A Canyon Country man pleaded not guilty after a preliminary hearing Thursday for charges he threatened a Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputy with a machete before an hourslong standoff in 2024.
Carl Wayne Pruett, 67, of Canyon Country, stands charged with two counts: felony criminal threats and assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer.
Two deputies confronted Pruett after a parent at the nearby Canyon Springs Community Elementary School flagged them down and mentioned a concern about Pruett.
An SCV deputy testified at Pruett’s preliminary hearing that he then saw Pruett swinging a machete and confronted him with his Taser.
Pruett was unphased after being shot by the Taser, threatened the deputy and then locked himself in his home, according to the deputy’s testimony in the minute order.
A third charge, an allegation that Pruett stole a woman’s phone from her desk at a nearby business, was dropped after the judge said there was not a proper establishment of the iPhone’s value for a grand theft charge.
Since his arrest, the city of Santa Clarita has moved to put his Plumwood home, which is next to the elementary school, in a receivership, due to an ongoing code enforcement case.
He remains in custody since his post-standoff arrest on Feb. 1, 2024.
