Crime

Two suspected vandals accused of causing more than $10,000 of damage to public and private property in Coachella Valley made initial court appearances today. Austin Levens of Desert Hot Springs and Jayce Creeden of Rancho Mirage, who were 27 and 23 at the time of arrest, respectively, each pleaded not guilty to a felony count

A Palm Springs resident accused of fatally shooting a man in Desert Hot Springs in 2022 must stand trial on a murder charge, a judge ruled today. Richard Douglas Taylor Jr., 33, was held to answer Wednesday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio. He previously pleaded not guilty to a felony murder count —

A person was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after a two-vehicle crash in Palm Desert Tuesday afternoon. The crash was reported at around 1:10 p.m. near Cook Street and 42nd Avenue. “One of the vehicles was a truck containing pool cleaning chemicals, which spilled as a result of the collision,” writes Lieutenant

A Marine has been arrested on suspicion of killing his wife in Twentynine Palms, authorities announced. U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Carlos Zamudio, 23, from Twentynine Palms, was arrested early Sunday morning at the Hi-Desert Medical Center in Joshua Tree, after being accused of the murder of Savannah Encke, 21, of Twentynine Palms. According to the

One person was arrested for driving under the influence and possession of a loaded firearm at a Palm Desert DUI checkpoint Friday night. Riverside Sheriff’s conducted the checkpoint from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. at Fred Waring Drive and Portola Avenue. Authorities announced Saturday the checkpoint also yielded 32 citations. Of those, 29 people were

Riverside Sheriff’s and District Attorney investigators are looking into how a 24-year-old inmate died at the Larry Smith Correctional Facility in Banning on Wednesday. The Riverside Sheriff’s Office says in a statement that the inmate, James Hirt of Norco, was involved in a fight with another inmate in a cell. Deputies sprayed pepper spray into

A 42-year-old Palm Springs man was sentenced to probation and a suspended prison term today after pleading guilty to attempted murder and other charges stemming from a 2022 stabbing and threats at a convenience store.   Christopher William Freitas also entered guilty pleas on Dec. 9 at the Larson Justice Center in Indio to two felony

The Riverside County coroner’s office identified a 41-year-old Banning man killed in a shooting over the weekend in Moreno Valley. The shooting happened on Sunday, just after 7:20 p.m., on the 13000 block of Leota Court. Deputies were originally called out to the area for a crash. When deputies got on scene, they found a

A Coachella man accused of murder after a woman was found with severe burns on Halloween and later died from her injuries is scheduled to make an initial court appearance today. Richard Michael Carmona, 40, is expected to enter a plea to a felony count of murder, with a sentence-enhancing allegation of committing murder while

A shooting late Monday night in Palm Springs left two people injured. The shooting was reported at approximately 11:59 p.m. in the 1500 block of San Rafael Drive. Police said the two victims were found with serious injuries. Both are currently in stable condition. “Evidence at the scene indicates multiple shots were fired by the

Two La Quinta residents pleaded guilty today to charges stemming from vehicle burglaries in the Indian Wells area.    Francisco Ferratt, 24, entered guilty pleas to three felony counts of burglary during a felony settlement conference Monday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, case records indicated. Two felony counts of vandalism, one felony count

An ex-Riverside County sheriff’s deputy accused of harassing and abducting a woman was charged today with kidnapping and other offenses. Alexander Ravy Vanny, 33, of Hemet was arrested Thursday following an investigation by the sheriff’s department’s Special Victims Unit that was initiated earlier this year. Along with kidnapping, Vanny is charged with stalking, unauthorized use