Clovis man goes to trial next week

A Clovis man accused of shooting a Clovis police officer last week has a pair of unrelated cases going to trial Monday.

Anthony Baca, 34, will have jury selection Monday and trial through Tuesday on cases:

• 2015-442: Aggravated assault and shoplifting

• 2016-44: case of trafficking, robbery, aggravated battery, receiving stolen property, possession of a controlled substance and conspiracy to commit robbery.

He remains in the Curry County Adult Detention Center with no bond. Baca’s attorney, Brett Carter, told Judge Fred Van Soelen it was a waste of time to change that bond because his client can’t post the various cash-only bonds against him.

Baca is accused of shooting Clovis officer Chris Caron while escaping arrest on a failure to appear warrant. That failure-to-appear case is 2016-279, with charges of possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia. He is scheduled for a bond forfeiture hearing in that case Sept. 22.

Carter asked, given that incident, 2015-442 and 2016-44 be placed on the district’s October docket. He argued an impartial jury would be difficult to find given his client's recent media attention.

“To do this a week and a half after all of the publicity,” Carter said, “we don’t think he can get a fair trial.”

District Attorney Andrea Reeb said if a jury needed to be vacated for that reason, the state would handle that matter. She noted the state was ready to proceed, and saw no reason to push matters into a busy October.

“I’ve got a murder trial that month, and I’ve got cases all over,” Reeb said. “Cases need to be tried. It’s not our fault the defendant committed new crimes and drew publicity.”

Van Soelen kept the two cases on schedule, and issued a continuance on case 2015-566, which includes charges of assault upon a peace officer, resisting arrest, possession of a controlled substance, drug paraphernalia and violation of a restraining order.

Defense counsel plans to file a motion to suppress evidence in that case.