Crime

A 25-year-old man suspected in a high-speed traffic collision that killed three people in Palm Desert re-entered not guilty pleas today to felony charges of murder. Ricardo Adrian Meza of Palm Desert was charged with three counts of murder for the Dec. 28, 2022, deaths of Elena Morron, 84, of Los Angeles, and Anza residents

A pursuit suspect pleaded not guilty in court Wednesday to charges related to a police chase that ended in a crash that injured a baby last week in Thermal. Christopher Gonzalez, 34, was arraigned in court on Tuesday. He was charged with reckless evading of a peace officer, child endangerment, and hit-and-run with injury. The

A Coachella man suspected of trying to kidnap a 15-year-old girl in Thermal re-entered not guilty pleas today to felony charges.    Christian Daniel Arreola, 20, is charged with one felony count each of assault with intent to commit mayhem, sexual battery, and attempted kidnapping, robbery and/or rape. He initially pleaded not guilty to the

A 33-year-old man suspected in a vehicle theft pleaded not guilty today to felony charges in a case where police said they found multiple firearms and home-made explosive devices. Zachary Hernandez was charged with one felony count each of receiving a stolen vehicle, taking a vehicle without the owner’s consent and receiving stolen property, according

Felony charges were filed today against a 33-year-old man suspected in a vehicle theft and two felons suspected of having firearms and an explosive device during a search stemming from the theft investigation.    Zachary Hernandez was charged with one felony count each of receiving a stolen vehicle, taking a vehicle without the owner’s consent,

Jury selection was expected to conclude early next week for the trial of a probationer accused of fatally shooting a man for making moves on his girlfriend at their Coachella residence, then later setting the victim’s remains ablaze in a field in an attempt to cover up the crime.   Hector Ramiro Yamanaka Ruiz, 45, is

Jury deliberations got underway today in the sanity trial for a 37-year-old man who, in the midst of his trial, pleaded guilty to fatally shooting his octogenarian grandparents inside a gated community in Palm Desert more than four years ago.    Frank Scott Castro III pleaded guilty Dec. 4, 2023, to two counts of murder,

A  man suspected with an accomplice of carrying out a series of burglaries in Desert Hot Springs pleaded not guilty today to felony charges. Javien Odell, 32, and Richard Bates, 58, were charged Tuesday with one felony count each of burglary, receiving stolen property and receiving a stolen vehicle, according to court records. Odell pleaded not

A convicted felon accused of stabbing her family’s dog in Banning, then fleeing to another city before she was arrested, was charged today with felony animal cruelty. Natasha Amber Serrano, 34, was taken into custody Sunday and booked into the Smith Correctional Facility following a Banning Police Department investigation. Along with the animal cruelty count,

Two women who took part in a smash-and-grab robbery, allegedly with four men, at a Palm Desert business last year have pleaded guilty to robbery and were each sentenced to two years in state prison.   Destiny Unique Baca, 18, of San Bernardino, and 24-year-old Los Angeles resident Analea Paradise Miller pleaded guilty Tuesday at the

A Riverside County man pleaded guilty to a nearly 20-year Ponzi scheme that scammed more than $24 million from at least 200 investors, the Justice Department announced Tuesday. Paul Horton Smith Sr., 59, of Moreno Valley, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. He faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal

A sanity trial got underway today for a 37-year-old man who, in the midst of his trial, pleaded guilty to fatally shooting his octogenarian grandparents inside a gated community in Palm Desert more than four years ago.   Frank Scott Castro III pleaded guilty Dec. 4, 2024, to two counts of murder, along with a special

Authorities are asking for the public’s help in identifying the driver in a deadly hit-and-run crash over the weekend in Twentynine Palms. The crash happened on Friday, Jan. 5 at approximately 8:41 p.m. on the 75000 block of Amboy Road. Deputies from the Morongo Basin Sheriff’s Station responded to the area following a report of

A 24-year-old man suspected of shooting a 25-year-old man multiple times in a Coachella parking lot must stand trial on an attempted murder charge, a judge ruled today. Issac Vargas additionally faces sentence-enhancing allegations of committing a crime while on bail, causing great bodily injury, and discharging a firearm causing great bodily injury, according to

A 34-year-old man who slipped into an inebriated woman’s room at the Palm Springs hotel where he worked and sexually assaulted her as she lay unconscious had his sentencing date pushed from today to late January. A Banning jury in November deliberated less than a day before finding Alejandro “Alex” Adan of Desert Hot Springs

A 34-year-old man suspected of stabbing three of his family members, one fatally, following a dispute in Indio re-entered not guilty pleas today to felony charges. Anthony William Piña-German of Indio is charged with one felony count of murder and two felony counts of attempted murder, according to court records. He also faces sentence-enhancing allegations