A Willcox man convicted in May of aggravated assault against a Cochise County deputy remains at large after he used force Sunday evening to flee a Tucson holding facility where he had been transported for observation after being arrested last week in connection with new acts of violence.
Angel Moreno has “a history of violent tendencies” and should not be approached if encountered, the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office warns. Instead, the public is asked to call 911 with any information as to the whereabouts of Moreno or to report any contact with him.
Moreno, 27, is to be back in Cochise County Superior Court on Oct. 12 for a review hearing of a petition to revoke probation filed after he was accused of committing several crimes on Oct. 3. He has on probation after being convicted for a March 23 incident in which he rammed his vehicle into a marked Cochise County patrol vehicle with the deputy inside.
Court records show Moreno was charged with seven felonies in connection with the March incident, including unlawful flight from a pursuing law enforcement vehicle, resisting arrest, and threats and intimidating conduct against a witness who happened to be the mother of his child.
He was booked into the Cochise County jail for those charge April 20. Just a week later, Moreno pleaded guilty to two felonies -the aggravated assault on the deputy and fleeing from police- as well as a misdemeanor for threatening to injure the witness.
The plea deal Moreno accepted resulted in a sentence of no prison time. Instead he was placed on three years on supervised probation beginning May 23. The other four charges in the complaint were dismissed with prejudice, meaning they cannot be refiled.
Moreno was ordered released from jail May 24 with various conditions of probation. Those conditions include no consumption or possession of drugs or alcohol. He must under undergo domestic violence counseling as ordered by his probation officer.
But on Oct. 4, a petition to revoke Moreno’s probation was filed in court alleging several violations, including unlawful contact with the March 23 witness. Probable cause also existed for violations related to two new acts of assault and three acts of disorderly conduct, according to Deputy Probation Officer Ariel Belloc.
Moreno was to remain in custody of the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office without bond pending the Oct. 12 probation review hearing. However, he was transported to Tucson at some point for an undisclosed reason, and on Sunday evening he “forcibly fled from a holding facility,” the sheriff’s office stated Monday in asking for the public’s help locating Moreno.
A sheriff’s spokeswoman refused to provide details as to when Moreno was taken to Tucson and why. The name of the holding facility Moreno escaped from has also not been released.
If Moreno’s probation is formally revoked, Judge Laura Cardinal will have the option of imposing a new sentence on the two Class 5 felonies Moreno pleaded guilty to from March. New charges are expected in connection with the Oct. 3 assault and disorderly incident.
Charges could also be filed in Pima County based on Moreno’s escape Sunday.
