Crime

Two men were each sentenced to life in prison for the murder of a Cathedral City store owner during a botched robbery in 2021. Charles Lamar Campbell, 23, of Beaumont, and Joel Ortiz Hidalgo, 23, of Desert Hot Springs, were convicted in May for the killing of Chris Sgouromitis, 61, of Cathedral City, at the

Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this article stated that Replogle was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole. This was incorrect. The judge sentenced Replogle to life without the possibility of parole. The article has been updated with the correct information. INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A former attorney convicted twice for his role

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ)– A 21-year-old man is facing multiple charges after Indio Police pulled him over for a traffic stop and found fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and a 12-gauge shotgun in his vehicle. Police stopped the man on July 10th around 1:15 a.m. in the 46000 block of Rubidoux Street for an equipment violation, and discovered

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – An Indio jury took less than an hour to convict a man accused of assaulting two women and threatening to kill them in Cathedral City back in 2018. 41-year-old Christopher Elmer Barkley broke into a Cathedral City home late at night in 2018 while the two women and a baby were

BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) – A convicted felon accused of gunning down a 50-year-old man in a drive-by attack on the edge of the Morongo Indian Reservation northeast of Banning pleaded not guilty today to first-degree murder and other charges. Robert Eugene Leonard, 43, of Beaumont, was arrested last month following a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ)– A Palm Desert man was arrested in connection to multiple burglaries, firearm and narcotic related charges Tuesday evening.  Tuesday morning at approximately 7:00 a.m., deputies from the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station responded to a call reporting a residential burglary on the 44500 block of Portola Avenue in Palm Desert.  Authorities said,

LAKE ELSINORE, Calif. (KESQ) – A nurse employed at multiple hospitals in Riverside County has been accused of having inappropriate contact with an unconscious patient. The Riverside Sheriff’s Special Victims Unit received information in June regarding a “hospital employee who was having inappropriate contact with an unconscious patient.” According to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office,

TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. (KESQ) – Two assault suspects are in custody after an investigation of an assault with a firearm, throwing rocks, and damaging property. Deputies from the San Bernardino Morongo Basin Sheriff’s Station were called out to Monte Vista Street in Twentynine Palms on June 25 to investigate an assault with a firearm. Investigators

BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) – A suspect in the shooting death of a 66-year-old man at the Desert Hills Premium Outlets in Cabazon has pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter. Elijah Ray Burt, 22, is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 5. Burt was arrested along with his twin brother, Emanuel Rick Burt, and a third suspect,

COACHELLA VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) – Tim Leiweke has stepped down as the CEO of the Oak View Group after being criminally indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly orchestrating a conspiracy to rig the bidding process for an arena in Texas, the Department of Justice announced. OVG said Leiweke, 68, will remain a shareholder

BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) – A 49-year-old man pleaded guilty to murder for a high-speed DUI pursuit crash that killed a newlywed woman in Cabazon last year. Jason Ray McQueary of Hemet pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was immediately sentenced to 15 years to life in prison, according to the Riverside County District Attorney’s office. 

Update 7/14/25 The man injured in the shooting has died from his injuries, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office announced. He was identified as Gustavo Melendrez-Hernandez, 29, of Coachella. Authorities said the suspect in this shooting, Cecilio Nando-Gonzalez, 28, of Coachella, will face murder charges. Original Report 7/9/25 INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A man has been