An Indio jury began its first full day of deliberations today in the trial of a probationer accused of gunning down a Mecca man outside his home while searching for the victim’s brother — the real target of the defendant’s wrath. Gilbert Contreras Martinez Jr., 36, of Coachella, is charged with murder, being a
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An upcoming trial date was finalized today for a 32-year-old man accused of stabbing another man in Indio in December 2021. Juan Felipe Hernandez Jr. of Indio was arrested Jan. 3, 2022 for allegedly killing Montel Robinson at Miles Avenue Park one month prior, according to a statement from the Indio Police Department. The defendant
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A man in a father-son duo was sentenced to two years probation today for his role in running an illegal marijuana extraction operation inside their Indio home, sparking a fire that led to an explosion that injured several firefighters. Javriel Rodriguez Ochoa, 64, and Alexander Samuel Ochoa, 37, entered guilty pleas in January at
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A Beaumont man accused of causing the death of his girlfriend’s 4-year-old daughter, whose remains were found in an apartment with him and the woman after they had overdosed on drugs, must stand trial for murder and other charges, a judge ruled on Friday. Tyler Lawrence Finley, 28, was arrested in 2020 following a Beaumont
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Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a 17-year-old from Cathedral City accused of a school violence threat posted online. The investigation began Wednesday evening. Deputies received a report a report of school violence threats posted online against Rancho Mirage High School, the Sheriff’s Office announced Friday. RSO investigators worked with the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI)
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Three boys who allegedly ignited a 600-acre wildfire while playing with fireworks that destroyed seven Riverside homes are facing more than two dozen felony arson-related charges, authorities announced today. “This fire was caused by illegal use of fireworks,” Riverside Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson said during a news briefing at City Hall Thursday afternoon. “All
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A Palm Springs man pleaded guilty to scheming to defraud the IRS out of more than $2.1 million and to fraudulently obtaining nearly $1 million of COVID-19 economic relief loans, the Department of Justice announced. William Mandel Musgrow, 48, pleaded guilty on Thursday to one count of wire fraud and one count of aiding and
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A death sentence was recommended today for a Jurupa Valley man who killed his estranged wife, while jurors recommended life in prison without the possibility of parole for the defendant’s nephew in the quarter-century-old slaying for which another man had been wrongfully convicted. A Riverside jury deliberated roughly two days before returning with recommendations in
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Two Los Angeles residents were arrested in connection with break-ins at homes in Indian Wells and Rancho Mirage. The investigation began in July after the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office received multiple reports of residential burglaries in both cities. “The suspects targeted neighborhoods and gained entry by breaking glass doors and windows. The suspects stole high-valued
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A suspect is in custody after a standoff Tuesday morning in Palm Desert. The incident started just after 9:00 a.m. on the 76000 block of Oklahoma Avenue, north of the intersection of California Drive and Fred Waring Drive. A spokesperson with the agency said deputies responded to a report of a domestic violence incident that
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16 drivers suspected of driving under the influence were arrested over a nearly three-week period in Palm Springs, police announced. PSPD said the enforcement efforts were part of a national “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” mobilization campaign where additional officers were on patrol throughout the country to take suspected impaired drivers off the road.
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A Coachella man was pronounced dead after a shooting Monday morning on the 85000 block of Valley Road in Coachella. Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies were called to the area at just before 5:30 a.m. to respond to reports of a shooting at an inhabited dwelling, the agency told News Channel 3. The reporting party told
Continue Reading A 44-year-old man was arrested in Murrieta for allegedly soliciting sex from someone he believed to be a minor online after a month-long undercover operation, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said today. Deputies from the sheriff’s Southwest Station Investigations Bureau conducted an operation in which they posed as a 14-year-old girl online and arranged
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A woman who aided her boyfriend in killing an 18-year-old woman who witnessed him perpetrate an attempted murder was sentenced today to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Maury Duarte, 32, was convicted in June of first-degree murder and special circumstance allegations of killing a witness to a crime and lying in wait,
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A man accused of sexually assaulting a woman in Bermuda Dunes shortly after he allegedly tried to assault another woman was identified and arrested, authorities announced. Linnell Letice Wilson, 21, of Palm Desert, was arrested Sunday near the 73000 block of Country Club Drive in Palm Desert, according to an updated statement from the Riverside
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Desert Daze, an annual music festival on the shores of Lake Perris in the fall, has been canceled because of ballooning costs and low ticket sales, organizers confirmed today. “We are heartbroken to announce that `Desert Daze’ … is canceled,” according to a statement released on the Desert Daze fest website. “Due to rising production
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A 39-year-old woman who fatally shot her husband during a dispute at their Coachella home was sentenced today to 50 years to life in prison. An Indio jury deliberated less than a day in June before finding Cindy Gicela Parra Hernandez guilty of first-degree murder for the 2022 slaying of Francisco Lopez. Jurors also convicted
Continue Reading A Romanian national flagged by the FBI as part of an organized crime group pleaded not guilty today to a theft charge stemming from her arrest in Palm Desert for allegedly stealing a man’s necklace. Marcideza Dumitru pleaded not guilty to one felony count of grand theft of another person’s property at the Larson Justice
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A judge today set a trial date for a parolee accused of shooting a then-14-year-old girl in the head while she was riding in a vehicle with four other children in Indio. Vicente Manuel Reyes, 25, of Thousand Palms was arrested three days after the shooting on May 20, 2018. He initially pleaded not
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A Desert Hot Springs man accused of giving a fatal dose of fentanyl to his then-17-year-old girlfriend in an unincorporated area of Riverside County near Desert Hot Springs two years ago made an initial court appearance today. Michael Garcia pleaded not guilty to felony counts of willful child cruelty and giving a minor a controlled
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