Shooting suspect charged

Colusa County on Tuesday arraigned the man accused in a double shooting that wounded a sheriff’s deputy.

Judge John H. Tiernan announced charges of attempted murder and firearms offenses against Richard Carl Marez, 25. Marez was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a shooting Saturday that wounded his grandmother, Helga Marez, and sheriff’s Sgt. Mark Troughton.

The arraignment also includes charges of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and assaulting a peace officer. Marez is slated to enter a plea at 1 p.m. today in Superior Court.

Troughton responded to Helga Marez’s domestic dispute call just before 5:30 p.m. Saturday north of Colusa in the 3500 block of Highway 45. A minute after Troughton’s arrival, Richard Marez opened fire with a 9mm semiautomatic gun, firing 10 shots, according to Sheriff Scott D. Marshall.

After Troughton returned fire, another deputy arrived and the two pulled Helga Marez out of the house, according to the Sheriff’s Department. She was taken to Enloe Medical Center in Chico, where a spokeswoman listed her in good condition Monday.

Deputies arrested Richard Marez behind the house less than 15 minutes after the shooting, after Colusa police and California Highway Patrol officers joined the search for the suspect. Officers found a 9mm gun nearby, the Sheriff’s Department reported.

Troughton was treated at Colusa Regional Medical Center and released, Lt. Shane Maxey said. Attempts to reach Troughton were unsuccessful.

According to Colusa court records, Richard Marez’s criminal record in the past six years includes arrests for burglary, public drug intoxication, driving under the influence and evading peace officers. He served a two-month jail sentence in 2004 after pleading guilty to second-degree burglary.

Richard Marez is being held without bail in the Colusa County Jail.

Contact Howard Yune at 458-2121 or hyune@tcnpress.com.