Kids and Crime

A 36-year-old Thermal man who repeatedly sexually molested a young girl over a period of years was convicted today of nearly a dozen felony charges.    A Riverside jury deliberated just over a day before finding Alfonso Gonzalez Meraz guilty of four counts each of forcible lewd acts on a child and sexual assault of

A Thermal man convicted of multiple charges after molesting a young girl several times and then trying to intimidate her and her mother into changing their stories to spare him from prosecution was sentenced to 10 years in prison today. Elit Barroso Miranda, 41, was previously found guilty of two counts of lewd acts on

A trial date was set today for a Coachella man accused of trying to kidnap a then-15-year-old girl in Thermal more than two years ago. Christian Daniel Arreola, 21, was charged with three felony counts — one each of assault with intent to commit mayhem, sexual battery, and attempted kidnapping, robbery and/or rape, according to

A student was briefly hospitalized and another was taken into custody after a fight at Colonel Mitchell Paige Middle School in La Quinta on Tuesday. The incident was first reported around noon. Deputies were informed of a physical altercation that had occurred between two minors at the school, located on the 43000 block of Palm

A 20-year-old Banning man accused of sexually assaulting a young boy and distributing videos of the acts online possibly targeted other children, prompting authorities today to ask anyone with information to come forward.    John Edward Lario was arrested and charged last month following an investigation by the multi-agency Riverside County Child Exploitation Team, or

A Nov. 12 trial date was confirmed today for a 39-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting a Banning girl.    Jesus Virgen Rubio of Adelanto was arrested in April 2022 following a Banning Police Department investigation.    Rubio is charged with two counts of lewd acts on a child under 14 years old, as well

A 20-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting a young boy and distributing videos of the acts online pleaded not guilty today to more than a half-dozen felony charges. John Edward Lario of Banning was arrested earlier this month following an investigation by the multi-agency Riverside County Child Exploitation Team, or RCCET. Lario is charged with

Investigations continued today into the origins of social media threats made against a high school campus, possibly in the Banning Unified School District. The online threats to perpetrate an act of violence were spotted late Saturday night and reported to the Banning Police Department, according to Lt. Brandon Smith. “The threat … (was) made against

A Beaumont man accused of causing the death of his girlfriend’s 4-year-old daughter, whose remains were found in an apartment with him and the woman after they had overdosed on drugs, must stand trial for murder and other charges, a judge ruled on Friday. Tyler Lawrence Finley, 28, was arrested in 2020 following a Beaumont

A judge today set a trial date for a parolee accused of shooting a then-14-year-old girl in the head while she was riding in a vehicle with four other children in Indio. Vicente Manuel Reyes, 25, of Thousand Palms was arrested three days after the shooting on May 20, 2018.    He initially pleaded not

A youth soccer coach from Menifee accused of sexually assaulting a Coachella Valley girl must stand trial, a judge ruled today.    Rosario Navarro Gonzalez was initially charged with two felony counts of a lewd act on a minor, according to court records. He pleaded not guilty to the charges on Dec. 22, 2022 at

A Nov. 4 trial date was set today for a former school volunteer accused of multiple sex crimes involving children in the Coachella Valley.    James McCall Anderson, 36, is charged with two felony counts of knowingly distributing harmful matter and two misdemeanor counts of immoral acts before a child, according to court records. The