Crime

An Inland Empire lawmaker said today that crime victims will soon find it easier to access information on resources they need to navigate the criminal justice system and apply for compensation, thanks to his bill establishing a website destined to serve as a one-stop portal for victims and their families. Sen. Kelly Seyarto, R-Murrieta, authored

Felony charges were filed today against a 24-year-old man suspected of leading police on a pursuit that ended in a fiery collision at a gas station in Indio. Zeus Rico of Desert Hot Springs was charged with two felony counts of resisting an officer and one count each of eluding a pursuing officer, evading arrest

A 34-year-old man suspected in a July 2020 killing of a man whose body was found inside a burned vehicle in Thermal pleaded not guilty to felony charges today.   Ruben Corria Esquivel Jr. of Coachella was charged with one felony count each of murder, arson on a property, having a fire explosive and possessing ammunition

A 36-year-old man was sentenced to six years in state prison today for harassing his ex-girlfriend while he had a no-contact order against him and ramming his car into a Riverside County Sheriff’s Office patrol vehicle.   Jose Lopez Jr. pleaded guilty June 29 at the Larson Justice Center in Indio to one felony count each

A 30-year-old man was sentenced to 77 years and eight months in state prison today for fatally shooting a man in the living room of a Desert Hot Springs home after finding out the victim was in the same home as his girlfriend. Daniel Ray Martinez of Desert Hot Springs was found guilty June 29

A 20-year-old man accused in a Cathedral City park shooting that injured a woman and a juvenile in 2021 re-entered not guilty pleas to felony charges today. Ivan Raya-Reynoso of Cathedral City was charged with one felony count each of attempted murder and criminal street gang activity along with two felony counts of assault with

Update 7/14/23 Authorities said a gunfire struck a third vehicle in the area. The occupant was not injured. The suspect’s vehicle was described as a newer red sedan, which fled northbound on Bob HopeDrive. Anyone with information on this crime is asked to call Investigator Hickok at 760-836-1600. Original Report 7/13/23 Deputies are investigating a

BY JULIE WATSONPublished 4:39 PM PDT, July 13, 2023 SAN DIEGO (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday sentenced a man to 15 years in prison for coordinating a smuggling trip in which two dozen migrants were stacked into a Ford Expedition that crashed into a tractor-trailer, killing 13 people outside a California desert town. Jose

Riverside County Sheriff’s investigators put out a call to the community for information on a 2019 murder in La Quinta. Anthony Carillo, 19, of Cathedral City was killed in a shooting on Oct. 26, 2019 in the area of Avenida Madero and Calleo Chillon. Deputies at the scene of the shooting (10/26/19) Today would’ve marked

A 23-year-old man accused of shooting another man with an assault rifle in Desert Hot Springs was ordered today to stand trial on an attempted murder charge. Manual Rivera-Villa of Desert Hot Springs is also facing a sentence-enhancing allegation of discharging a firearm causing great bodily injury. The charge and allegation stem from the April

A 34-year-old man already in custody for murder has now also been charged in a July 2020 killing of a man whose body was found inside a burned vehicle in Thermal. Ruben Corria Esquivel Jr. of Coachella was charged with one felony count each of murder, arson on a property, having a fire explosive, and

Three Coachella residents suspected in the death of a man found inside a burning vehicle in Thermal re-entered not guilty pleas to felony charges today. Hector Ramiro Yamanaka Ruiz, 44, was charged with one felony count each of murder, arson on property, and having a fire explosive, according to court records. He also faces a