LOS ANGELES – A trial date has been set for a man already convicted of beating a Giants’ baseball fan at the 2011 season-opening game at Dodger Stadium.
Louie Sanchez, 32, of Rialto, pleaded not guilty to a federal county of being a felon of firearms and ammunition. Appearing at the Federal Building in Los Angeles, Sanchez faces a tentative May 27 trial date.
Sanchez who, along with Marvin Norwood another convicted felon facing the same federal gun charges, was convicted by a jury in February of beating Giants’ fan Bryan Stow following a Dodgers-Giants game on March 31, 2011.
Norwood, 33, pleaded not guilty to the same federal charge. He will face trial on April 29 in federal court.
While authorities were tracking down the two suspects because of the 2011 beating, the investigation traced both men to their Rialto homes in San Bernardino County. During that investigation, it was discovered the both men possessed six weapons, including two semi-automatic rifles along with 70 rounds of ammunition.
While both men are serving time for the beating, the current federal charge they face could mean serving up to 10 years in prison, said authorities. Investigators discovered the guns stored in a crawl space in Norwood’s home, but investigators believe the weapons belonged to both men.
The charges are not related to the beating case. Stow, now 45, requires daily care after the injuries he suffered in the beating.
On Feb. 20, both Norwood and Sanchez pleaded guilty in state court to beating Stow, who suffered brain damage among other major injuries.
Sanchez is currently serving an eight-year sentence on the beating charge at the North Kern State Prison in Delano. Officials said he will be kept in federal custody pending the trial in the new case.
Norwood, meanwhile, was about to be released from state prison, having spent eight months past the two years of a four-year sentence he was required to serve. It was part of the plea deal he made in the Stow beating case.
Both men had prior felony convictions in San Bernardino County, which led to the felony weapons charges.
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