Crime

A Coachella Valley gang member who shot his cousin in the back of the head in Indio was sentenced today to 50 years to life in state prison. An Indio jury in October found Fernando Carlos Lopez, 47, of Coachella guilty of one count each of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon for

UPDATE 1/8/21 The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department confirmed that two suspects were arrested, including one that had a $2,000,000 warrant out for their arrest. Documented gang member and fugitive, Ricardo Rivera Jr. 31, of Cathedral City had a warrant out for his arrest for charges of Violation of Probation, Burglary and Vehicle Theft. Rivera is

A murder charge was filed today against a parolee accused of bludgeoning a woman to death with a hammer in Desert Hot Springs. Joseph Cantu Montanez, 41, was arrested Monday on suspicion of killing 39-year-old Andrea Reyes, who was found dead at her home two days after Christmas, according to the Desert Hot Springs Police

A driver is being airlifted in Thousand Palms after crashing following a police pursuit in a vehicle police said was reported stolen. According to Sgt. Deanna Pecoraro of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, the incident started at around 2:02 p.m. when deputies spotted the stolen vehicle near the area of Ramon Road and Desert Moon

A felon accused of orchestrating an armed home invasion robbery at the Palm Springs residence of a victim he met through a dating app was behind bars today without bail. The suspect, a Cathedral City man, was arrested late Monday and booked at the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio on suspicion of robbery, vehicle

Update 01/04/21 The court date was pushed back today to March 4. The woman charged as an accessory to the murder is also set to return to the Larson Justice Center in Indio on March 4 for a trial-readiness conference. Original Article 01/01/21 An attorney for a former Riverside County sheriff’s deputy accused of killing

UPDATE 1/20/21:After further review with our local police agencies, we’ve discovered there were two homicides missing. The actual number of homicides in 2020 was 36. Additional Homicides: One homicide on April 8th with limited details in which a man was found dead near I-10 and Frontage Road. No arrests have been madeOn August 7th there

The Desert Hot Springs Police Department confirmed they are investigating the death of a woman over the weekend as a homicide. A 39-year-old woman was found dead inside her home along the 15600 Block of Palm Drive on Sunday at approximately 1:30 p.m. Officers were originally called to the home for a check the welfare

A father and son were arrested today in connection with the discovery of a cache of high-powered weaponry, drugs and explosives earlier this year at a home in Bermuda Dunes, the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office reported. Original Report: Homemade explosives, military ordnance items found in valley home John Terrill Hackett, 69, and Collin Daniel

A 25-year-old man accused of inappropriately touching five young girls while employed as a soccer coach at a Thermal middle school must stand trial on several felony charges, a judge ruled today. Juan Manuel Pantoja of Salton City was arrested in March for crimes he allegedly committed while working at Toro Canyon Middle School between

A 25-year-old Beaumont man found comatose from a drug overdose in an apartment with a dead child and a dying woman pleaded not guilty today to child cruelty. Tyler Lawrence Finely was arrested on Dec. 16 after he was discovered in the Sixth Street residence with a deceased 4-year-old girl and the woman who may

As Beaumont police continue the investigation into the death of a four-year-old, a man who was found overdosing inside their apartment has been charged with child cruelty. The girl was found dead inside an apartment on Dec. 16. According to the Beaumont Police Department, the initial investigation revealed that the girl had numerous bruises throughout

Sen. Melissa Melendez, R-Lake Elsinore, said today she will introduce legislation targeting drug dealers who sell fentanyl to youths, contributing to a surge in drug-related deaths statewide. “As the mother of five children, I can’t imagine what it would be like to lose a child to drug poisoning,” Melendez said. “The pandemic and the governor’s

The Desert Hot Springs Police Department arrested a suspect on Tuesday in connection with a 2017 murder in the city. Not much information was available about the arrest on Tuesday, however, police confirmed it was related to the murder of Emmanuel Jenkins, 35, who was killed on June 15, 2017, in the area of Cactus

A California Death Row inmate convicted more than 20 years ago of raping and strangling a 78-year-old Palm Springs woman died in a hospital, authorities said today. Royce Lyn Scott, 62, succumbed to an undisclosed illness Sunday evening at a medical facility to which he was transferred from San Quentin State Prison. An autopsy was

A Palm Desert woman was sentenced on Monday for the 2016 murder of a 69-year-old woman in her care. Marilyn Joy Zemek, 62, was sentenced to a total of 30 years to life in prison after being convicted of first-degree murder, elder abuse causing death, two counts of grand theft, identity theft, and perjury. The

Among the many industries that have been rocked by the pandemic, the retail industry has been hit particularly hard by state-mandated restrictions. While the holidays present a bit of a booster for sales, it also means falling victim to shoplifters. Terra Gallery, a business in downtown Palm Springs, was recently targeted by a thief who