Another adult charged in weekend assault, robbery

  Two separate felony complaints were filed Thursday against the last of four adults arrested in connection with a weekend assault and robbery involving two female victims, one of whom was pregnant.

  The first complaint charged 22-year-old Ashley Harada with threatening and intimidating and assisting in a criminal street gang.

  The second complaint charged her with two counts of aggravated assault and one count of assisting in a criminal street gang. 

  Harada, who is out of custody on bond, was arraigned before Yuma Justice of the Peace David Cooper.

  Prosecutor John Tate had asked to have Harada's bond increased to an amount similar to that of other suspects in the case. But since she had already posted a combined $14,850 bail for each of the complaints, the judge declined to do so.

  In addition to appointing a public defender to represent Harada in each of her cases, the judge set a preliminary hearing in both cases for Oct. 27 at 4:45 p.m.

  In all, 11 suspects - seven juveniles and four adults - were arrested in connection to the crime.

  Police were called to the 100 block of North 13th Avenue at 11:53 p.m. Sunday in reference to a disturbance involving multiple subjects, according to a Yuma police news statement issued Tuesday morning.

  Officers found two female victims who had been robbed and assaulted, one being a pregnant adult and the other a juvenile. Both victims sought their own medical treatment and have since been released from that treatment.

  Police said assault appears to have been the suspects' primary motive. In the course of attacking the victims, several of the suspects allegedly also tried to steal some cell phones.

  The majority of suspects fled the area in two vehicles, according to police. One vehicle with five suspects was stopped at 12:21 a.m. Monday along the 1200 block of Colorado Street, while the vehicle with five of the remaining suspects was stopped at 2:14 am. at 16th Street and Avenue B, police said. An 11th suspect was arrested later Monday.

  The juveniles arrested were Guadalupe Duarte, 17; Stephanie Beltran, 16; Brandy Soliz, 16; Herlinda Reynaga, 16; Victoria Reynaga, 15; Tyana Harris, 16, and Ashley Bendele, 17.

  They were all originally booked into the Yuma County Juvenile Detention Center, but were transferred to the Yuma County jail Tuesday after the county attorney's office filed paperwork charging them as adults.

  All seven juveniles were arraigned in Yuma Justice Court on Tuesday and charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a dangerous instrument, aggravated robbery and assisting a criminal street gang.

  The other three adults are Sirena Sanchez, 19, Alex Renteria, 18, and Christina Delcid, 19. They were each charged in Yuma Justice Court on Wednesday with two counts of aggravated assault and one count of assisting a criminal street gang.

---
James Gilbert can be reached at jgilbert@yumasun.com or 539-6854.