with suspected meth weighing 9.1 grams. Police later found another 5.4 grams of suspected meth on Martinez’s person, bringing the total to 14.5 grams.
