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An Angels Camp man charged with voluntary manslaughter pleaded not guilty during his arraignment Friday in the Calaveras County Superior Court. Samual Ray Steele, 39, is accused of shoving 63-year-old Michael W. Elliott to the ground outside of his downtown Angels Camp home after leaving a bar during the early morning hours of July 24. Elliott died in a Sacramento hospital four days later from a head injury that the Calaveras County District Attorney’s Office alleges he received as a result of being pushed by Steele. Angels Camp Police Officer Chris Adams testified during a preliminary hearing in the case that Steele and two acquaintances flagged down a patrol officer to help with Elliott, who was lying on the stairs in his apartment building at the south end of the 1200 block of South Main Street. Adams testified the officer noticed Elliott was bleeding from a head wound and smelled alcohol on the man. Steele told the officer he followed Elliott from the Claussen’s Corner bar to the man’s apartment where he hit his head on the sidewalk while attempting to get into the building, Adams testified. In a later interview, Steele admitted he had pushed Elliott, causing him to fall and hit his head on a green wooden beam outside the apartment building, Adams told the court. A trial date is expected to be set at Steele’s next hearing slated for 9 a.m. on Sept. 17 in Department 1 of the Superior Court. |