A man accused of breaking into a Sky Valley home and striking one of the occupants in the head with a shotgun, as well as leveling the firearm at a pregnant woman, was in custody Wednesday facing felony charges.
Weston Jay Bright, 33, of Desert Hot Springs, is one of two men accused in the Aug. 17 home invasion robbery in the 72800 block of 17th Avenue. His alleged accomplice emerged from the surrounded home several hours later and was arrested, but Bright was nowhere to be found when deputies eventually entered the home, according to sheriff’s Deputy Armando Munoz.
Bright was arrested Tuesday on Edom Hill Road in Cathedral City after more than two weeks on the lam, according to county jail records. He’s due in court next week for arraignment on charges of assault with a gun, robbery and burglary, court records show.
Jeremy Dean Hulse, 41, of Desert Hot Springs, is charged with robbery and burglary and is due back in court Sept. 27 for a felony settlement conference.
Bright and Hulse allegedly entered the home around 2:45 a.m. and took property from the victims. An arrest warrant declaration alleges that Bright pointed a 12-gauge shotgun at a pregnant woman inside the residence and demanded her phone, then used the butt stock of the shotgun to strike a man in the head. He’s also accused of taking a rifle from the man, then fleeing the scene.
One of the victims was able to flee the home and contact law enforcement, which established a perimeter around the home in the belief that suspects and/or victims remained inside.
Hulse and one of the victims exited the home after about two hours and Hulse was taken into custody, according to Munoz.
The extensive police presence in the area remained on scene throughout the afternoon, but Munoz said the scene was cleared just before 2 p.m., with no suspects found inside the residence.
