On the evening of October 25, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of a burglary at an apartment complex in the 62200 block of Verbena Road in Joshua Tree. Upon arriving, deputies discovered that the people reported as burglars were a landscaping crew surveying the property in advance of a tree-trimming planned for the next day.
Deputies say that one of the residents of the apartment complex, identified as Paul Pinckard, 41, confronted the landscaping crew, and attacked one of them with a sword. The victim suffered from slash wounds and drove himself to Hi Desert Medical Center for treatment. Deputies contacted Pinckard later that night, and County records show that Pinckard was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, aggravated mayhem, and disorderly conduct while intoxicated.
Pinckard’s wife, Teresa Urman, who initially called emergency services to report the burglary, told Z107.7 that the landscapers attempted to open the doors of their residence, and that Pinckard was acting in self-defense. She described the victims as “illegals,” and said that Pinckard used a training sword she described as “blunt aluminum.”
Yesterday (November 7) in San Bernardino County Superior Court, Pinckard was arraigned on charges of attempted murder, aggravated mayhem, and two charges of assault with a deadly weapon. He pleaded “not guilty” to the four felony charges. He is facing three enhancements for “great bodily injury, two enhancements for using a deadly weapon, and five enhancements for hate crimes, all of which he denied.
Court records show that Pinckard is facing a misdemeanor charge of drunk in public from June, to which he entered a plea of not guilty in October.
Pinckard is still in custody and being held on $1,150,000. He is expected back in court for a preliminary hearing on the felony charges on November 14
