RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – The second of two former Riverside County Superior Court clerks who mishandled privileged information connected to a criminal case was sentenced today to one day in county jail, but after receiving credit for time served, she walked free. Michelle Valdez, 59, of Thousand Palms pleaded guilty in October to felony conspiracy.
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Jurors deliberated less than a day before acquitting a Desert Hot Springs man of shooting at four young men standing outside a Palm Desert mall, but they did convict him of a weapons charge. A Murrieta jury on Tuesday afternoon returned unanimous not guilty verdicts on four counts of attempted murder in the trial of
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One driver was arrested, two drivers were cited during Cathedral City police’s DUI/Driver License checkpoint on Friday. Police said a total of 1403 vehicles traveled through the checkpoint, which was located at eastbound East Palm Drive and West Buddy Rogers, between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. CCPD released data on the checkpoint
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A 24-year-old man accused of killing a man and woman in Coachella must stand trial on two counts of first-degree murder and other charges, a judge ruled today. Monique Vega Daniel Torres Cerda of Coachella allegedly gunned down 23-year-old Hector Ramos, also of Coachella, and 26-year-old Monique Vega of Valle Verda in 2022. Following a
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Indio police will soon have more “Flock Safety Automatic License Plate Recognition” (ALPR) cameras throughout the city after the Indio City Council approved the expansion of the program. After a unanimous vote in its Wednesday meeting, the council approved adding an additional 27 ALPR cameras, for a total of 72. News Channel 3’s Shay Lawson
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A 48-year-old man accused of killing a woman at an Aguanga RV park and setting multiple fires in an attempt to cover up the crime was charged today with first-degree murder and other offenses. Preston Garrett Young of Aguanga was arrested Tuesday following a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation. Â Â Along with murder, Young is
Continue Reading Prosecution testimony began Wednesday in the trial of a Desert Hot Springs man accused of shooting more than three dozen bullets at four young men standing outside a Palm Desert mall, causing damage but no injuries. Â Â Daniel Joseph Santacroce was arrested in 2023 following a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation into the attack at
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NOTE in this same story on Wednesday, there was no mention of an objection from the District Attorney’s Office because confirmation of last week’s proceedings by the agency DID NOT include any reference to an objection on the record. The D.A.’s office, however, NOW SAYS the prosecution did in fact make one. The story below
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MECCA, Calif (KESQ) – Sheriff’s deputies have one person in custody and are searching for a second subject following a train burglary in Mecca Wednesday morning. At around 10:35 a.m., deputies were notified of suspicious activity near the train tracks in the area of Hammond Road and Johnson Street. “Upon arrival, deputies learned that a
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INDIO, Calif (KESQ) – A 19-year-old man has been charged with murder following a deadly shooting outside of the Food 4 Less store in Indio over the weekend. Gideon Gonzalez Jr. of Indio is accused of killing a 26-year-old man Saturday evening. On Wednesday, he was officially charged with murder, two counts of assault with
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AGUANGA, Calif. (CNS) – A 48-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly starting separate fires that proved deadly in a travel trailer and storage yard at a mobile home resort and campground in Aguanga, authorities said today. The blazes were reported shortly before 4:45 p.m. Monday in the Jojoba Hills RV Resort in the 45100
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INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A man is recovering in the hospital after being shot in the leg following a confrontation Monday night in Indio. The shooting was reported just before 10:10 p.m. near the intersection of Daisy Street and Garden Avenue. Police said officers arrived and found a man with a gunshot wound to one
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INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A 26-year-old man was shot and killed outside the Food 4 Less store in Indio Saturday evening. Indio Police said the shooting was first reported at around 5:40 p.m. First responders arrived and found a man with a gunshot wound. They provided medical aid, but the man was pronounced dead at
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A grieving family is searching for answers after their son, Ryan Provost, was killed in a DUI motorcycle crash. Provost, 22, lost his life in October in a collision that remains under investigation by California Highway Patrol. Investigators believed alcohol was a factor in the crash and arrested the driver. His mother, Cindy Provost is
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A 65-year-old Hemet man was sentenced today to 15 years and eight months in federal prison for collecting thousands of images and videos of child pornography and manipulating a 12-year-old girl into sending him explicit photos of herself and a 5-year-old girl. John Mathew Piecuch pleaded guilty July 26 to a count of production of
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A trial date was confirmed today for a man and woman suspected of being involved in shooting and pistol-whipping a then-18-year-old customer at a Dollar Tree in Cathedral City. David Anthony William Garcia, 23, of Desert Hot Springs is charged with one felony counts of attempted murder and two felony counts of assault with a
Continue Reading Trial proceedings began today for a Desert Hot Springs man accused in a car-to-car shooting in a Palm Desert mall parking lot almost exactly two years ago. Daniel Joseph Santacroce was arrested in March 2023 following a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation. Santacroce is charged with four counts of attempted murder and one count each
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A 44-year-old suspected of killing a man in an assault in Coachella earlier this week pleaded not guilty to charges on Thursday. Mario Gonzalez of Coachella was charged Thursday morning with murder, a sentence-enhancing allegation of using a deadly weapon — a knife — in the commission of a felony and committing a crime while
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A young woman accused of stabbing a boy during a domestic confrontation in Banning, inflicting life-threatening wounds, was charged today with attempted murder and other offenses. Eirianna Mariah Zaragoza, 18, of Banning, was arrested Sunday following a Banning Police Department investigation. Along with attempted murder, Zaragoza is charged with domestic violence and assault with a
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A suspect has been arrested in a deadly hit-and-run crash earlier this month in Joshua Tree, the California Highway Patrol confirmed. The crash happened on Jan. 14 on State Route 62, near Kerr Avenue. Benjamin Perez, 31, of Twentynine Palms was killed in the multi-vehicle crash. On Friday, police arrested Richard Heck, 60, of Yucca
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