Crime

A Detroit-area man was found guilty of maliciously setting fires to six semi-trailers belonging to a major commercial trucking company in the Inland Empire and High Desert during a 10-month span, the United States Department of Justice announced. Viorel Pricop, 66, of Allen Park, Michigan, was found guilty of six counts of arson of vehicle

An employee at a store inside the Desert Hills Premium Outlets in Cabazon was hospitalized after being sprayed with a chemical agent during a robbery Monday afternoon. The robbery was reported just before 5:30 p.m. at a business in the 48600 block of Seminole Drive in Cabazon. Deputies were told that three men entered the

A Thousand Palms man on death row for multiple murders died in prison at the age of 40. Juan Inzunza, who was serving a condemned sentence at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, died on Thursday while receiving care at an outside medical facility, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announced on Friday. The department said

Several suspects were arrested after a police pursuit ended in a Palm Springs neighborhood Thursday afternoon. The Palm Springs Police Dept. announced there was heavy police activity in the area of the 400 block of Sunview Avenue. A law enforcement helicopter was seen circling the area assisting officers and deputies. By 4:00 p.m., police confirmed

A former Riverside County sheriff’s correctional deputy who engaged in sex acts with female inmates on home detention as part of an extortion scheme was sentenced today to five years in state prison. Christian Phillip Heidecker, 32, of Menifee, pleaded guilty last month to four counts each of extortion, a public official seeking bribes and

A sentencing date is slated to be confirmed tomorrow for a 25-year-old man who fatally stabbed his girlfriend at her Palm Desert apartment, where her young son was present. After deliberating less than a day, a Banning jury on Tuesday convicted Richard Colin Holbrook of first-degree murder for the 2019 slaying of 33-year-old Nicole Henderson.

A 27-year-old man who was convicted of a fatal shooting in Desert Hot Springs almost three years ago was sentenced today to 48 years and eight months to life in prison.   Michael Leslie Goehner was convicted Feb. 6 of one felony count each of murder and discharging a firearm, and two felony counts each of

One person was rushed to the hospital after being injured in a drive-by shooting in Palm Springs Tuesday evening. The shooting was reported at around 7:50 p.m. on the 1500 block of E San Rafael Drive, near N Sunrise Way. Police said the victim sustained non-life-threatening injuries while walking in a nearby mobile home park.

A woman suspected in a break-in at an Indio storage unit, where items were stolen including the ashes of the victim’s deceased son, pleaded not guilty today to felony charges. Taylor Spencer, 31, of Thousand Palms pleaded not guilty at the Larson Justice Center in Indio to one felony count each of burglary and receiving

The defense will begin its case next week in the retrial of a convicted felon involved in a street racing crash in Rancho Mirage that killed an 81-year-old woman. Wade Klinton Wheeler, 41, of Rancho Mirage was driving the car that smashed into Barbara Schmitz’s sedan, fatally injuring her and severely injuring her husband, Gerald

The Palm Springs Police Department shared video of a thief stealing pool equipment at a home in an effort to help identify the suspect. The short video shows a man approaching a door at 12:30 a.m. on February 22. The man immediately goes to cover the camera, but the few seconds he is visible, he

A Texas mother pleaded guilty today to charges of taking her daughter from a Thousand Palms elementary school.    Sara Lee Almodovar, 38, pleaded guilty Friday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio to one felony count of child stealing and one misdemeanor count of assault on a school employee, according to court records. She’s

A Desert Hot Springs man pleaded guilty today to fatally shooting his brother’s ex-girlfriend in 2015 and was immediately sentenced to 15 Years to life in prison. Jesus Garza Jr., 31, of Desert Hot Springs pleaded guilty Thursday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio to one felony count of murder and was immediately sentenced.

One person was hospitalized after being shot in Indio, leading to a nearby school to be briefly placed on a lockdown. The shooting happened on the 82200 block of Valencia Avenue at around 1:55 p.m., according to Indio police spokesperson Ben Guitron. Details on the shooting were limited, but Guitron confirmed one person suffered non-life-threatening