RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – Motorists inclined to imbibe wine, spirits, green beer and other beverages in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day should not chance their luck drinking and driving, Riverside County sheriff’s officials said today. The sheriff’s department is slated to deploy deputies for saturation patrols and other traffic duties a week from today as
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Update – 3/14/25 John Chavarria was found and arrested Wednesday, March 12, at a residence on the 7400 Block of Kellogg Avenue in Twentynine Palms. He was found at the residence with another wanted suspect. Chavarria was booked into Morongo Basin jail, where he is being held without bail. He faces charges of attempted murder
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TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. (KESQ) – Investigators with the Morongo Basin Sheriff’s Station released a surveillance photo of a suspect wanted for a shooting at Twentynine Palms motel on Wednesday. The shooting happened at the Motel 6 on the 72500 Block of Twentynine Palms Highway. Deputies responded to the scene and learned that a motel guest,
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On Thursday, U.S. Border Patrol posted photos on social media of illegal guns meant to go to Mexico that are now off the streets. Federal officers seized the weapons at the Calexico port of entry before they could get into Mexico, writing on social media, “Looks like someone’s export business hit a snag!”
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RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – Jury deliberations got underway today in the trial of a former Palm Desert High School football coach accused of running over and killing a 64-year-old caregiver while driving under the influence. Cameron Francis Curtis, 33, of Palm Desert allegedly fatally struck Nancy Valdes, also of Palm Desert, in 2023. Curtis
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INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A 34-year-old man was found guilty of gunning down his estranged wife at a mobile home park in La Quinta while inflamed over notions she was having affairs with other men. Jose Valles Meza of La Quinta was found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Patricia Cesena, also of
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CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. (KESQ) – The Cathedral City Police Department presented its annual crime statistics report to the City Council on Wednesday, highlighting a 10% overall reduction in violent crime in 2024. The department says the decline in violent crime can be attributed to a strong community engagement, among other factors. The department also noted that
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A Yucca Valley man was arrested after allegedly calling dispatch, requesting deputies respond to his location so that he could fight them. Authorities said the 32-year-old man called the Sheriff’s dispatch on Sunday night. “He cursed at the dispatcher and demanded deputies respond so he could fight them. Deputies did not respond,” reads a news
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INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) — Opening statements were made today as the trial for Adam Slater, who was found guilty on all counts last week for killing his one-year-old daughter and stabbing his pregnant wife in 2020, continues into its second phase. During this phase, jurors will determine if Slater will receive the death penalty or
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BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) – A convicted felon accused of carjacking a motorist at knifepoint in Calimesa and leading law enforcement officers on a chase into the Coachella Valley was charged today with kidnapping and other offenses. Steven Christopher Mata, 33, of San Diego was arrested Sunday morning following the pursuit by Riverside County sheriff’s
Continue Reading CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. (KESQ) – A probationer is awaiting charges today after Cathedral City police allegedly found two guns and drugs during a compliance check last week, authorities said. The department’s Post-Release Accountability and Compliance Team conducted the check Thursday in Desert Hot Springs on a man previously arrested on suspicion of a stolen vehicle,
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DESERT HOT SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – A man was arrested in Desert Hot Springs today after police allegedly found bags of methamphetamine on his car’s front seat. Officers responded to a report of a suspicious person early Tuesday morning and found the suspect standing outside his vehicle, according to the Desert Hot Springs Police Department.
Continue Reading UPDATE – 3/11/2025: INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – Jury deliberations began Tuesday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio in the trial of Jose Valles Meza. After more than a week of testimony, the prosecution called its final witness Monday afternoon. Riverside County Superior Court Judge James Hawkins ordered jurors to return to the courthouse Tuesday,
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PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – A 15-year-old boy remained in custody today after allegedly running multiple red lights on a mini motorcycle and being found with an illegally possessed firearm in Palm Springs. A member of the Palm Springs Police Department observed the teenager on the motorcycle at approximately 8 p.m. Friday, according to
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CABAZON, Calif. (KESQ) – Steve De Leon was always friendly to everyone in the Coachella Valley, according to Bob Simpson, a close friend. De Leon was pronounced dead after a vehicle struck his bicycle and fled the scene early Sunday morning in Cabazon. Now, Simpson is honoring his friend’s memory by raising awareness about the crucial role
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CABAZON, Calif. (KESQ) – A bicyclist was pronounced dead after being struck by a vehicle that fled the scene early Sunday morning in Cabazon. The crash was reported at around 1:25 a.m. on Seminole Drive, near Millard Pass Road. Police said the bicyclist was traveling eastbound on Seminole Drive when an unknown vehicle traveling behind
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BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) – An April 25 trial date was confirmed today for a multi-convicted DUI offender accused of killing an off-duty Riverside County sheriff’s deputy and his 19-year-old daughter in a driving-under-the-influence wreck north of San Jacinto. Scott Brandon Bales, 49, of Moreno Valley allegedly caused the 2022 collision that claimed the lives of
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Authorities are searching for a man who attacked a 14-year-old boy who was walking home from school Thursday afternoon in Twentynine Palms. The attack was reported at around 2:20 p.m. near Sunnyslope Drive and La Buena Tierra Avenue. According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, the teen was walking when he was approached by
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YUCCA VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) – Authorities are investigating a suspected murder/suicide after two people were found dead in a home in Yucca Valley Tuesday afternoon. The incident was first reported at around 2:00 p.m. on the 6600 Block of La Habra Avenue. According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, the reporting party said they
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JOSHUA TREE, Calif. (KESQ) – A Desert Hot Springs man was arrested after being accused of embezzling over $300,000 from his former employer, the Mojave Desert Land Trust. Ernesto Jose Frias Ybarra, 45, was arrested on Wednesday. He has been charged with 23 counts of Embezzlement with an enhancement for Aggravated White Collar Crime and
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