NEWBURY PARK : Wounded Suspect Pleads Not Guilty

A Newbury Park man who was shot by sheriff’s deputies when he was arrested in June on suspicion of drug dealing pleaded not guilty Friday to various felony charges, including assault on a police officer.

Jeffrey Kenneth Hedlund, 26, is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Sept. 28 to determine if there is enough evidence to take the case to trial. In addition to assault, Hedlund is charged with two counts related to the sale of cocaine.

The criminal complaint states that Hedlund has a June, 1991, conviction in Los Angeles County for robbery, an allegation that could add more time to his prison sentence if he is found guilty of the current charges.

Hedlund was shot in the jaw, neck and shoulder June 30 after he tried to run over deputies who attempted to arrest him in a crowded Newbury Park fast-food restaurant parking lot, according to the district attorney’s office.

He was arrested a short time later by investigators who had staked out his home.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Robert D. Meyers said a police informant bought cocaine from Hedlund and was being dropped off in the restaurant parking lot when officers tried to make the arrest.

Hedlund is being held in the Ventura County Jail.