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INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A convicted felon who choked his girlfriend to death during a domestic confrontation in the parking lot of an Indio condominium complex was awaiting sentencing today after being convicted of second-degree murder. An Indio jury on Wednesday found 44-year-old Eduardo Alvarez of Indio guilty of the 2020 slaying of 32-year-old Madeleine
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RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (KESQ) – A Coachella Valley woman is among four Californians accused of perpetrating a seven-figure insurance scam that involved falsifying insurance policies, state officials said today. An investigation was launched by the California Department of Insurance following a consumer complaint regarding alleged forgery and insurance fraud in insurance policies. The scheme
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LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – Two Indio residents were among a trio arrested in connection with a train theft in Los Angeles County back in 2022. Nathan Munoz, 28, and Karla Torres, 28, both of Indio, along with David Palmer, 47, of Long Beach were arrested. They have been charged with multiple felonies, including Grand Theft
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PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Police used de-escalation and tactical restraint to arrest a person armed with numerous weapons outside of the Palm Springs Walmart Tuesday night. The incident happened just after 11 p.m. at 5601 Ramon Road. “PSPD officers responded to a call at Walmart regarding a male subject armed with a knife and
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CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. (KESQ) – A 60-year-old Hemet man was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence following a crash Wednesday afternoon in Cathedral City. The crash was first reported at around just before 1:50 p.m. near the intersection of Avenida Los Ninos and Ramon Road. According to the Cathedral City Police Department, first
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INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – One of two men accused of robbing a U.S. Postal Service delivery worker in Palm Desert and possibly perpetrating similar offenses in other locations made his initial court appearance today. Luis Alberto Gonzalez, 32, of Victorville was arrested last month along with Jose Estevan Chavarria Jr., 28, of Los Angeles
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PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – Families, community members and city leaders gathered Tuesday night for an emotional vigil honoring Riverside County crime victims. The ceremony, held at Palm Desert Civic Center park, drew dozens of people. District Attorney Mike Hestrin led the vigil and addressed the crowd, pledging continued efforts to seek justice for victims
Continue Reading INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – Jury deliberations began today in the trial of a felon accused of choking his girlfriend to death during a domestic confrontation in the parking lot of an Indio condominium complex. Eduardo Alvarez is charged with first-degree murder in the 2020 slaying of 32-year-old Madeleine Gutierrez, also of Indio. The prosecution
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BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) – A jury was seated today for the trial of an 82-year-old man accused of fatally bludgeoning a senior who had invited him to stay at her and her husband’s Palm Springs home. Stephen Roy McKernan allegedly killed 75-year-old Claire Carsman in 2019. McKernan is charged with first-degree murder and sentence-enhancing
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INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A high-risk traffic stop near two schools in Indio led to a brief lockout Tuesday afternoon. The incident started at around 12:25 p.m. with a report of a dispute between a man and a woman on the 79000 block of State Highway 111 in La Quinta. “The reporting party advised witnessing
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PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – A Palm Springs police officer was hospitalized after being attacked while waking up an unconscious driver. The assault happened on Thursday just before 4:00 p.m. The officer initially responded to the call regarding the report of a driver, identified as Mitchell Harpole, 34, asleep in his vehicle while in the
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PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – A New York man was arrested in Fresno in relation to two unrelated crimes in Palm Springs last week. John Short, 63, of Massapequa, New York, is accused of two separate incidents where he was charged with criminal threats, stalking, and child abduction, Palm Springs police said on Monday. He
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INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – One of two men accused of robbing a U.S. Postal Service delivery worker in Palm Desert and possibly perpetrating similar offenses in other locations pleaded not guilty today to second-degree robbery. Jose Estevan Chavarria Jr., 28, of Los Angeles was arrested last month along with Luis Alberto Gonzalez, 32, of Victorville
Continue Reading Update 4/4/25 The suspects, Luis Alberto Gonzalez, 32, of Victorville and Jose Estevan Chavarria Jr., 28, of Los Angeles, were charged on Friday. Chavarria was set to be arraigned in court on Friday in Riverside, however, court records show that was pushed back to Monday. Gonzalez is set to be arraigned on Tuesday, jail records
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INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – Jury selection got underway today for the trial of a pool serviceman accused of fatally beating a 93-year-old Palm Desert woman during a robbery. Benjamin Cabrera Briones, 62, of Thousand Palms is charged with first- degree murder, burglary, forgery and special-circumstance allegations of killing in the course of a robbery and
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PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – The Palm Springs Police Department will conduct a DUI checkpoint today at an undisclosed location. The checkpoint will be held from 7 p.m. Friday until 2 a.m. Saturday in Palm Springs, according to the department. The location of the checkpoint will be determined by officers based on data
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PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies were called just before 12:30 a.m. Wednesday morning to look into a report of a suspicious person trying to open the front door of a home in the University Park area off Cook Street in Palm Desert. Deputies searched the area and detained a suspect who
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PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department is seeking a woman suspected of using of fraudulent $14,000 transaction using someone else’s credit card at the Palm Desert Costco. The cardholder was notified of the fraud on Feb. 27. “The victim was notified of a $14,000 transaction to her credit card from
Continue Reading BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) – Jury selection began today in the trial of an 82-year-old man accused of fatally bludgeoning a senior who had invited him to stay at her and her husband’s Palm Springs home. Stephen Roy McKernan allegedly killed 75-year-old Claire Carsman in 2019. McKernan is charged with first-degree murder and sentence-enhancing allegations
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BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) – A Banning man who sexually assaulted a developmentally disabled woman over a five-year span pleaded guilty today to forcible sexual penetration. Rene Leonel Robles Cerna, 39, admitted the felony charge under a plea agreement with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. In exchange for his admission, prosecutors agreed to drop six
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