Arraignment in Deputy’s Slaying Is Postponed
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LAGUNA NIGUEL — The man accused of gunning down an Orange County sheriff’s deputy over the weekend made his first court appearance Tuesday.
A tired-looking Maurice Gerald Steskal, 39, appeared before Superior Court Judge Carl Biggs, who appointed Assistant Public Defender David Dworakowski to represent Steskal.
Dworakowski asked for a postponement for the arraignment. A new date has been set for July 2 in Biggs’ courtroom at the South Justice Center in Laguna Niguel.
Steskal, who would be eligible for the death penalty if convicted, stood shackled in a pressed white shirt and bowed his head through the brief proceeding.
He is accused of killing Deputy Brad Riches, 34, early Saturday in front of a Lake Forest convenience store.
The slain officer’s funeral is scheduled for 10 a.m. today at Saddleback Valley Church in Lake Forest.
