A 52-year-old man accused of slingshotting marbles at vehicles on highways pleaded not guilty to 79 criminal charges Monday.

Marbles hit vehicles on Highways 101 and 156 for nearly a year, at times breaking car windows and injuring those inside.

Charles Kenneth Lafferty was arraigned in Monterey County Superior Court Monday on 74 counts of assault with a deadly weapon, three counts of child abuse and two counts of assault on a peace officer in April 2019.

He pleaded not guilty to the allegations.

Prosecutors had charged Lafferty with nine counts of assault last week and then added 70 charges Monday. In response to the additional charges, Judge Julie Culvert raised Lafferty's bail to $517,000.

After the hearing, Monterey County Deputy District Attorney Matthew L’Heureux said the two counts of assault on a peace officer involved two officers on April 28, 2019, but declined to elaborate on the details, citing the ongoing investigation.

The California Highway Patrol, which arrested him Wednesday, has said it suspects him of at least 69 such attacks as far back as February 2019.

CHP officers have said he had the means to launch the glass marbles at vehicles while he was driving, but have not elaborated, citing the ongoing investigation.

More on the Highway 101 projectiles investigation

Four adults and one child suffered minor injuries in the incidents, the CHP has said.

The three counts of child abuse stem from a marble hitting a vehicle with three juveniles inside who were hit with glass, L’Heureux said.

The CHP created a special task force to track down the culprit that, after a Jan. 5 incident, linked a GMC Sonoma to the projectiles.

That led them to Lafferty, who is the only suspect, the CHP has said.

This week, a person reported damage from a possible projectile on social media, where it was shared with the "Salinas’ Crime Watch" Facebook group.

However, further investigation found the incident did not involve a projectile, said Jessica Madueno, public information officer with the Monterey Area CHP office. She did not immediately respond to an email seeking more information.

Lafferty’s defense attorney, W. Alex Cardinale declined to comment, though she said she won’t be representing him as the case progresses, as another public defender will be appointed to the case.

The projectiles left residents afraid to drive in the Prunedale area, which is where most of the incidents occurred.

In November, Toni Morris, who regularly commutes along the affected stretch of highway, wrote online that she was particularly concerned when she was stuck in traffic driving south on Highway 101 near the Red Barn.

"I was scanning all sides as the traffic was crawling along," Morris said last year. "It's a very uneasy feeling for sure."

Some residents said that they had taken to wearing sunglasses as eye protection, or put barriers up on the windows of the car seats where their children sit.

After news broke of Lafferty's arrest, members of the group expressed relief, with one person posting "It's about time (P)runedale can be safe again."

More on Charles Lafferty

Deputy district attorney L'Heureux said Lafferty lived in San Luis Obispo and had a "part-time" home in Monterey County, where he worked "in some respect at a restaurant or food delivery service."

L’Heureux said he’s only aware of the Monterey County and San Luis Obispo homes.

The CHP has said Lafferty worked odd jobs and appeared to target his victims at random.

CHP officers said he had ties to several Central Coast communities.

While he has had no other cases in Monterey County Superior Court, he has pleaded out in at least two Merced County Superior Court cases, including allegations of disturbing the peace in 2012.

Lafferty is next expected in court Feb. 18.

Joe Szydlowski is a multimedia journalist for the Salinas Californian who covers local government, crime and cannabis. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/JoeSzyd_Salinas. He can be reached at 235-2360. Help support The Californian's work: https://bit.ly/2Qo298J