INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – Arrests during weekend 1 of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival were up from last year, Indio police announced. According to police, there were 95 total arrests over the weekend, which is an increase of 17% from last year’s numbers during the same weekend. Last year, there were 81 arrests.
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UPDATE 4/16/2025: INDIO (CNS) – A pool serviceman accused of fatally beating a 93-year-old Palm Desert woman during a robbery took steps to prevent forensic evidence from surfacing that might link him to the crime, a prosecutor said Wednesday. Benjamin Cabrera Briones, 62, of Thousand Palms is charged with first-degree murder, burglary, forgery and special
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CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. (KESQ) – A report released last month showed Californians lost $3.54 billion to cybercrime in the form of scams, fraud, and ransomware. While it’s easy to brush off this data and think you’d never fall victim to an online scam, one Cathedral City man, Bill Lewis, learned his lesson the hard way. Just a
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MURRIETA, Calif. (KESQ) – Prosecution testimony got underway today in the trial of a 21-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting and trying to kidnap a Thermal girl as she walked home from school. Christian Daniel Arreola of Coachella was arrested in 2022 following a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation into the alleged attack on the
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Editor’s Note: We have removed the name and photo of the suspect after charges were not filed due to insufficient evidence, Indio police and the District Attorney’s office said. Police said they are aware that the suspect was not charged in this crime and they will continue to work the case, and if they get
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LA QUINTA, Calif. (KESQ) — Multiple Coachella festivalgoers contacted News Channel 3, saying their belongings were stolen from their hotel rooms while they were away at the festival. Ellie Brownridge said she’s attended Coachella for years with her best friend, Zoe Grober. Grober said they’ve stayed at La Quinta Resort & Club before. “We always
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PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ)– Davis Solomon Darvish, 40, was taken into custody Saturday after allegedly claiming he would be responsible for a bombing at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival. Darvish is being held on one million dollars bail at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Center. His arraignment date is set for Wednesday at
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RIVERSIDE COUNTY, Calif. (KESQ) – The Riverside County District Attorney filed a felony complaint on Friday against suspect Gohar Kagramanyan, charging her with violation of California Penal Code sections 422(a) and 422.6(a) – Criminal Threats and Hate Crimes. Her arraignment is scheduled for Monday, April 14 in Indio. Due to the nature and severity of
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MORONGO VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) – A Morongo Valley woman was arrested on Wednesday, accused of possessing illegal drugs – and investigators say this isn’t the first time. On Wednesday night, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies made a traffic stop on the woman in the area of Sunburst Street and Hilltop Drive in Joshua Tree. Sheriff’s
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INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) –Â U.S. Border Patrol agents at the El Centro Sector arrested two United States citizens on Tuesday, accusing them of attempting to smuggle two children illegally into the U.S. Agents report an SUV approached the Highway 86 immigration checkpoint, driven by a woman accompanied by another woman in the front passenger seat. Two
Continue Reading MURRIETA, Calif. (KESQ) – A jury was seated Thursday for the trial of a 21-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting and trying to kidnap a Thermal girl as she walked through a field on her way home from school. Christian Daniel Arreola of Coachella was arrested in 2022 following a Riverside County Sheriff’s Office investigation
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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. Â Â 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. Â Â 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) Â – 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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