Crime

A 22-year-old felon convicted in Riverside County was killed at Soledad State Prison in Salinas, state officials said today.    Jaime Brugada was fatally assaulted sometime between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. Tuesday at the medium-security all-male facility, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The agency said in a statement that Brugada

A 33-year-old man suspected of breaking into a woman’s apartment in Palm Springs to sexually assault her pleaded not guilty to six felony charges today.   Fernando Javier Hernandez of Coachella was charged with one felony count each of assault with intent to commit rape, attempted rape by force or fear, assault on a person causing

Jury selection continued today in the trial of an unlicensed driver accused of killing a Tour de Palm Springs bicyclist and severely injuring another when he lost control of his car while high on drugs and speeding to get around the competitors in Indio Hills.   Ronnie Ramon Huerta Jr., 26, of Desert Hot Springs is

A suspect got away with nearly 60 pounds of meth provided during an undercover operation by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, the agency confirmed on Thursday. The undercover operation happened Wednesday at around 4:00 p.m. The agency did not share where this took place. “…the Riverside County Sheriff’s narcotics investigators from the Special Investigation Bureau

A 28-year-old Coachella Valley man who fatally stabbed his girlfriend during a frenzied attack, as well as burned down her house and killed her dog, was convicted today of first-degree murder and other charges, setting the stage for a sanity trial to determine if he was mentally incompetent at the time of the slaying.   

A 38-year-old Cathedral City man was arrested in connection with an investigation related to several commercial, residential, and Desert X vehicle burglaries. Deputies from the Palm Desert Burglary Suppression Unit began their investigation into the burglaries in January, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. During the investigation, deputies identified the Cathedral City resident as

A 36-year-old man who fatally beat a 77-year-old woman living in the same Palm Desert apartment complex pleaded guilty to murder today. During a hearing Wednesday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, Ryan Alkana additionally admitted to a sentence-enhancing allegation of using a weapon during a felony, according to court records. He’s set to

Jury deliberations got underway today in the trial of a 28-year-old Coachella Valley man accused of fatally stabbing his girlfriend during a frenzied attack possibly stemming from drug use. Christian Alejandro Pacheco is charged with murder, arson, assault with a deadly weapon, animal cruelty and a sentence-enhancing allegation of using a deadly weapon in the

Two people suspected of breaking into multiple vehicles in Joshua Tree in March were later spotted using stolen credit cards at the Palm Desert Walmart, authorities said The thefts were reported at around 5:00 p.m. on March 8 at the Hemingway Parking Lot. There was no word on how many cars were broken into. The

A 43-year-old man who stabbed another man on a bus in Desert Hot Springs pleaded guilty today to felony charges and was immediately sentenced to four years and eight months in state prison. Israel Eduardo Perez of Desert Hot Springs pleaded guilty Tuesday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio to one felony count each

 A 41-year-old man who was involved in a 2019 street racing collision that killed two senior citizens in Coachella pleaded guilty to felony charges today. Angel Ramirez pleaded guilty Tuesday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio to two counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence stemming from the May 17, 2019, crash that killed

A 43-year-old man accused of fatally shooting a man in the head several times in Palm Springs re-entered a not guilty plea today to a murder charge. Jeffrey Burgess of Sky Valley is charged with one felony count of murder for the June 22, 2021, killing of 44-year-old Jose Sosa of Coachella and faces a

Two 18-year-old men suspected with two 16-year-old boys in an armed carjacking of a 75-year-old woman in La Quinta pleaded not guilty to felony charges today. Daryl Haxiel Urbano of Coachella and David Reyes III of Palm Desert were charged with one felony count each of carjacking and robbery, according to court records. They additionally

Charges were filed today against a 25-year-old woman suspected of driving under the influence and assaulting an officer in Palm Springs. Melinda Leigh Haley of Desert Hot Springs was charged with three misdemeanor counts of assault against an officer and one misdemeanor count each of driving under the influence and battery on an officer, according

A 33-year-old homeless man suspected of starting a small brush fire in Palm Springs earlier this week was charged today with one felony count of arson to a non-dwelling. Anthony Cordero, a homeless man residing in Palm Springs, is set to be arraigned Thursday afternoon at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.    Officers responded

A 45-year-old felon who stole a vehicle from a motorist at gunpoint in Thermal pleaded guilty today to felony charges and was immediately sentenced to five years in state prison. David Luis Baker of La Quinta pleaded guilty Wednesday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio to one felony count each of carjacking, robbery and