A 41-year-old man accused of killing his roommate and two cats in their Cathedral City apartment re-entered a not guilty plea to murder today. Joseph Ortega initially pleaded not guilty to the murder charges Nov. 3, 2022, during his first court appearance in the case. At the Larson Justice Center in Indio, Ortega re-entered a
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One of two men suspected in the 2018 fatal shooting of a jiu-jitsu instructor in Cathedral City re-entered a not guilty plea today to murder. Kipko Griffin, 49, initially pleaded not guilty to the charges July 27, 2023, during his first court appearance in the case. At the end of a preliminary hearing April 9,
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A 24-year-old man who joined his brother in a takeover robbery at a Banning cannabis store, where two people were stabbed and another almost shot, was convicted today of attempted murder and other offenses. Following nearly a week of deliberations, a Riverside jury found Raymond Emilio Paul Matus of Beaumont guilty of the attempted
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Four Indio residents, including three who are already in custody, were arrested on suspicion of attempting to smuggle drugs into Riverside County jail facilities. In February, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office Corrections Investigation Bureau began an investigation into inmates coordinating with a subject outside of the jail facilities to smuggle narcotics into the jail by
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An employee of a store at an outlet mall in Cabazon was pepper-sprayed during a robbery Wednesday evening. The robbery was first reported at around 5:00 p.m. at a business on the 48000 block of Seminole Drive, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office. “The reporting party stated items were taken from the business by
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Riverside police Chief Larry Gonzalez said today a yearlong joint local-federal law enforcement investigation that interdicted the trafficking of fentanyl and other potentially deadly narcotics in the metropolitan area was aimed at “safeguarding the community,” netting 15 arrests and the seizure of large quantities of illicit drugs. “We will continue leveraging every available resource
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The number of arrests made during the second weekend of the 2024 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival were up 40% compared to last year, police said today. From Friday morning to Sunday night, the Indio Police Department made a total 112 arrests at the festival, according to department spokesman Ben Guitron. That compares to
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A person suspected of driving under the influence crashed after trying to flee from police during a traffic stop in Coachella, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office confirmed. The incident happened at around 11:25 a.m. in the area of Jackson Street and Avenue 50. A deputy conducted a traffic stop and a suspected that the driver
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Desert Hot Springs Police is investigating a shooting after a man was found injured Sunday night. The shooting happened just before 7 p.m. on Palm Drive near San Diego Drive. When officers arrived they found a 19-year-old man shot in his lower body with non-life injuries. Police say, the incident did not take place inside
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Authorities said an outage that left hundreds of customers without power in Indio Tuesday night was caused by a copper wire thief. Power went out to approximately 735 customers at around 9:30 p.m., according to the Imperial Irrigation District. “The theft of the ground wires caused an underground primary wire to burn up, forcing district
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Border Patrol agents seized several packages of methamphetamine found hidden within an ice chest of fish at the Calexico West Port of Entry over the weekend. The incident occurred Sunday at around 8:39 p.m. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, CBP officers encountered a 34-year-old man driving a 2021 sedan through the vehicle SENTRI
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Investigators from the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office are asking for the public’s help locating relatives of a Mexican national killed and dumped alongside a regional highway 35 years ago, hoping to let them know the fate of their loved one. Jorge Lopez Serrano was shot to death in March 1989, and his remains
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Despite the big crowds, snarled traffic and other challenges, the number of arrests during the first weekend of the 2024 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival were down 20% compared to last year’s starting weekend, authorities said today. The Indio Police Department’s detention and citation figures for Friday morning to Sunday night at the
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A 30-year-old transient accused of igniting a fire that destroyed four businesses in a Palm Desert strip mall was charged today with recklessly causing a fire resulting in property damage and other offenses. Natalie Ann Marie Radu was arrested Sunday following a Cal Fire arson investigation at the Plaza de Monterey Shopping Center. Along with
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A convicted felon who stored thousands of fentanyl pills, as well as large quantities of methamphetamine and heroin, for sale out of his Cherry Valley home was bound for state prison today to serve a 10-year sentence. Julio Cesar Castillo, 52, pleaded guilty in February to three counts of possession of controlled substances for
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Update 4/16/24 CAL FIRE announced that a suspect was arrested in connection with the fire. The suspect, a 30-year-old woman, is facing multiple charges including arson. She’s been booked by CAL FIRE Prevention Officers into the Smith Detention Center in Banning, where she remains on $100,000 bail. Original Report 4/14/24 Cal Fire is still on
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A New York man who was allegedly posing as a priest to commit burglaries was arrested in Moreno Valley, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department announced today. Law enforcement agencies across the U.S. were on the lookout for the serial burglar who was allegedly posing as “Father Martin.” The suspect allegedly gained access to churches by
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A Desert Hot Springs man was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison for trafficking large quantities of fentanyl and cocaine to Connecticut, the Department of Justice announced. Victor Rodriguez-Gomez, 49, also known as “Calami,” was officially sentenced on Thursday to 156 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. On Dec. 4,
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Three people from Chile were arrested after a theft at a jewelry store in the El Paseo area of Palm Desert. The theft was reported at around 1:30 p.m. on the 73000 block of El Paseo in Palm Desert. Staff told police that the thieves stole high-valued pieces of jewelry and fled the location. “The
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An attempted armed robbery suspect was in custody Tuesday evening after a violent confrontation with store clerks in Palm Springs at a South Palm Canyon Drive business near West Baristo Road. Police did not reveal the store’s name, but said a man tried to steal merchandise from a business on the 300 block of South Palm Canyon
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