The Orange County Criminal Lawyer Blog
A Garden Grove resident has been accused of trying to set fire to two homeless men that had a tent set up in Anaheim as their makeshift residency.
Eric Mongerson was reportedly on a bike ride on the afternoon of June 27 when he had an encounter with two men who lack permanent housing and had set up a temporary shelter using a tent.
When 29-year-old Mongerson was riding his bicycle in the direction of the site that the homeless men were located he allegedly threw a burning item at them and was reported as having said unkind words to the gentlemen as he left the scene.
After the Molotov cocktail struck the ground near the men, one of whom was inside of the tent and the other standing outside, it broke and burned for a short time before the flames extinguished. There was no reported damages or injuries to the victims or their personal items.
Someone who saw the incident taking place called the police and informed them of what had happened.
Anaheim Police Department detectives opened an investigation and believe that Mongerson is the person responsible for the alleged incident, and he was arrested three days after the reported encounter.
Mongerson is facing charges for felony assault with a deadly weapon, felony possession of flammable material, and felony attempted arson. During his arraignment, he entered a plea of not guilty to the accusations, and he is scheduled for a pretrial on July 12.
If he is convicted of the charges Mongerson could receive a maximum prison sentence of five years and four months.
If you or someone you love is suspected of assault with a deadly weapon, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.