A Hailey man who was stabbed Monday evening in Hailey has been released from a Boise hospital. Meanwhile, Hailey police are keeping a close watch on the Balmoral apartment complex in the Woodside neighborhood because of the possibility of further violence between feuding neighbors.
Hailey Police Chief Jeff Gunter said stabbing victim 26-year-old Christian Aguirre was back in Hailey on Wednesday, where he was interviewed by police regarding the Monday night incident in a parking lot and commons area at Balmoral. Aguirre, who suffered a knife wound in the lower back, was flown by air ambulance to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise following the incident that occurred shortly before 9 p.m.
Gunter said police have been to the apartment complex several times since the incident. On Tuesday evening, they investigated a complaint from 26-year-old Kimberly Martinez, a woman who police reports describe as Aguirre’s “significant other.” Gunter said Martinez, fearing possible reprisal, called police after someone knocked on her door. Gunter said police responded to the call but whoever knocked was no longer there.
“We’re keeping a close eye on the situation,” Gunter said.
Martinez, who is pregnant, was also injured in the fight and was treated and released at St. Luke’s Wood River hospital. According to a probable-cause affidavit filed by Hailey Lt. Steve England, Martinez was trying to break up the fight when she was allegedly punched in the face and choked by Isaac Jauregui-Ramos, an 18-year-old Gooding resident. England wrote that Jauregui-Ramos stopped his attack on Martinez after she told him she was pregnant.
Jauregui-Ramos is one of three men charged with crimes in the attack on Aguirre and/or Martinez. The others are Carlos Gonzalez Jr., 20, of Gooding, and Andres Valdez, a 21-year-old neighbor of Aguirre and Martinez at the Balmoral complex.
Arrested Monday evening, the three were formally charged with crimes at initial court appearances Tuesday afternoon in Blaine County Magistrate Court. All three were charged with the felony crime of aggravated battery and the misdemeanor crime of resisting or obstructing officers. Jauregui-Ramos is also charged with the misdemeanor crime of “battery on a pregnant female.”
According to court records, all three of the suspects have now been released from the Blaine County jail, Jauregui-Ramos on $10,000 bond, Gonzalez on $25,000 bond and Valdez on $25,000 bond.
Preliminary hearings for all three defendants are scheduled for 9 a.m. on June 11 before magistrate Judge R. Ted Israel, who will determine following the hearings whether sufficient evidence exists to order further prosecution at the higher district court level.
All three defendants have been provided with public defenders, Jauregui-Ramos with Ketchum attorney Andrew Parnes, Gonzalez with the Roark Law Firm, comprised of Hailey attorneys Keith Roark and Douglas Nelson, and Valdez with Hailey attorney Douglas Werth.
According to England’s affidavit, the fight Monday night stemmed from an ongoing feud between Valdez and Aguirre, who had earlier been friends. England wrote that “Andres (Valdez) continues to be upset over Christian ending their friendship.”
England reported that Valdez was charged earlier in May with four misdemeanor crimes for alleged harassment of Aguirre and his friend Erik Munoz, who also lives at Balmoral. According to court records, Valdez faces two counts of disturbing the peace, one count of battery and one count of unlawful entry for incidents involving Aguirre and Munoz on May 7.
England wrote that Monday night’s fight erupted after Valdez and Aguirre began yelling at each other and making challenges and threats. England reported that Gonzalez, who is accused of stabbing Aguirre, and Jauregui-Ramos became involved to help their friend Valdez.
From top: Carlos Gonzalez Jr., Isaac Jauregui-Ramos and Andres Valdez.
