INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A 24-year-old Desert Hot Springs man caught with hundreds of pornographic pictures and videos depicting children was sentenced today to 16 months in state prison. Victor Christopher Lascano pleaded guilty in March to two counts of possession of child porn, as well as a sentence-enhancing allegation of possession of explicit material
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MURRIETA, Calif. (KESQ) – Defense testimony began today in the trial of a young man accused of fatally shooting a 17-year-old Cathedral City boy during a street confrontation possibly stemming from ill-will that developed when the two worked together. Juan Alfredo Landeros Garcia, 26, of Cathedral City, is charged with first-degree murder, shooting at an
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BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) – A 40-year-old man accused of inflicting deadly injuries on an infant he was babysitting in San Jacinto was charged today with first-degree murder and other offenses. Alejandro Cuevas of Beaumont was arrested last week following a months-long Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation into the death of the baby girl. Along with
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SAN JACINTO, Calif. (KESQ) – A Beaumont man has been arrested in connection with the death of a four-month-old baby. The suspect, a 40-year-old man, was identified as an associate of the victim’s family. He was arrested Friday afternoon and remains in custody at the Larry Smith Correctional Facility. He has not been officially charged,
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Update 5/14/25 The San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office filed charges against foster parents and their adult daughter, accused of torturing six children. “It is alleged that the foster parents and their adult daughter subjected all six children (aged four – sixteen), to years of physical, emotional, and mental abuse,” reads a DA’s office news
Continue Reading MURRIETA, Calif. (KESQ) – Pretrial motions got underway today ahead of jury selection for the trial of a man accused of gunning down a 17-year-old Cathedral City boy in a car-to-car shooting. Juan Alfredo Landeros Garcia, 24, of Cathedral City is charged with first-degree murder, shooting at an occupied vehicle and sentence-enhancing gun and great
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BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) – A Cabazon man was arrested on suspicion of sexually abusing a child, the Banning Police Department announced this week. Andrew Chavez, 32, was arrested on April 8 at the Las Encinas Mental Hospital in Del Mar, according to jail records. He has been charged with 8 counts of child sex abuse.
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RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (KESQ) – A teacher at a private school in Rancho Mirage charged with raping a teenager pleaded not guilty on Friday. Stephen Spurlock, 43, a now former 3rd grade teacher at Palm Valley School, is charged with 21 felonies, including 19 counts of rape. He is set to return to court on
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MURRIETA, Calif. (KESQ) – Jurors convicted a 21-year-old man of false imprisonment for attacking a Thermal girl on her way home from school, but were unable to reach a unanimous verdict on a sexual assault charge and another count, resulting in a mistrial for those felonies. The Murrieta jury weighing the fate of Christian Daniel
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INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – The former drummer of the indie power-pop group the New Pornographers is scheduled to appear in court this week for allegedly possessing child pornography and recording a minor in a public restroom. Joseph Seiders, 44, of Palm Desert, was arrested April 9 following an investigation by the Riverside County Sheriff’s
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DESERT HOT SPRINGS, Cali (KESQ) – Update: An 8-year-old girl abducted by her father was safely recovered early Friday morning following a vehicle pursuit that ended in Palm Desert, authorities said. Oscar Landeros, 33, took his daughter during a limited court-ordered visit Thursday evening and made threats to harm himself and the child, according to
Continue Reading PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – A Palm Desert man was arrested and charged with possessing child pornography after separate incidents in the bathroom of a local restaurant, authorities announced. Joseph Seiders, 44, of Palm Desert, was arrested on April 9 at the Chick-fil-A on Dinah Shore Drive in Palm Desert, according to county jail records.
Continue Reading MURRIETA, Calif. (KESQ) – Prosecution testimony got underway today in the trial of a 21-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting and trying to kidnap a Thermal girl as she walked home from school. Christian Daniel Arreola of Coachella was arrested in 2022 following a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation into the alleged attack on the
Continue Reading MURRIETA, Calif. (KESQ) – A jury was seated Thursday for the trial of a 21-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting and trying to kidnap a Thermal girl as she walked through a field on her way home from school. Christian Daniel Arreola of Coachella was arrested in 2022 following a Riverside County Sheriff’s Office investigation
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MECCA, Calif. (KESQ) – A 17-year-old girl was pronounced dead after a shooting early Wednesday morning in Mecca. The shooting was first reported at around 1:00 a.m. at the Mecca II Apartments on the 91800 block of 66th Avenue. According to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a report of an assault with
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INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – On Tuesday, March 25, a jury recommended the death penalty for Adam Slater, a Palm Desert man convicted of killing his one-year-old daughter and stabbing his pregnant wife during a child custody exchange in Indian Wells. Slater is due back in court on May 30 for sentencing. Celeste Fiehler, a family
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INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A Coachella Valley Unified School District teacher accused of inappropriately touching a student pleaded not guilty today to lewd acts on a minor and other offenses. Mario Manuel Valenzuela, 42, of Coachella was arrested last month following a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation. Along with the lewd acts count, Valenzuela
Continue Reading INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – Jury deliberations got underway today in the penalty phase of trial for a convicted felon who killed his year-old daughter and stabbed his pregnant wife during a child custody exchange in Indian Wells. Adam Slater, 53, of Palm Desert killed baby Madalyn in 2020 during an act of rage that
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PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – A 15-year-old boy remained in custody today after allegedly running multiple red lights on a mini motorcycle and being found with an illegally possessed firearm in Palm Springs. A member of the Palm Springs Police Department observed the teenager on the motorcycle at approximately 8 p.m. Friday, according to
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Authorities are searching for a man who attacked a 14-year-old boy who was walking home from school Thursday afternoon in Twentynine Palms. The attack was reported at around 2:20 p.m. near Sunnyslope Drive and La Buena Tierra Avenue. According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, the teen was walking when he was approached by
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