The man arrested on suspicion of homicide Saturday night in Santa Maria faced a different charge Thursday morning at an arraignment hearing in Santa Barbara County Superior Court.
Ismael Jacinto-Cruz, 24, was arrested after Santa Maria police officers responding to a fight found the victim inside a residence in the 1000 block of West Orange Street late Saturday night.
Police on Friday said the victim was Roberto Villa Rojas, 45, of Santa Maria.
The suspect, whose name is listed as Ismael Cruz Jacinto on a court website, was arraigned on a felony charge of resisting an officer with force and violence, according to Mag Nicola, chief deputy district attorney for the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office in the North County.
The suspect is scheduled to return to court at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Nicola said his office is awaiting the results of the autopsy before filing additional charges related to the man’s death.
While the preliminary autopsy has been conducted, it typically takes more time for the toxicology reports to be completed.
This was the first reported homicide in the city of Santa Maria for 2014.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.