Crime

A man suspected of shooting a 25-year-old man multiple times in a Coachella parking lot re-entered a not guilty plea to attempted murder today. Issac Vargas, 24, also faces sentence-enhancing allegations of committing a crime while on bail, causing great bodily injury, and discharging a firearm causing great bodily injury, according to court records. He

A 37-year-old suspected in the fatal shooting of a man in Indio re-entered not guilty pleas today to felony charges including murder.    Hilario Muela of Indio was charged with one felony count each of murder, being a convicted felon and narcotic addict in possession of a firearm, possessing controlled substances while armed, and possessing

A 66-year-old man who fatally stabbed his girlfriend during a frenzied attack in Palm Springs ignited when she ended their relationship was sentenced today to 26 years to life in state prison. A Riverside jury in November convicted Miguel Hernandez Toscano of first-degree murder, child cruelty and a sentence-enhancing allegation of using a deadly weapon

A convicted felon accused of stabbing a 35-year-old Banning man during a street confrontation, then hitting a police officer with a brick while trying to get away, was charged today with assault on a peace officer and other offenses.    Alejandro Munoz, 31, was arrested Sunday following a Banning Police Department investigation. Along with the

A 39-year-old man was arrested after a Border Patrol K-9 led agents to find $250,000 worth of liquid methamphetamine over the weekend at the Highway 86 immigration checkpoint. The arrest happened Saturday at around 4:45 p.m. The driver, a Mexican citizen, was referred to secondary inspection after a Border Patrol K-9 unit alerted agents to

A 30-year-old Desert Hot Springs man who tried to kill his father by severely beating him and setting fire to his mobile home as he lay unconscious on the floor was sentenced today to 17 years to life in state prison.   A Banning jury in November deliberated less than a day before convicting Miguel Angel

A 25-year-old man suspected in a high-speed traffic collision that killed three people in Palm Desert re-entered not guilty pleas today to felony charges of murder. Ricardo Adrian Meza of Palm Desert was charged with three counts of murder for the Dec. 28, 2022, deaths of Elena Morron, 84, of Los Angeles, and Anza residents

A pursuit suspect pleaded not guilty in court Wednesday to charges related to a police chase that ended in a crash that injured a baby last week in Thermal. Christopher Gonzalez, 34, was arraigned in court on Tuesday. He was charged with reckless evading of a peace officer, child endangerment, and hit-and-run with injury. The

A Coachella man suspected of trying to kidnap a 15-year-old girl in Thermal re-entered not guilty pleas today to felony charges.    Christian Daniel Arreola, 20, is charged with one felony count each of assault with intent to commit mayhem, sexual battery, and attempted kidnapping, robbery and/or rape. He initially pleaded not guilty to the

A 33-year-old man suspected in a vehicle theft pleaded not guilty today to felony charges in a case where police said they found multiple firearms and home-made explosive devices. Zachary Hernandez was charged with one felony count each of receiving a stolen vehicle, taking a vehicle without the owner’s consent and receiving stolen property, according

Felony charges were filed today against a 33-year-old man suspected in a vehicle theft and two felons suspected of having firearms and an explosive device during a search stemming from the theft investigation.    Zachary Hernandez was charged with one felony count each of receiving a stolen vehicle, taking a vehicle without the owner’s consent,

Jury selection was expected to conclude early next week for the trial of a probationer accused of fatally shooting a man for making moves on his girlfriend at their Coachella residence, then later setting the victim’s remains ablaze in a field in an attempt to cover up the crime.   Hector Ramiro Yamanaka Ruiz, 45, is

Jury deliberations got underway today in the sanity trial for a 37-year-old man who, in the midst of his trial, pleaded guilty to fatally shooting his octogenarian grandparents inside a gated community in Palm Desert more than four years ago.    Frank Scott Castro III pleaded guilty Dec. 4, 2023, to two counts of murder,