LAKEPORT, Calif. – A Kelseyville man accused of the weekend shooting of another local man and an assault on his estranged wife made a court appearance on Tuesday afternoon.
As a large group of his family members looked on, Andrew James Serrano, 38, was arraigned before Judge Richard Martin.
Serrano is alleged to have shot 41-year-old William Turner of Kelseyville and assaulted Lesa Serrano, his estranged wife, in an incident at the Serrano's Big Valley Road residence on Saturday, Sept. 10, as Lake County News has reported.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff filed charges against Serrano including attempted murder, mayhem, assault with a firearm, spousal abuse, making terrorist threats, false imprisonment and a number of special allegations for use of a firearm.
Hinchcliff said he was seeking a no bail enhancement on Serrano due to the allegation that he was out of jail on bail for allegedly ramming his pickup into Lesa Serrano's SUV – an incident that occurred in Lakeport.
If convicted of all of the charges, Serrano could face 25 years to life, Hinchcliff said.
On Tuesday Turner – who remains in Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital – continued to slowly improve, according to a Facebook page his family set up to update friends, “Pray for Willy Turner,” https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pray-for-Willy-Turner/274420952585517.
Turner is reportedly awaiting surgery to remove the bullet. Doctors have worked since the shooting to stabilize him, control his pain and stop internal bleeding so surgery could go forward, according to the page.
According to the investigation so far, Lesa Serrano and Turner went to the home she previously shared with Andrew Serrano at 3050 Big Valley Road in Kelseyville to collect some furniture last Saturday.
While they were there, Andrew Serrano showed up and an argument ensued, allegedly leading to Serrano shooting Turner once in the chest and beating Lesa Serrano.
According to the investigation narrative, Deputy Gary Frace arrived at the scene first, finding the gate at the driveway entrance locked. Frace used bolt cutters from his patrol car to cut the chain on the gate in order to gain entry.
When Frace approached the residence, he saw Andrew Serrano allegedly holding a gun and dragging the bruised and bleeding Lesa Serrano toward his pickup, according to reports. Frace ordered Andrew Serrano at gunpoint to drop the gun, which Serrano did.
“He might have saved her life,” Hinchcliff said of Frace after the Tuesday court appearance, adding that at the least Frace's actions at the scene prevented Lesa Serrano from being more seriously injured than she was.
Andrew Serrano, wearing a red and white jail outfit and sitting in the jury box, appeared upset and was wiping his eyes frequently during his Tuesday court appearance.
Lakeport attorney Mitch Hauptman, who said in court that he is representing Serrano in another case, made a special appearance at the arraignment on Serrano's behalf.
Hauptman sat alongside Serrano in the jury box to talk to him, and at one point rose to get Serrano tissues to wipe his eyes. The two men were allowed to go into the jury room to speak in private.
Once the case was called, Hauptman told Judge Martin that he was not prepared to enter a plea but wanted to come back to do that next week.
Martin explained that a $1 million bail enhancement had been placed on Serrano on Monday after the sheriff's office requested it. It was argued that that the normal $75,000 bail for the charges was insufficient. As a result, Judge David Herrick ordered a bail increase and set it at $1 million.
Serrano will return to court at 8:15 a.m. Monday, Sept. 19, for further arraignment and a possible plea entry.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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