Simi Valley teens facing felony assault and hate crime charges will remain in custody
SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (KEYT) – On Thursday, the Ventura County District Attorney's Office announced that the three teens charged in connection with an Aug. 1 hate crime in a movie theatre parking lot have been remanded into the Juvenile Detention Facility following detention hearings Wednesday and Thursday.
All three minors pled not guilty to all charged counts added the Ventura County District Attorney's Office in a press release Thursday.
According to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office, prosecutors argued for the detentions based on the recommendation from the Ventura County Probation Department and all three are scheduled to appear for a pre-trial conference on Oct. 29 of this year.
The three juveniles arrested in connection with the Aug. 1 assault are facing felony assault charges with the special allegation of a hate crime, a fourth is facing a felony assault charge as well as a charge of misdemeanor criminal threats and misdemeanor battery, and the fifth teen has been charged with misdemeanor criminal threats and misdemeanor battery detailed the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
The two other minors charged in connection with the incident, but not facing hate crime allegations, are scheduled for a continued arraignment on Nov. 18 and Nov. 21 noted the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
Due to the ages of all five defendants -three 17-year-olds and two 16-year-olds- their names are not being released by authorities at this point in the criminal proceedings explained the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
The officer was put on leave while detectives investigated the assault and four of the involved teens voluntarily turned themselves in to local police before a fifth was arrested during the investigation shared the Simi Valley Police Department.
"These assaults were serious and deeply harmful to the victims and the community," said Senior Deputy District Attorney Maureen Byrne. "Given the facts of this case and the hate crime allegations, we asked the court to detain the three minors charged with those offenses."
