INDIO, Calif. (KESQ)– Charges have been filed against the Palm Desert man accused of the Cathedral City overdose death this past January. William Joesph Leonard, 55, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and distribution of controlled substances. He was arraigned earlier today in court at the Larson Justice Center in Indio where he pleaded not
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MORENO VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) – Six teenagers were hospitalized today after a shooting in Moreno Valley and the suspect was still at large, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department announced. The shooting was reported just before 11 p.m. Saturday in the 12000 block of Orchid Lane. Responding deputies found five male teens suffering from multiple gunshot
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JOSHUA TREE, Calif. (KESQ) – A man wanted on a warrant for grand theft auto is in custody after fleeing into the desert from Sheriff’s deputies in Joshua Tree. Deputies say they were attempting to arrest the man on Wednesday, who had an active no-bail felony warrant, at a home in the 62100 block of
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RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – A felon who seriously assaulted and threatened the life of a fellow inmate at a Riverside County jail because the woman refused to smuggle drugs into the facility was sentenced today to seven years, eight months in state prison. A Riverside jury in April convicted 35-year-old Cassandra Othelia Hoskins of assault
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MECCA, Calif. (KESQ) — The woman who says she notified authorities about multiple illegal growing farms, leading to a raid and the arrest of 70 undocumented workers, is now speaking out. Perla Verduzco says the three farms targeted in Thermal and Mecca earlier this week were hotbeds for human trafficking and illegal growing. “It’s owned
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RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – A 58-year-old convicted felon accused of intentionally driving into a crowd of protesters marching along a downtown Riverside street, seriously injuring one of them, is slated to make his initial court appearance today, along with his girlfriend. Russell Alan Prentice and 39-year-old Candase Wenzel, both of Riverside, were arrested Monday following
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Update 6/19/25 A 38-year-old woman from Yucca Valley was arrested in connection with the crash. Police said they located the suspect vehicle in the area of Perez Road and Cathedral Canyon Drive. Officers then utilized surveillance video and a witness to identify the vehicle’s driver at the time of the collision. The woman was booked
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MECCA, Calif. (KESQ) – The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted a large investigation at several illegal marijuana operations near Thermal Wednesday morning. In an update, the Drug Enforcement Administration Los Angeles Field Division said, “Preliminary numbers, subject to change, are as follows: 70 to 75 undocumented migrants were arrested. At least one US citizen was arrested
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RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – A 58-year-old convicted felon accused of intentionally driving into a crowd of protesters marching along a street in downtown Riverside, seriously injuring one of them, was charged today with assault using a deadly weapon and other offenses, while his girlfriend was charged with being an accessory after the fact. Russell Alan
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CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. (KESQ) – An arrest has been made in an overdose death this past January in Cathedral City. A 55-year-old man from Palm Desert was arrested, the Cathedral City Police Department announced on Wednesday. Police said that the arrest was in connection with the death of Ricky Heath, 55, on the night of
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YUCCA VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ)- A naked man was taken into custody after violently resisting arrest and assaulting multiple people over the weekend in Yucca Valley. Police said the incident happened at around 8:10 p.m. Saturday evening when a naked man was found walking in the middle of the roadway. 26-year-old Eric Chung of Chula Vista
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BANNING, Calif. (KESQ)- One person hospitalized after a shooting in Banning on Tuesday night. Police received a call at about 9:39 pm with reports of shots fired at the 700 block of W. Nicolet Street and arrived at the scene shortly after. Banning Police Officers stated that once they arrived at the scene, they collected
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Update – 2/3/26: Jorge Andres Huerta Arias was cleared of all charges, the jury ruled. Original Report – 6/18/25 INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A 23-year-old man arrested in connection with a deadly shooting in La Quinta in 2019 was officially charged with murder. Jorge Huerta-Arias of Whitewater was charged with murder, along with sentence-enhancing allegations
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INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A 62-year-old man who struck and seriously injured a woman walking through a Palm Springs intersection because he was driving under the influence was sentenced today to three years’ felony probation. Mark Gerald Blanchette of Palm Springs pleaded guilty on June 4 to DUI resulting in great bodily injury and
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INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – The defense is slated to rest tomorrow in the trial of an ex-Riverside County sheriff’s deputy accused of gunning down a man with whom he was at odds because the victim had been involved with the lawman’s then-girlfriend. Oscar Rodriguez, 44, is charged with first-degree murder and sentence-enhancing gun and great
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INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A 23-year-old man pleaded not guilty to a murder charge in connection with a deadly shooting last week at the Motel 6 in Indio. Cameron Isaiah Maestas was arrested Friday, hours after the deadly shooting at the Motel 6 on Indio Boulevard, near Sun Gold Street and Fred Waring Drive. The
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BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) – Developer John Wessman was found not guilty of bribing former Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet. A jury found Wessman not guilty on all charges, which included nine counts of bribery and one count of conspiracy. Wessman was accused of paying former Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet more than $200,000 to secure city
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INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – Indio police officers issued six citations and arrested one person for allegedly evading officers during a DUI checkpoint, authorities announced today. The checkpoint was conducted from 6 p.m. Friday until 1 a.m. Saturday at Jackson Street and Dillon Avenue, police said. Citations were issued for violations including driving with a
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BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) – Jury selection is slated to get underway tomorrow for the trial of a 43-year-old Banning man accused of raping two women on separate occasions while they were intoxicated, as well as molesting his 12-year-old girl. Steven Roy McElroy was arrested in 2022 following an extensive Banning Police Department investigation that relied
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Update 6/16/25 The suspect was released on $200,000 bail Sunday, according to jail records. Edward Miranda is scheduled to appear in court on July 18. Original Report 6/14/25 PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – A La Quinta man was arrested after allegedly making an online post threatening a shooting at the “No Kings Day” protest in
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