Transient arrested in Twain Harte on suspicion of attempted homicide

A man sought in a case of attempted homicide was arrested by Tuolumne County sheriff’s deputies Wednesday evening in Twain Harte.

A resident reported seeing Michael Pierce at Chapel in the Pines Church on Cherokee Drive. Deputies with a K-9 took Pierce, a 37-year-old transient, into custody without incident. He was booked at the Tuolumne County jail, where he is being held in lieu of $510,000 bail on charges of attempted homicide and a felony warrant for weapon and drug paraphernalia charges.

Pierce had been sought since Monday, when he is suspected of attacking two women in the parking lot of a Lowe’s store at 120 Old Wards Ferry Road in Sonora.

Late that morning, Pierce got into an argument with the women on the railroad tracks near Lowe’s, regarding the whereabouts of his vehicle, according to a news release from the Sonora Police Department. Pierce punched one woman in the mouth, then threw her against a tree and punched her in the stomach several times, police said. The second woman came to the aid of the first and grabbed Pierce, who then began to choke the second woman, according to police reports.

Another male transient in the area witnessed the attack and grabbed Pierce, which allowed the women to escape the area, according to the police account. Pierce allegedly then told the other man that he intended to kill both women.

The women were injured but refused medical attention, police said.

Sonora police officers and Tuolumne deputies searched the area after the attack but could not find Pierce.

Pierce is known to travel in Tuolumne and Stanislaus counties. According to Sonora police, he was involved in a high-speed chase with Oakdale police last week.

This story was originally published February 11, 2016 at 8:29 AM with the headline "Transient arrested in Twain Harte on suspicion of attempted homicide."