Crime

Deputies are searching the area after a pursuit ended in a rollover crash Monday night in Mecca. The incident started at around 9:10 p.m. Deputies were called out to the area of Hammond Road and Johnson Street in Mecca regarding a suspicious vehicle. Deputies arrived at the scene, found the vehicle, and attempted a traffic

A 44-year-old found dead from apparent gunshot wounds over the weekend in Coachella was identified by the coroner’s office. Roman Gamboa Jr. of Coachella was found dead Saturday at around 3:20 a.m. on the 85400 block of Cairo Street. According to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were originally called to the 51800 block of

A 23-year-old man who stole nearly 500 gallons of diesel fuel from the Mecca Travel Center pleaded guilty to a theft-related count and was immediately sentenced to two years of probation. Huntington Park resident Eliseo Laglera entered a guilty plea to one count of grand theft of over $950 on Friday at the Larson Justice

A Romanian national flagged by the FBI as part of an organized crime group pleaded guilty to a theft charge stemming from her arrest in Palm Desert for allegedly stealing a man’s necklace. Marcideza Dumitru was immediately sentenced to 24 months of probation after entering a guilty plea to one felony count of grand theft

An autopsy was pending today on a 40-year-old inmate who died at the Byrd Detention Center under circumstances that officials said did not appear suspicious. Johnnie Curtis Stevens of Norco was discovered unconscious in his cell, No. 89 of the FH Block, at the Murrieta jail just after 10 a.m. Friday, according to the Riverside

Three people were arrested after a police pursuit in connection with train burglaries in the Coachella Valley. The incident started at around 9:00 a.m., deputies were dispatched to the area of Lincoln Street and Avenue 60 in Thermal regarding found property. The reporting party told police that they found items that were possibly stolen and

Charges were filed today against five of eight suspects identified by police in connection with a physical altercation in Palm Springs.    Three Hemet residents — 18-year-old Erik Carranza, 20-year-old Amari Haynes and 22-year-old Jabarrielijah Elliott — as well as 18-year-old San Jacinto resident Kimora Browne and 19-year-old Bermuda Dunes resident Teiyanie Burns each pleaded

A trial date was confirmed today for a 41-year-old man accused of killing his roommate and his pet cats in their Cathedral City apartment. Joseph Ortega was initially accused after his roommate, Jova Saint Ives Geller, was found dead in the residence, as well as Geller’s two pet cats, according to police. The defendant initially