A Finley man accused of shooting another man in the back will remain in jail in Franklin County unless he can pay the $500,000 bail set by a judge.
Manuel J. Preciado, 36, appeared in Franklin County Superior Court for an arraignment Tuesday on a charge of first-degree assault with a firearm stemming from a Feb. 27 incident in which he is alleged to have shot Ramon Galvez of Pasco in the shoulder outside of Galvez's apartment building. Galvez's wounds were not life-threatening.
Preciado pleaded with Judge Craig Matheson to release him without having to pay a bail bond, saying he is his family's sole provider and he'll lose $1,000 per week in Social Security disability benefits if he isn't released.
"My family will have no income," Preciado said.
He at one point was the owner of La Tropicana nightclub in Pasco, and was the victim of a shooting outside the club in 2011 when a Benton City man fired his gun into the air several times and then drove away.
Preciado told the court on Tuesday that he filed bankruptcy and no longer owns the business.
The current business license -- active until Dec. 31, 2013 -- is under the name of Aureliano Preciado, according to the city's website.
Matheson said because of the seriousness of the charge he thought the $500,000 bail was fair.
He also appointed attorney Alex Lin to represent Preciado while the Finley man's financial situation is investigated and a determination is made whether he meets the criteria for a court-appointed lawyer.
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