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SALT LAKE CITY — A possible plea deal is in the works for a West Valley man accused of inviting Latter-day Saint missionaries to his house and holding them at gunpoint.
An attorney for Alfredo Paul Herrera, 45, told a judge in Salt Lake City’s 3rd District Court on Thursday his client is working toward a resolution with prosecutors.
A shackled Herrera waived his right to a preliminary hearing, where a judge typically determines if there’s enough evidence for a defendant to stand trial. He has not yet entered a plea.
Related:
Utahn charged with kidnapping Latter-day Saint missionaries
Criminal charges have been filed against a West Valley man who police say invited Latter-day Saint missionaries to his house and then held them at gunpoint.On June 20, six missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints went to Herrera’s house after being invited a day earlier. Prosecutors allege he offered them alcohol and “became angry” when one of the missionaries refused to hold a gun he showed them, pointing the weapon at two of the men.
Herrera “refused to allow any of the elders to leave his home” for more than an hour but they eventually managed to calm him down and leave, the court documents say.
He faces six counts of aggravated kidnapping, all first-degree felonies; two counts of aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm by a restricted person, third-degree felonies.
Herrera is due back in court for arraignment Nov. 15.
