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
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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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Deputies arrested a robbery suspect Wednesday morning in Palm Desert. The robbery was first reported just before 11:20 a.m. on the 44000 block of San Pablo Avenue. “The victim stated he caught a male attempting to break into his vehicle, and when he confronted the suspect, the suspect threw a rock at him but missed,”
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The Cathedral City Police Department shared details from the investigation into a murder-suicide earlier this month. The murder-suicide happened on Jan. 20. Police said Adrian Silva Vizcaino, 30, shot Angel Torres, 19, and a 19-year-old woman before killing himself hours later in San Bernardino County. Torres was pronounced dead at the scene, the woman survived
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A stolen vehicle pursuit started in Indio and ended in Desert Hot Springs Tuesday morning. The incident started just before 10:40 a.m. when deputies located a stolen vehicle in the area of Desert Gardens and Avenue 48 in Indio, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office told News Channel 3. Authorities said deputies attempted a traffic enforcement
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INDIO (CNS) – A 29-year-old man must stand trial for murder stemming from the death of a 20-year-old man whose body was found in the open desert of Desert Hot Springs, a judge has ruled. Gabriel “Vago” Magdaleno was held to answer last Wednesday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio on a felony count
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BANNING, Calif (KESQ) – A minor is recovering after being stabbed multiple times in what police called a “home-invasion style attack” Sunday morning in Banning. The attack was reported just before 5:30 a.m. Banning police said detecives determined that the person who originally called the police had been in a domestic dispute with minor and
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There was a heavy police presence at the parking lot of Palm Desert business center as deputies took a person into custody Monday afternoon. Video shows several armed deputies approaching a vehicle on Dinah Shore at around 3:15 p.m. A spokesperson with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office said the incident was related to a stolen
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PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Police are searching for two suspects involved in an armed robbery at a 7-Eleven store in Palm Springs early Friday morning. The robbery was reported at around 1:55 a.m., at the 7-Eleven convenience store located at 2493 N. Palm Canyon Drive. “One of the suspects brandished a handgun, while the
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Palm Springs Police officers arrested a burglary suspect on Wednesday, assisted by a PSPD drone and a K-9 Unit. Officers say they responded to a report of a burglary in progress on the 2300 block of Girasol Ave in the Chino Canyon area just before 5:00 p.m. They saw that the front door of the
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One person was rushed to the hospital after a shooting in Thermal Thursday evening. The shooting was reported at a little after 5:50 p.m. on the 67000 block of Polk Street, near Martinez Road. Deputies responded to a report of an assault with a deadly weapon, a spokesperson with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office said.
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Police continue to search for a driver who fled the scene of a deadly crash last week in Twentynine Palms. On Tuesday, the California Highway Patrol shared pictures of a dark green Chevrolet Silverado believed to have been involved in the crash. The truck has an extended cab or four-door, with step rails, a missing
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Two 16-year-old juveniles are in Indio juvenile hall Tuesday after Thermal Sheriff’s Station deputies responded to a report of an armed carjacking around 2:30 a.m. in the 84500 block of Calle Rojo near Peter Pendleton Elementary School in Coachella. The victim told deputies his car had been stolen at gunpoint by three Hispanic male juveniles.
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Two people are dead, and a third person is in critical condition, after an apparent murder-suicide Monday morning in Cathedral City. The incident was reported at around 3:50 a.m. along Nilda Drive. Police said they were called out to the area after reports of a shooting. Officers arrived and found two 19-year-olds, a man and
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Pretrial motions are slated to get underway Tuesday ahead of jury selection for the trial of a Beaumont man accused of causing the death of his girlfriend’s 4-year-old daughter, whose body was found in an apartment with him and the woman after they had overdosed on drugs.  Tyler Lawrence Finley, 29, was arrested in 2020
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Customs and Border Protection officers found more than 250 pounds of liquid meth concealed in the gas tank of a vehicle at the Calexico East Port of Entry. The discovery was made Saturday afternoon. According to CBP, a 52-year-old driver and 46-year-old passenger in a 2002 SUV were applying for admission into the United States.
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