One of two convicted felons accused of perpetrating an unemployment benefits scam that involved inmates at Ironwood State Prison in Blythe and netted over $500,000 in stolen funds pleaded not guilty today to 48 charges. Brandon Christopher Avery, 28, of San Bernardino was arrested last week following a months-long investigation by the Riverside County District
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PALM DESERT (CNS) – Four people were behind bars today after leading Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies on a high-speed pursuit after a string of commercial robberies in Palm Desert. On Thursday, sheriff’s deputies arrested three San Jose residents, ages 25, 36, and 39, along with a 33-year-old Indio woman after the group allegedly committed multiple
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A TikTok video showing a student damaging school property and threatening violence against a peace officer has led to the arrest of a student. It’s also a reason officials are urging parents to address social media use with their school-aged children. A Palm Desert High School Resource Deputy was made aware of the post on
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An Indio man was behind bars today after pleading not guilty Monday to charges related to a 2012 shooting that killed an Indio woman and left another man injured. John Paul Cortina, 36, was arrested on Oct. 14 for suspicion of carrying out the shooting in Indio on July 11, 2012, according to Benjamin Guitron,
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An arrest has been made in a murder investigation dating back to 2012. Indio Police confirmed on Tuesday that a suspect was arrested in the killing of Isela Duran, 45. Duran was one of two people shot on the night of July 11, 2012, at the intersection of Daisy Street and Primrose Avenue, just a
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The Riverside County Coroner’s Office has released the identity of the man killed in an officer-involved shooting last week on Interstate 10 in Palm Springs. Russell Leggett, 30, of Idyllwild was pronounced dead on Thursday after following a police pursuit that ended in a shooting. Police said the pursuit began at around midnight when Leggett
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El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents discovered a fake FexEx truck with undocumented individuals smuggled into the United States. The discovery happened Thursday afternoon near the Highway 111 checkpoint not far from Niland. According to Border Patrol, agents spotted the white delivery van “exhibiting signs consistent with human smuggling.” There were no details as to
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A Thermal man was killed in a “brutal attack” by a bat-wielding assailant three years ago, a prosecutor told jurors today, but a defense attorney said there was doubt about the circumstances of the fatality, suggesting the alleged attacker was actually defending himself during a fight. Saul Mayoral, 53, is accused in the March 23,
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A man pleaded guilty to charges related to the harboring and concealing suspects in the murder of Coachella Valley couple Jonathan Darling Reynoso and Audrey Moran. On Sept. 10, Jesus Ruiz Jr. pleaded guilty to two counts of wilfully and unlawfully having knowledge of the murders of Reynoso and Moran as well as harboring and
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A convicted felon accused of stealing a vehicle with a toddler inside in Desert Hot Springs was ordered today to stand trial on kidnapping and other felony charges. Yadira Dolores Flores, 31, of Desert Hot Springs is charged with kidnapping, wilful child cruelty, vehicle theft, receiving a stolen vehicle and sentence-enhancing allegations of committing an
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UPDATE: Traffic is flowing normally on Interstate 10 in Palm Springs following a deadly officer-involved shooting Thursday morning. Authorities say that a suspect shot at a Banning Police Officer after midnight today, during a traffic stop off of Highway 243 in Banning. The suspect fled the scene, but a pursuit began later after he was
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The Desert Hot Springs Police Department is inviting parents to attend a town hall meeting to address recent violence at the high school. The town hall meeting will be held Monday, Oct. 18 at 6 p.m. inside the Desert Hot Springs City Hall. DHSPD Chief Jim Henson will host the meeting. Students Say There Are
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A 28-year-old probationer accused of ramming a Banning patrol car while fleeing in a stolen vehicle, then eluding law enforcement for a month, was charged today with assault on a peace officer with a deadly weapon and other felonies. Jessie Edward Robey of Yucaipa was arrested and booked Tuesday into the Smith Correctional Facility in
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The Riverside County Hazardous Device team has declared the item found on the lawn this morning in front of Palm Springs City Hall “not dangerous”. The small group of employees who were evacuated have since returned to their office, and business at and around the building is back to normal. This was after part of
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A former Shadow Hills High School boys’ basketball coach pleaded not guilty today to charges of sexually assaulting a teenage girl. Ryan Leron Towner, 35, was arrested on June 10 stemming from a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation. The alleged conduct occurred between May and July 2018, according to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.
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A 29-year-old man suspected of joining a cohort in trying to rob a Hemet motorist was killed when the victim drove his vehicle into a ditch while fighting to get away, pinning the suspect against the side of the car, authorities said today. Robert Lee Casas of Hemet was fatally injured shortly after 8 p.m.
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A 51-year-old Cathedral City resident charged with a trio of attacks on women in Aliso Viejo dating back to January 2020 was extradited from Anchorage, Alaska, and was being booked into Orange County Jail. Robert Daniel Yucas, an Army veteran and cargo pilot, is suspected of sexually assaulting a woman last month near Pacific Park
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An 86-year-old man convicted of killing one pedestrian and injuring another while driving drunk in Palm Springs was sentenced to 15 years to life in state prison today. On Sept. 1, an Indio jury convicted Palm Springs resident Leroy Silva of murder, DUI causing bodily injury, DUI causing bodily injury with a blood-alcohol level of
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Deputies from the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station will be adding “extra law enforcement staff” at the high school football game this Friday, “to help ensure that the athletes and fans are safe.” Investigators say there are currently no credible threats at this time. The additional security is coming after the investigation of a stabbing at
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A 41-year-old felon was legally sane when he killed his father’s girlfriend in Thermal, jurors decided today. Raul Alcantar Sanchez Jr. was convicted last week of murder for killing 34-year-old Carolina Vargas in November 2012, and the trial immediately moved into the sanity phase at the Larson Justice Center in Indio. Jurors reached their conclusion
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