Crime

Trial proceedings for a former youth soccer coach accused of molesting five girls at a Thermal middle school was rescheduled to next month. Juan Manuel Pantoja, 26, of Salton City was arrested in March 2020 in connection with offenses he allegedly committed in 2019 while employed at Toro Canyon Middle School.   Pantoja, who is being

A search warrant was served at a home in Palm Desert Monday night, drawing a heavy police presence in the area for a few hours. Deputies searched a home near the intersection of California Drive and Tennessee Avenue. Our crew at the scene confirmed that law enforcement was on a loudspeaker ordering someone to come

Prosecution testimony will continue Thursday in the trial of a Cathedral City man accused of gunning down four people in Palm Springs three years ago. Jose Larin-Garcia, 22, is charged with four counts of murder stemming from the February 2019 shootings in which the victims, ages 17 to 25, were found dead at two separate

Deputies are investigating an armed robbery at a hiking trail in Bermuda Dunes. According to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, at around 3:35 p.m., deputies were called to a strong-armed robbery that occurred on the Willis Palms Trailhead in Bermuda Dunes. “While en-route to the scene, dispatch advised that the suspect had displayed a firearm during

Firing guns to ring in 2022 could mean criminal prosecution, so don’t do it, Indio police said today. “Discharging firearms in the air endangers the public’s safety,” the Indio Police Department said in a statement. “Remember, what goes up will ultimately come down.” The agency posted the warning along with messages exhorting residents not to

A convicted felon from Orange County was allegedly caught by Riverside County sheriff’s deputies in Coachella with a rifle. The arrest culminated in an investigation that led to the seizure of a large quantity of drugs, including fentanyl. The man, identified as a 29-year-old from Westminister, was arrested and booked into the Smith Correctional Facility

A man accused of committing a non-fatal stabbing while he was out on bail in Coachella pleaded not guilty today to related charges. Hernan Bustamante Meza, 30, of Coachella was arrested Wednesday after a follow-up investigation by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department into a reported stabbing, authorities said. The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office charged

Riverside County sheriff’s detectives today were working to develop leads in an investigation into the suspicious death of a 46-year-old woman in Mountain Center, hoping someone might have information on the case. The body of Jodi Newkirk of Mountain Center was discovered about 5:30 p.m. Thursday in a large open field near Bonita Vista and

Two men accused of taking part in a gang-related shooting in Indio in 2018 had their attempted murder charges dropped today as a part of a plea deal. Charles Salter, 26, and Joseph Riley, 23, pleaded guilty at the Larson Justice Center on Wednesday to one felony count each of assault with a semi-automatic firearm

Border Patrol agents found more than $82,000 hidden in a spare tire after a traffic stop on Interstate 10 in the Coachella Valley. The incident started at approximately midnight on Monday. According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, agents conducted a traffic stop on a silver 2013 Volkswagen Passat on the I-10, east of