RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – A thump, screeching tires, and a stop. That’s the future of bringing pursuits to an end – or preventing them altogether – and it’s all thanks to a new tool being rolled out by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. The department said it began testing the Grappler system last March. It
Continue Reading
William Frank Rodriguez, the founder of Silvercrest Advertising, had his hearing delayed until April 6 due to defense attorneys still waiting on key discovery in the criminal case against him for an alleged deadly hit-and-run DUI crash.
Continue Reading
INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – Prosecutors intend to retry a man for voluntary manslaughter after a jury deadlocked on whether to convict him for allegedly helping a 22-year-old Rancho Mirage resident obtain the fentanyl that killed him. The Indio jury weighing the fate of Riley Jacob Hagar, 28, of Cathedral City acquitted him Tuesday of murder
Continue Reading
MECCA, Calif. (KESQ) – An 18-year-old man was shot and killed Tuesday night near the Mecca Sports Complex, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies from the Thermal Sheriff’s Station responded at about 7:58 p.m. to a report of an assault with a deadly weapon at the intersection of Coahuilla Street and 6th Street
Continue Reading
Coachella Mayor Steven Hernandez is facing a nine-count grand jury indictment alleging conflict-of-interest violations and perjury tied to city actions and financial disclosure forms, to which he has pleaded not guilty.
Continue Reading
Editor’s Note: In an earlier version of this article, the headline incorrectly stated the woman was convicted of murder. She was convicted of voluntary manslaughter. MURRIETA, Calif. (KESQ) – A 35-year-old Arizona woman who fatally shot another woman without provocation at an Indio motel was convicted today of voluntary manslaughter. A Murrieta jury deliberated one
Continue Reading
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – An assault with a deadly weapon suspect fled from authorities in Palm Springs, prompting a vehicle pursuit that ended in the suspect’s arrest today, authorities said. Deputies responded to the 100 block of Pioneer Trail at 10:43 a.m. Tuesday, according to Sgt. Robert Martinez of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office.
Continue Reading
MURRIETA (KESQ) – The parents of two young girls who perished, along with their pets, in a pre-Christmas Murrieta residential fire will be charged with felony offenses, authorities said today. Adam Keenan, 43, and Stacey Hales, 46, both of Murrieta, are accused of causing the blaze that claimed the lives of Emma Keenan, 12, and
Continue Reading INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A 22-year-old Rancho Mirage man who died from fentanyl poisoning wouldn’t have had access to the pills that killed him without the direct assistance of a friend now on trial for murder, a prosecutor said today, while the defendant’s attorney countered his client can’t be blamed for the victim’s death because
Continue Reading LAKE ELSINORE, Calif. (KESQ) – Two men suspected of impersonating law enforcement officers and conducting a traffic stop on a victim have been taken into custody, authorities announced today. Deputies assigned to the Lake Elsinore Sheriff’s Station responded shortly before 10:50 a.m. Feb. 22 to the area of Grand Avenue and Corydon Road following reports
Continue Reading
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – Two people were fatally stabbed early today in downtown Riverside, and a search was on for a suspect. According to the Riverside Police Department, officers responded just after 2 a.m. to a report of a person down near Main and 12th streets, where they found two injured people. Paramedics were
Continue Reading
BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) – Jurors in the trial of a 67-year-old Palm Desert man accused of sexually abusing three children acquitted him today of a few charges but deadlocked on others, likely setting the stage for a retrial on the unresolved allegations. Following two days of deliberations, a Banning jury on Wednesday found Oscar William
Continue Reading
INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A Coachella Valley Unified School District bus driver accused of molesting an elementary school student is slated to be arraigned next month on a charge of lewd acts on a child under 14 years old. Eric Ochoa Hernandez, 47, of Thermal was arrested last month following a Riverside County Sheriff’s
Continue Reading
INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – Border Patrol agents found more than $420,000 worth of cocaine after a vehicle stop near Indio last month, the El Centro Sector reported Wednesday. Authorities said a K9 unit alerted Border Patrol agents to the vehicle following a traffic stop on February 5. A search of the vehicle uncovered 18 bundles
Continue Reading
Beaumont, Calif. (KESQ) — The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office is reviewing possible charges after a woman was attacked by multiple small dogs last month in Beaumont, resulting in one of the dogs being fatally injured. The attack happened on Feb. 27. Police responded to reports of aggressive dogs that were off-leash and attacking residents
Continue Reading
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – More than three dozen children who went missing in recent years were located during a law enforcement sweep in Riverside County, state officials said today. In a joint statement released by the governor’s office and the California Department of Justice, authorities said 37 youths were found during Operation Safe Return. There
Continue Reading
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif (CNS) – Two men suspected of breaking into a construction storage container in Rancho Mirage and stealing multiple electrical and construction materials were taken into custody Friday. Deputies assigned to the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station responded at about 6:35 a.m. on Feb 24 after receiving reports of a burglary at a business
Continue Reading
INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A convicted felon accused of gunning down a 27-year-old Indio man more than four years ago pleaded not guilty today to first-degree murder and other charges. Pedro Angel Gonzalez, 28, was arrested last month following a years-long investigation by the Indio Police Department, with assistance from the Riverside County Gang Impact
Continue Reading MURRIETA, Calif. (KESQ) – A jury was seated today in the trial of a 35-year-old Arizona woman accused in the unprovoked fatal shooting of a guest at an Indio motel, where they were smoking methamphetamine together. Carla Sharese Flores allegedly killed 27-year-old Ashley Brito of Thousand Palms at the City Center Motel in 2021.
Continue Reading
CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. (KESQ) – A man suspected of stabbing a person at a home in Cathedral City before being shot by an officer died, police announced Tuesday. The incident was reported after 7 p.m. Monday on Via Minorca in the Date Palm Country Club Date Palm Country Club. Investigators said a 55-year-old man forced
Continue Reading