RIVERSIDE (CNS) - A transient accused of trying to set a Moreno Valley store clerk on fire when the man sought to prevent the defendant from fleeing with stolen groceries must stand trial for assault with a deadly weapon and other offenses, a judge ruled today.
Raul Genaro Bautista, 31, was arrested in August after the alleged attack in the 24500 block of Alessandro Boulevard, near Indian Street.
Following a preliminary hearing at the Riverside Hall of Justice, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Samuel Diaz found there was sufficient evidence to warrant a trial on the assault count, as well as attempted arson and attempted robbery. However, the judge dismissed a charge of attempted murder.
He scheduled a post-preliminary hearing arraignment for Jan. 27 and left Bautista's bail set at $1 million.
The defendant is being held at the Robert Presley Jail in downtown Riverside.
According to sheriff's Sgt. Marcos Acosta, about 11:40 a.m. on Aug. 18, Bautista allegedly grabbed multiple items from the shelves of the supermarket, piling them into a shopping cart, then heading for the exit without paying.
A clerk witnessed the alleged theft and confronted the defendant on his way out, Acosta said.
``The suspect doused the employee with lighter fluid, retrieved a lighter and attempted to set the victim on fire,'' the sergeant said.
The attempt was unsuccessful, and the clerk was not injured.
Acosta alleged the defendant abandoned the cart and fled into a residential area. Patrol deputies reached the location within a few minutes, deploying a K-9 team to scour the neighborhood.
The bloodhound picked up Bautista's trail a few hours later, guiding deputies to a space on Alessandro, where he was taken into custody without incident, according to the sergeant.
Court records show that the defendant has several prior misdemeanor
convictions for domestic violence.
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