Crime

A convicted sex offender who killed a previously convicted murderer in a downtown Riverside jail cell pleaded guilty today to first-degree murder and was immediately sentenced to 75 years to life in state prison.   Rodney Ronald Sanchez, 61, admitted the murder count, as well as four prior strikes during his arraignment at the Southwest Justice

Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies have surrounded a home in a Coachella neighborhood Monday afternoon. Deputies are in the area of Via Tepeyac and Calle Soledad, News Channel 3 crew at the scene heard deputies asking occupants to come out of a home before they release the K-9 unit. Shortly before 4:00 p.m., deputies brought a

A 33-year-old man was arrested in connection with a stabbing that left a person hospitalized earlier this month in Twentynine Palms. The stabbing happened shortly before 10 p.m. on Sept. 1 on the 6300 block of Ocotillo Avenue. The victim, a 37-year-old man from Twentynine Palms, was taken to the High Desert Medical Center by

A Thermal man who allegedly kidnapped, beat and attempted to strangle a 42-year-old woman in Mecca pleaded not guilty to felony charges today. Daniel Gamez Zaragoza, 39, was charged with four felony counts — one each of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, inflicting corporal injury and threatening to cause death or great bodily

A woman was arrested after Border Patrol agents found nearly $300,000 worth of meth, heroin, and colored fentanyl pills, in her vehicle at the Highway 86 checkpoint. The arrest happened earlier this week. The woman, a 42-year-old lawful permanent resident, approached the checkpoint driving a white 2014 Toyota Corolla. The vehicle was then moved to

Three people — including two convicted felons — accused of breaking into a house that was evacuated due to a wildfire near Hemet were charged today with felony burglary. John Jason Blackwood, 43, Deven Jessica Hooker, 31, and Michael Edward Serrano, 50 — all of Hemet — were arrested Saturday following a Riverside County Sheriff’s

Charges were filed today against a Blythe man who allegedly led police on a foot pursuit in Indio where an officer was struck by a car. Job Adante Williams, 26, was charged with one felony count of resisting arrest as to cause serious injury to an officer and a misdemeanor count of willfully resisting arrest,

A man was arrested after an officer-involved shooting that authorities said started when the man armed himself with a rifle during a traffic stop at a Burger King drive-thru and later pointed the gun at a deputy. The incident happened on Monday, just after 6:45 p.m. in Twentynine Palms. According to the San Bernardino County

An Indio police officer who was injured after being struck by a vehicle during a foot pursuit Sunday morning has been released from the hospital. The incident happened at around 9:30 a.m. near Downtown Indio. Police originally responded to a suspicious activity call on the 82-100 block of Highway 111. Callers said there were people

A convicted sex offender accused of killing a previously convicted murderer in a downtown Riverside jail cell was charged today with murder. Rodney Ronald Sanchez, 61, was arrested inside the Robert Presley Detention Center Tuesday following a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation into the death of his cellmate, 41-year-old Kaushal Niroula.   Sanchez made his initial