Crime

A 40-year-old man accused of pretending to be a federal lawman and then turning confrontational with Banning police officers, trying to take one’s firearm, was charged today with obstructing a law enforcement officer and other offenses.    Hector Francisco Ponce of Banning was arrested Tuesday night following a Banning Police Department investigation.    Along with

The second of two men accused in a confrontation with sheriff’s deputies that led to an exchange of gunfire, injuring a deputy and one of the suspects in Thousand Palms, pleaded not guilty today to felony charges.    Kristian Galeana, 27, and 34-year-old Jose Eduardo Rosales Perez of Desert Hot Springs are each charged with

A man was in custody today for allegedly committing organized retail crimes in Los Angeles and Riverside counties that netted more than $100,000 in stolen merchandise, authorities said. Investigators served a warrant Sunday at a residence in Los Angeles and arrested Nickolas Mallory, 25, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Mallory was booked on

A Palm Desert High School teacher and football coach suspected of striking and killing a pedestrian while intoxicated re-entered a not guilty plea today to a murder charge. Cameron Francis Curtis, 31, of Palm Desert, is suspected of fatally striking 64-year-old Nancy Valdes of Palm Desert while driving under the influence on March 4.   He

A Los Angeles man was arrested after allegedly robbing the same Palm Desert Gucci store twice in the span of a little less than two weeks. The first robbery happened on Saturday, Oct. 7. Two suspects entered at the retail store in the 73000 block of El Paseo in Palm Desert. The suspects stole several

Jury selection got underway today for the trial of a 66-year-old man accused of fatally stabbing his girlfriend during a frenzied attack in Palm Springs ignited when she told him that their relationship was finished.    Miguel Hernandez Toscano is charged with first-degree murder, child cruelty and a sentence-enhancing allegation of using a deadly weapon

One of two men accused in a confrontation with sheriff’s deputies that led to an exchange of gunfire, injuring a deputy and one of the suspects in Thousand Palms, pleaded not guilty today to felony charges. Jose Eduardo Rosales Perez, 34, of Desert Hot Springs, and 27-year-old Kristian Galeana were each charged with two felony

Update 10/20/23: Los Angeles residents Mason Barron, 21, and 24-year-old Raymond Garcia were charged along with Byron Lee, 19, of Compton with one felony count each of robbery, grand theft over $950 and organized retail theft, according to court records. Barron, who was also charged with two felony counts each of robbery, grand theft over

A Nov. 28 trial date was confirmed today for twin brothers and another man accused in a robbery that culminated in the shooting death of a 66-year-old man at the Desert Hills Premium Outlets in Cabazon. Emanuel Rick Burt and Elijah Ray Burt, both 20 and of Victorville, are accused with 19-year-old Reginald Charles Trice,

A former Cathedral City policeman accused of assaulting and harassing a former girlfriend must stand trial for making criminal threats and other offenses, a judge ruled today. Claudiu Murzea, 46, of Rancho Cucamonga was arrested earlier this month following a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation into the alleged acts of domestic violence. He had already

A convicted felon who lit a fire that burned 100 acres on the north end of Banning this summer, prompting evacuations, was bound for state prison today to serve a four-year sentence after pleading guilty to arson. Andre Delgado Cox Jr., 45, admitted the felony count during a status hearing Wednesday at the Riverside Hall

A 40-year-old man who sent sexually charged messages to someone he believed was a 14-year-old boy in Palm Desert pleaded guilty today to a felony charge. Brandon Devon Bourgeois of Hemet pleaded guilty Wednesday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio to one felony count of contacting a minor with intent to commit a crime,

An 18-year-old man suspected of fatally shooting a 19-year-old in an apartment in Indio was charged with murder today.   Jacob Matthew Alvin Vargas of Indio was also charged with one felony count each of burglary and being a convicted felon and narcotic addict in possession of a firearm, according to court records. He also faces