BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) – A Cabazon man was arrested on suspicion of sexually abusing a child, the Banning Police Department announced this week. Andrew Chavez, 32, was arrested on April 8 at the Las Encinas Mental Hospital in Del Mar, according to jail records. He has been charged with 8 counts of child sex abuse.
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THERMAL, Calif. (KESQ) – Two adults were transported to the hospital after being exposed to what was originally believed to be fentanyl, but later determined not to be, at Desert Mirage High School, authorities said. The incident was reported just after 1 p.m. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office was called to assist CAL FIRE, who
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BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) – Pretrial motions got underway today ahead of jury selection for the trial of one-time Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet and a real estate developer, stemming from an alleged scheme to buy off the mayor to ensure his support for the businessman’s projects. Pougnet, 62, and John Elroy Wessman, 86, were criminally
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BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) – A jury convicted an 82-year-old man of killing a 75-year-old woman in Palm Springs six years ago. Stephen Roy McKernan was found guilty of second-degree murder in the killing of Claire Carsman at her Palm Springs home in 2019, court records show. The jury also found true a sentence-enhancing charge of
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LAKE ELSINORE, Calif. (KESQ) – A 44-year-old man is in custody today after allegedly driving a vehicle into the Lake Elsinore sheriff’s station. Â Â The incident was reported at around 5:10 a.m. Monday at 333 Limited Ave., according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. According to Sheriff’s Sgt. Brad Foster, deputies discovered through surveillance footage
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TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. (KESQ) – A man faces attempted murder charges after being accused of firing a gun at a group of people at a Twentynine Palms apartment complex. The shooting was first reported on Thursday at around 9:40 a.m. at the Adobe Villas apartments on the 73700 block of Raymond Way. First responders from
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RIVERSIDE COUNTY, Calif. (KESQ) – The man convicted of starting a fire near Cabazon that killed five firefighters will remain on death row, after the California Supreme Court ruling published Monday found no validity to his arguments challenging procedural and other aspects of his trial. Raymond Lee Oyler, 54, of Beaumont, was sentenced to death
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RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (KESQ) – A teacher at a private school in Rancho Mirage charged with raping a teenager pleaded not guilty on Friday. Stephen Spurlock, 43, a now former 3rd grade teacher at Palm Valley School, is charged with 21 felonies, including 19 counts of rape. He is set to return to court on
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INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – Felony charges were filed against two convicted felons suspected in shootings in Indio that left three people injured, including a mother and her five-year-old son. Jesus Delarosa, 25, and Ricardo Mercado, 29, both of Indio, were arrested Tuesday in connection with the shooting. Delarosa was charged with multiple felonies, including assault
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MECCA, Calif. (KESQ) – A theft in Mecca led to two schools being placed on lockdown Thursday afternoon. According to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were serving a search warrant related to a theft in the 65000 block of Dale Kiler Road. “Prior to the service of the warrant, four subjects left the location
Continue Reading Update – 5/1/25 After numerous years of delays, the bribery case involving former Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet and developer John Wessman will go to trial. Jury selection is set to get underway on May 6 at the Banning Justice Center. News Channel 3’s Garrett Hottle spoke with Pougnet. We’ll have the latest on the
Continue Reading Update – 4/30/25 Police announced that a shooting that left a woman and her five-year-old son in critical condition stemmed from an altercation between two men. The victims were in a pickup truck driven by Jesus Delarosa, 25, police said. Delarosa stopped at the residence of Ricardo Mercado, 29. During the meeting, Delarosa got into
Continue Reading BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) – The defense rested today, setting the stage for closing arguments, in the trial of an 82-year-old man accused of fatally bludgeoning a senior who had invited him to stay at her and her husband’s Palm Springs home. Stephen Roy McKernan allegedly killed 75-year-old Claire Carsman in 2019. McKernan is charged
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CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. (KESQ) – A Cathedral City man was arrested after being accused of tossing a trash bag with five kittens, who were later found dead in someone’s backyard. The crime was first reported Tuesday after 2:00 p.m. on the 32300 block of Aurora Vista Road. A resident called police and said they found
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COACHELLA, Calif. (KESQ) – A woman was taken into custody after an ambulance was stolen Monday night in Coachella. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department confirmed the woman is facing charges of grand theft and vehicle theft involving an ambulance. The theft was reported at around 10:20 p.m. on the 49600 block of Cesar Chavez Street,
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INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A pool serviceman who fatally beat a 93-year-old Palm Desert woman while trying to steal from her was convicted today of second-degree murder and other charges. An Indio jury deliberated about two days before finding Benjamin Cabrera Briones, 62, of Thousand Palms, guilty of the murder count, as well as burglary
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LANCASTER, Calif. (KESQ) – A man convicted of a murder in the Coachella Valley was accused of killing a convicted rapist Sunday night at California State Prison, Los Angeles County, in Lancaster. The incident happened Sunday at approximately 7:15 p.m., according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. CDCR officials said staff reported seeing
Continue Reading PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested a 27 year old Coachella man Thursday after an investigation into how local students were getting ahold of marijuana vape pens. Sheriff’s officials say they had seen a rise in the possession of marijuana vape pens by kids in the Palm Desert area for the
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After years of delays, a judge finally sentenced Daniel Garcia for his connection to a financially motivated killing of a Palm Springs retiree in 2008. In 2023, Daniel Garcia was convicted of one felony count each of murder, conspiracy to commit a crime, using the personal identity information of another to obtain credit, and using a forged
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WESTMORELAND, Calif. (KESQ) – Authorities say a 42-year-old Mexican citizen is in custody after being arrested by El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents for allegedly smuggling nearly 120 pounds of methamphetamine into the United States. The woman was stopped shortly after noon Tuesday at an immigration checkpoint on Highway 86, according to U.S. Customs and
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