Man accused of taking officer’s weapon pleads not guilty

The man accused of injuring two Yuma police officers and then taking off with one of their guns made a court appearance Friday morning.

The Yuma Police Department said it was a Border Patrol agent who spotted 41-year-old Ralph Sivyer trying to avoid a checkpoint on I-8, near Dome Valley.

He was wanted on multiple felony charges from prior cases at the time. Authorities took him into custody Thursday night.

Sivyer pleaded not guilty to a laundry list of charges including two counts of aggravated assault against an officer and attempting to take control over an officer’s firearm.

Sivyer is also facing two more charges in a separate case, stemming from Thursday’s arrest that includes possession of a weapon by a prohibited person and prohibited weapon-manufacturing.

His court dates are set for June 26 and July 3rd. He is facing a total bond of $50,000.