[autotag]Cain Velasquez[/autotag] appeared in Santa Clara County court Wednesday, as his attempted murder case continues on.
In a hearing before Judge Daniel T. Nishigaya, Velasquez officially identified counsel before a trial-setting date was locked for March 8.
Velasquez will be represented by Renee Hessling, a California attorney who was a part of the legal team in the pre-trial proceedings led by celebrity attorney Mark Geragos.
Hessling, who appeared with Velasquez, also responded to a complaint from the court about an alleged violation of her client’s terms of release. Velasquez, who is out on $1 million bail with additional conditions, requires GPS surveillance and cannot leave his home without the court’s permission.
According to a report from the office of pre-trial services, there was an issue with Velasquez’s terms of release during a trip to Fort Bragg in North Carolina. However, Hessling tacked up the issue as a user error with a tracking application.
“Once he was contacted, he complied and there have been no other issues,” Hessling said. “I frankly don’t see this as an issue. I don’t see it as willful. I see it as an honest mistake. I don’t see any other complaints or issues by (pre-trial services) to change the status of Mr. Velasquez’s custody.”
Judge Nishigaya reiterated the importance of Velasquez following all terms and conditions properly, but did not penalize the error.
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Velasquez, 40, faces a handful of charges including attempted murder after he allegedly pursued and shot a gun at Harry Goularte, a man accused of molestation of Velasquez’s four-year-old son. After a high-speed chase, Velasquez allegedly struck Goularte’s stepfather, Paul Bender, with a bullet and caused injury.
Goularte faces one felony count of lewd acts with a child and is due back in court Jan. 17 for a pre-trial hearing.
Both Velasquez and Goularte have pleaded not guilty.
A separate civil lawsuit has been filed by the Velasquez family against Goularte and his mother Patricia, Bender, and the family’s businesses.
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