San Gabriel Valley : TRIAL SET
La Puente Mayor Louis Perez is scheduled to go on trial Jan. 22 on charges of misdemeanor spousal abuse, but prosecutors said Tuesday that they will not pursue a previously filed child battery charge.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Keith Swartz set the date for the jury trial at a preliminary hearing Monday. Perez has pleaded not guilty.
Deputy Dist. Atty. Manuel Garcia said he will prosecute Perez for willfully inflicting harm on his wife, Anita, a member of the Hacienda-La Puente Unified School District board.
Perez was arrested Nov. 11 by sheriff’s deputies after his wife called for assistance. Authorities said Perez grabbed his wife and shoved her into a door frame, bruising her arm.
Perez could not be reached for comment Tuesday, but he and his wife have reportedly said the arrest was the result of a misunderstanding and the work of overzealous deputies.
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