Crime

A felon who stole a wedding ring from a woman in Palm Desert and allegedly attempted to sell it back to her pleaded guilty to felony charges today and was immediately sentenced to two years of formal probation.   Yukon Lee Branch, 47, pleaded guilty Tuesday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio to one felony

A Desert Hot Springs woman was arrested early Tuesday morning on suspicion of driving under the influence and then assaulting police officers in downtown Palm Springs. The incident started at around 3:59 a.m. when officers were called to respond to a report of a vehicle partially off the roadway and facing the wrong direction in

Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin, Sheriff Chad Bianco and other law enforcement officials will gather tomorrow to call for changes in state law to bolster public safety, mainly by undoing the effects of a decade-old legislative act that shifted many former state responsibilities onto counties. The officials will specifically address ongoing impacts of Assembly

A man and woman suspected of robbing and assaulting a 69- year-old man in an unincorporated area of Riverside County near Indio pleaded not guilty to felony charges today. Sonora residents Brooke Cassidy Prentiss, 36, and Morgan Kenneth Styre, 27, were charged with one felony count each of robbery and cruelty to an elder as

Palm Springs Police say that just before 6:00 Monday night they received a report of a fire in the Prescott Preserve located on South El Cielo Road. When officers arrived they were given a description of a man that was in the area and who allegedly started the fire. Palm Springs Fire crews were able

A woman was taken into custody after an hours-long standoff in a Palm Springs neighborhood early Monday morning. KESQ The incident began as Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies attempted to pull over a possible DUI driver on Ramon Road and Landau Boulevard in Cathedral City at 3:40 a.m., according to a department spokesperson. The female driver

A young man suspected in a shootout that authorities say led to an allegedly gang-related retaliatory attack one day later pleaded not guilty today to an attempted murder charge. Malachi “Mala” Hernandez, 19, is charged with one felony count of attempted murder stemming from a Jan. 17 late-night shootout allegedly involving Ethen Adam Sinohuiz, 18,

Two men who shot and injured two other men at a gas station reached a plea agreement and were immediately sentenced to 15 years in state prison, a court official said today. Martin Daydi Chapa, 42, of Indio, and Daniel Ceja Lua, 34, of Mecca, pleaded guilty at the Larson Justice Center in Indio Thursday

A man suspected of shooting at a home in Indio in an allegedly gang-related retaliatory attack involving several teenagers pleaded not guilty to felony charges today. Noe Montes, 23, is facing six felony counts of attempted murder along with Ethen Adam Sinohuiz, 18, and 19-year-olds Jose David Baltierra, Samuel Jacob Galvan and Jonathan Peter Garcia

A man who allegedly had various illegally possessed firearms in his vehicle and residence in Mecca was released from jail today after he posted $10,000 bail. The 38-year-old Mecca resident was arrested Tuesday afternoon on suspicion of being a felon in possession of ammunition, possession of firearms and possession of unregistered firearms, according to Sgt.

A 43-year-old man who killed a 23-year-old former high school and college football player in a hit-and-run crash in Desert Hot Springs has pleaded guilty to DUI gross vehicular manslaughter and was sentenced to 11 years in state prison. Jose Roberto Tafoya-Flores pleaded guilty Tuesday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio to one felony

A 35-year-old man from Twentynine Palms who was involved in a two-car crash while under the influence of marijuana is sentenced to 10 years in state prison for gross vehicular manslaughter. Michael Anthony Wright was driving impaired from cannabis when his Audi sedan broadsided a Volkswagen driven by a 68-year-old woman from Yucca Valley at

Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin has cleared Indio police officers for their roles in two separate officer-involved shootings dating back to April 2019. APRIL 10, 2019 SHOOTING The first officer-involved shooting occurred on April 10, 2019. The suspect, Anthony Santana, 21, was fatally shot at the Las Palmas Apartments near the intersection of Las