Montezuma County Court Judge JenniLynn Lawrence raised bond Wednesday for a 36-year-old Cortez man accused of terrorizing a neighborhood with a machete.
Marquez Walker of 422 E. Arbecam Ave. faced Judge Lawrence Wednesday wearing a gray and black striped inmate jumpsuit. He kept his head lowered throughout most of the half-hour proceeding, looking up momentarily when Judge Lawrence increased his initial $5,000 cash or surety bond to $30,000.
“You entered three homes of perfect strangers uninvited,” she told a shackled Marquez. “You terrorized the families that live in that neighborhood.”
Public defender Amy Smith opposed the bond increase, saying her client doesn’t have a violent criminal history. She also said Walker was possibly under the influence of alcohol and drugs at the time of the July 23 attack.
District Attorney Will Furse had requested a $50,000 bond, pointing out the victims had a “sincere and candid fear” of the defendant. He also commended local law enforcement officers for exercising restraint when Marquez failed to obey their commands.
“The police were well in their rights to use deadly force,” Furse said.
Court records state Marquez “literally kicked down the doors” of multiple residences on the 500 block of North Harrison Street last week, posing a “serious risk” to the community. Reports state the defendant demonstrated “extremely violent and unpredictable behavior.”
One of the victims in the case told the Cortez Journal that she and her mother were walking in their neighborhood when Marquez, covered in blood, approached them carrying a machete.
“He had the machete raised above his head,” the victim said.
Reports show Marquez is charged with two counts of first-degree burglary, six counts of felony menacing, false report of explosives, two counts of criminal mischief, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct in relation to the incident.
A protection order has been granted to the victims, including instructions for Marquez not to enter any home uninvited.
Marquez is slated to return to court for a preliminary hearing on Aug. 28 at 1:30 p.m.
In other news, nine days after being arrested in a drug bust, a 38-year-old Cortez man is back on the streets.
Felony drug and weapons charges against Ronald Pierce Wolfe, 38, were dismissed without prejudice Wednesday in Montezuma County Court. Furse said he couldn’t comment why the charges were dropped at this point. Judge Lawrence told the defendant the charges could be refiled in the future.
Wolfe was arrested by the Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office on July 22, and charged with unlawful distribution, manufacturing, dispensing or sale of illegal narcotics and possession of a weapon by a previous offender.
Reports indicate five rifles, including an AR-15; approximately 1.5 ounces of methamphetamine; drug paraphernalia, including scales and baggies; and $231 in cash were seized from a residence on the 1200 block of Cottonwood in connection to the case.
tbaker@cortezjournal.com
