David Guralnick PETER MARK COCA
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The assertion that accused Wells Cop Shooter Peter Mark Coca really wasn’t trying to kill anyone when he critically wounded and Elko County Deputy in a rampage that virtually shut down the city last February failed to impress at his long delayed preliminary hearing this week.
Indeed after two days of testimony and argument senior Elko County Justice of the Peace Barbara Nethery was so unimpressed that she not only refused to reduce the charges against the Wells electrical contractor but took the rare option of actually increasing his bail over $100,000.
Coca will face trial on all 7 counts of attempted murder or the alternative assault with a deadly weapon in elko district court.
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The charges stem from a February shooting spree that left one Elko County Deputy critically wounded after being shot five times and entire city in lock down for three days before Coca turned himself in to US Marshals in Wells.
Coca was arrested February 26 after he turned himself in to police following a three day search for the Wells electrical contractor.
Elko County Deputies and NHP troopers were called to the Wells’ man home in response to a ‘violent domestic dispute’ on February 24. When they arrived the saw Coca on the roof brandishing an assault rifle. From that rooftop snipers’ perch Coca held off the deputies and NHP troopers for about 30 minutes firing well over 50 rounds critically injuring one
Deputy Lenwood Van Natter was hit by multiple rifle shots in the chest, hip and legs. Deputy Van Natter was pulled from the scene by the other officers and air lifted to a Salt Lake City hospital.
Following a two day multi state manhunt Coca surrendered on February 26 in Wells where he had been hiding all along in a neighbor’s basement.
Shortly after his arrest Coca complained of chest pains and was sent for medical care and evaluation in Carson City. He was returned to the Elko County Jail on March 17.
In the mean time Coca retained New Jersey lawyer David Guralnick as his attorney.
Guralnick’s presence may indicate that the Wells businessman is going to put up a fight to stay out of prison.
Classified as “excellent” by the legal rating book Martindale Hubble, Guralnick according to his firm’s website operates a large legal firm specializing in a wide variety of law from criminal defense to personal injury.
But Guralnick’s argument that the prosecution had not proven that Coca had a murderous intent when he unloaded clip after clip into the force of deputies and troopers did not persuade the judge to reduce the charges. The New jersey attorney was not helped by the tape message his client left on the answering machine of a relative admitting that he shot a “couple of cops. Goodbye.”
Following the preliminary hearing Coca’s bail was increased from $278,000 to a cash only $380,000.
Coca’s wife, 39-year-old Tracie Ann Coca, has been charged in a separate pending case of helping her husband elude officers after the shooting.
You may want to check the actual records, perhaps, call the court house before you print lies. I am not charged in a case pending with Elko County. In fact, all charges that were brought against me, in an attempt to flush out my husband, have been dropped. Please check your facts before printing, you are only continuing to hurt mine and my family with your lies. It’s no wonder the victims in the case are the one’s that are hurt, by people like you. If you would like a copy of the case, stating all charges have been dropped please let me know and I will e-mail, or fax it to you. But, I’m sure you won’t print any of this, as any kind of good news for a person doesn’t sell papers, how unfortunate for you to make a living off of the pain of others.