Lea este artículo en español aquí.
A local man suspected in a July 4 shooting that injured a teenager near downtown Hollister has been charged with two felony counts for a drive-by shooting at an inhabited dwelling and assault with a firearm.
Ruben Vargas is scheduled for arraignment on Nov. 12 in San Benito County Superior Court.
San Benito County District Attorney Joel Buckingham said he could not disclose the evidence investigators have against Vargas at this stage of the case, but said there was additional information that was gathered through the investigation which allowed his office to move forward with the case.
Vargas was originally arrested in August but released without charges shortly afterward.
Buckingham filed the charges on Sept. 29, according to court records.
Buckingham said with the charges filed and with what California law allows, Vargas faces a maximum of 14 years in prison, though it is likely to be closer to seven years.
Hollister Police Chief Carlos Reynoso said the shooting was believed to be gang-related.
Though Vargas was initially arrested Aug. 6 and released two days later with no charges filed against him, police have maintained he was the primary suspect in the shooting on the 1000 block of San Benito Street. The shooting resulted in a 15-year-old boy sustaining a minor head injury believed to be caused by shattered glass.
Police said there were three victims of the shooting.
Following his release, a family member who requested to remain anonymous due to safety concerns said police arrested the wrong person and called Vargas a “family man.”
Related benitolink articles
We need your help. Support local, nonprofit news! BenitoLink is a nonprofit news website that reports on San Benito County. Our team is committed to this community and providing essential, accurate information to our fellow residents. Producing local news is expensive, and community support keeps the news flowing. Please consider supporting BenitoLink, San Benito County’s public service nonprofit news.