Preliminary hearing for man accused of January murder in Lakeport postponed

LAKEPORT, Calif. — The preliminary hearing for the man charged with committing a fatal shooting in downtown Lakeport in January has been postponed until June.

Joshua Jacob Tovar, 33, was originally scheduled to appear in Lake County Superior Court on Wednesday morning.

He is charged with the Jan. 31 shooting death of 32-year-old Vicente Zeta Colacion.

However, the Public Defender’s Office, which is representing Tovar, filed a motion to continue the hearing, which was granted.

The hearing has been rescheduled to June 11.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Rich Watson said the defense sought the continuance due to outstanding discovery — information and evidence — and the need to have digital discovery analyzed.

Tovar — who has previous felony convictions for assault and weapons charges — is charged with homicide, assault with a firearm, in this case, a handgun; felon in possession of a firearm; felon in possession of ammunition; and special allegations that include personal and intentional use of a firearm and inflicting great bodily injury.

The District Attorney’s Office also has charged him with drugs and weapons charges, and for violating the terms of his post release community supervision, which is given to inmates released from state prison.

Tovar has remained in the Lake County Jail since his arrest on Feb. 2.

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