Tow truck drivers from around the region gathered in Palm Desert to hold a vigil and procession in honor of a tow truck driver killed in a hit-and-run crash last week. Johnny Sofranko was struck by a vehicle while helping a stranded motorist on the side of the Interstate 10 highway in Palm Desert, east
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Pretrial motions began today ahead of jury selection in the trial of a 48-year-old Coachella Valley man accused of gunning down a motel guest during an altercation in Riverside. Robert Donald Intong of Desert Hot Springs was arrested in 2021 following a Riverside Police Department investigation into the slaying of 31-year-old Cole William Birchard. Intong
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A sentencing date was pending today for three ex-lawmen and a tow company operator who perpetrated a scam that involved the deputies steering business to the proprietor in exchange for bribes. After deliberating barely two days, a Riverside jury on Friday convicted former Riverside County sheriff’s Lt. Samuel Flores, former sheriff’s Sgt. Robert Martin Christolon
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Two men were arrested Sunday afternoon on suspicion of negligently discharging multiple firearms in Coachella. The incident was first reported just before 4:00 p.m. on Camino Coras, just east of Calhoun Street. Deputies were called out for reports of gunfire in the area. Deputies located the residence and a search warrant was authored and served
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Heavy police presence has been reported at an RV park near the unincorporated community of Sky Valley. There is a heavy police presence on the 71000 block of Dillon Road. A spokesperson for the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were first dispatched to the area at around 12:15 p.m. regarding a verbal argument. Deputies determined
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Jury selection is slated to conclude next month for the trial of a Jurupa Valley man and his nephew accused of killing the man’s estranged wife, then framing her boyfriend for the murder, causing the innocent man to spend nearly two decades in prison. Googie Rene Harris Sr., 67, and Joaquin L. Leal, 58, are
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A 38-year-old Riverside County man who distributed fentanyl out of his apartment, sending packets of the powerful synthetic opiate through the U.S. mail, was sentenced today to 19 years in federal prison. Ignacio Alcala pleaded guilty in November in downtown Los Angeles to four federal charges: two counts of distribution of fentanyl, and one
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On the evening of June 27, deputies attempted to stop a vehicle whose driver has a felony warrant, at Highway 62 and North Star Trail in Morongo Valley. According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, the driver failed to yield and a pursuit ensued. The male driver stopped and exited the vehicle at Highway
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A San Bernardino County man was sentenced to up to 10 years in prison and five years of supervised release for conspiring with people to distribute hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills throughout the United States, the Department of Justice announced. Court documents state that on March 17, 2021, George Anthony Manzo, a 37-year-old man
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A 23-year-old man suspected in a late-night shooting that injured two people in Palm Springs must stand trial for attempted murder and assault with a gun, a judge ruled today. Joel Ramirez Benitez of Palm Springs was also held to answer a sentence-enhancing allegation of causing great bodily injury during a preliminary hearing Thursday at
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A suspect was taken into custody after an hours-long standoff at a shopping center in Yucca Valley. The situation started at around 8:00 a.m. at the Stater Bros at 57075 29 Palms Highway. According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, deputies responded to a report of a person inside the store who busted through
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On Wednesday, June 26, at 2:00 PM, deputies assigned to the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station were dispatched to a bank robbery at U.S. Bank in the 72000 block of Highway 111, Palm Desert. Upon arrival, deputies were told that the subject had fled from the location. During the investigation, deputies learned that the suspect had
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A 30-year-old motorist accused of intentionally running down a motorcyclist in Thousand Palms and attempting to flee the scene was charged today with murder. Erick Robert Cowdery of Palm Desert is accused of striking the victim around 1:30 p.m. Sunday at the intersection of Varner and Ramon roads, according to a statement from the Riverside
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Felony charges were filed today against three men accused of burglarizing a pool supply business in South Palm Springs. Christopher Gwin, 49, of Riverside, 44-year-old Robert Firman of Riverside and 51-year-old Kevin Bean of Norco were arrested Sunday afternoon and booked into the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio. All three men were charged
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At 7:25 P.M. on June 25, deputies were dispatched to the area of Grapefruit Boulevard and Tyler Street in Coachella regarding a train with an open cargo container. According to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, deputies determined that a theft had occurred when they arrived to the location. Two suspects were located and taken into
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Investigators have made an arrest in connection with the death of a Cabazon man who was reported missing in April 2021. Shannon McCloud Collins, 47, of Cabazon was arrested after being identified as the suspect in the murder of Zachary Hemminger, 30, of Cabazon. Shannon McCloud Collins Hemminger has been missing since April 2021. During
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Six members of an Outlaw Motorcycle Gang known as “Hells Angels” were arrested today on various violent charges following a joint investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Kern County Sheriff’s Office and the California Highway Patrol. Early this morning, officers arrested Ricardo Alvarez, 42, of Bakersfield, Armando Villasenor, 55,
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A 32-year-old felon was sentenced to 12 years and eight months in prison today for firing a gunshot inside a Desert Hot Springs home and possessing an explosive device. Sean Daniel Bejarano of Desert Hot Springs pleaded guilty to one felony count each of attempted murder, assault with an assault weapon, being a convicted felon
Continue Reading Three western Riverside County residents were arrested in connection with a theft at a pool supply business in Palm Springs. The incident started in the early hours of Sunday morning. According to PSPD, Palm Springs police officers on the graveyard shift responded to an alarm activation at a pool supply business in south Palm Springs.
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A 26-year-old Indio man who shot at several occupied vehicles in Rancho Mirage, injuring one person, was sentenced to five years of probation. Adrian Fuentes pleaded guilty Friday to three felony counts each of shooting at a vehicle and assault with a gun, according to court records. He also admitted a sentence-enhancing firearm allegation. He
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