Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Thursday bringing back tough criminal penalties targeting large-scale stealing schemes and smash-and-grab robberies that have fueled voter frustration across the state. The new law requires prosecutors to start imposing harsher sentences again for those who damage or destroy property valued at more
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A 22-year-old man who perpetrated multiple holdups in Moreno Valley and Cabazon admitted five counts of armed robbery and other charges prior to the start of his preliminary hearing. Wesley Denzale Hall of Moreno Valley pleaded guilty Tuesday to the robbery counts, as well as two counts of attempted robbery, under a plea agreement with
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A Norco man was arrested on suspicion of starting the Line Fire, which has burned more than 34,000 acres as of Tuesday night in San Bernardino County. The suspect, Justin Wayne a 34-year-old, was arrested Tuesday evening in Norco, county jail records show. He initially being held on $80,000 bail at the Central Detention Center,
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The prosecution is slated to rest tomorrow in the trial of a parolee accused of fatally stabbing a convenience store customer during a confrontation in Indio. Vicente Angel Munoz, 32, of La Quinta is charged with murder, a sentence-enhancing allegation of using a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony and parole violations for
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A 23-year-old man pleaded guilty today to multiple charges for giving a fatal dose of fentanyl to his 17-year-old girlfriend in an unincorporated area near Desert Hot Springs two years ago. Michael Garcia entered guilty pleas at the Larson Justice Center in Indio to felony counts of willful child cruelty and giving a minor a
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A 34-year-old man suspected of stabbing a person in downtown Palm Springs Tuesday morning was arrested. The stabbing was reported at around 5:40 a.m. on the 400 block of E Arenas Road, near El Segundo. Police said a man called asking for help but was unable to provide specific details. “Upon arriving at the scene,
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A 31-year-old San Francisco man has been arrested for allegedly stealing and recklessly driving a ride-booking vehicle in Palm Springs. According to the Palm Springs Police Department, a customer used a ride-hailing service for “what they believed to be an intoxicated person” at approximately 4:17 p.m. Monday in downtown Palm Springs. The suspect, later identified
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A probationer accused of gunning down a Mecca man outside his home was acquitted today of first- and second-degree murder counts, and jurors were unable to reach a verdict on a voluntary man slaughtercharge. Gilbert Contreras Martinez Jr., 36, of Coachella, is accused in the 2018 death of 40-year-old Hugo Nunez. Jurors convicted him of
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Police released the photo of the vehicle of a man suspected of following and harassing a student walking to Desert Hot Springs High School Monday morning. The incident happened at around 9:00 a.m. in the area of Via Loreto and Pierson Boulevard. The student told authorities that she was walking to school when she noticed
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Investigations continued today into the origins of social media threats made against a high school campus, possibly in the Banning Unified School District. The online threats to perpetrate an act of violence were spotted late Saturday night and reported to the Banning Police Department, according to Lt. Brandon Smith. “The threat … (was) made against
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A judge today confirmed an upcoming trial date for one of two men accused of killing a 24-year-old man in Cathedral City in 2020. Johnny Ramirez, 31, of Escondido in San Diego County, was charged with a count of murder and a sentence-enhancing allegation of using a weapon during a felony, according to court
Continue Reading An Indio jury began its first full day of deliberations today in the trial of a probationer accused of gunning down a Mecca man outside his home while searching for the victim’s brother — the real target of the defendant’s wrath. Gilbert Contreras Martinez Jr., 36, of Coachella, is charged with murder, being a
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An upcoming trial date was finalized today for a 32-year-old man accused of stabbing another man in Indio in December 2021. Juan Felipe Hernandez Jr. of Indio was arrested Jan. 3, 2022 for allegedly killing Montel Robinson at Miles Avenue Park one month prior, according to a statement from the Indio Police Department. The defendant
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A man in a father-son duo was sentenced to two years probation today for his role in running an illegal marijuana extraction operation inside their Indio home, sparking a fire that led to an explosion that injured several firefighters. Javriel Rodriguez Ochoa, 64, and Alexander Samuel Ochoa, 37, entered guilty pleas in January at
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A Beaumont man accused of causing the death of his girlfriend’s 4-year-old daughter, whose remains were found in an apartment with him and the woman after they had overdosed on drugs, must stand trial for murder and other charges, a judge ruled on Friday. Tyler Lawrence Finley, 28, was arrested in 2020 following a Beaumont
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Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a 17-year-old from Cathedral City accused of a school violence threat posted online. The investigation began Wednesday evening. Deputies received a report a report of school violence threats posted online against Rancho Mirage High School, the Sheriff’s Office announced Friday. RSO investigators worked with the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI)
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Three boys who allegedly ignited a 600-acre wildfire while playing with fireworks that destroyed seven Riverside homes are facing more than two dozen felony arson-related charges, authorities announced today. “This fire was caused by illegal use of fireworks,” Riverside Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson said during a news briefing at City Hall Thursday afternoon. “All
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A Palm Springs man pleaded guilty to scheming to defraud the IRS out of more than $2.1 million and to fraudulently obtaining nearly $1 million of COVID-19 economic relief loans, the Department of Justice announced. William Mandel Musgrow, 48, pleaded guilty on Thursday to one count of wire fraud and one count of aiding and
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A death sentence was recommended today for a Jurupa Valley man who killed his estranged wife, while jurors recommended life in prison without the possibility of parole for the defendant’s nephew in the quarter-century-old slaying for which another man had been wrongfully convicted. A Riverside jury deliberated roughly two days before returning with recommendations in
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Two Los Angeles residents were arrested in connection with break-ins at homes in Indian Wells and Rancho Mirage. The investigation began in July after the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office received multiple reports of residential burglaries in both cities. “The suspects targeted neighborhoods and gained entry by breaking glass doors and windows. The suspects stole high-valued
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