Man accused of throwing chemical on woman pleads not guilty
Arturo Jose Reyes suspected in attack
Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Posted: 09/27/2012
Last Updated:
240 days ago
SAN DIEGO -
A homeless man accused of throwing sulfuric acid on a stranger as she was leaving a laundromat east of downtown San Diego pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges of vandalism and assault with a caustic chemical.
Arturo Jose Reyes, 55, was ordered held on $500,000 bail.
Authorities said the victim spotted Reyes sitting in a dark blue BMW as she was walking into the laundromat on 25th Street near Broadway about 5:45 a.m. Saturday.
Prosecutor Kelly Rand alleged that Reyes confronted the woman outside the business, yelled something about the devil, then threw the acid on her.
The victim was taken to a hospital for treatment of second-degree burns. Rand said the woman suffered blisters on her eyes, cheek and buttocks.
Reyes, who was apprehended at a nearby gas station, also suffered second- degree burns from the sulfuric acid, which is used in drain cleaner, Rand said. She said the defendant was homeless and had $11,000 in cash in his car when he was arrested.
A readiness conference was scheduled for Oct. 5 and a preliminary hearing for Oct. 10.
Copyright 2012 by City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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