A 30-year-old transient accused of igniting a fire that destroyed four businesses in a Palm Desert strip mall was charged today with recklessly causing a fire resulting in property damage and other offenses. Natalie Ann Marie Radu was arrested Sunday following a Cal Fire arson investigation at the Plaza de Monterey Shopping Center. Along with
Continue Reading
A convicted felon who stored thousands of fentanyl pills, as well as large quantities of methamphetamine and heroin, for sale out of his Cherry Valley home was bound for state prison today to serve a 10-year sentence. Julio Cesar Castillo, 52, pleaded guilty in February to three counts of possession of controlled substances for
Continue Reading
Update 4/16/24 CAL FIRE announced that a suspect was arrested in connection with the fire. The suspect, a 30-year-old woman, is facing multiple charges including arson. She’s been booked by CAL FIRE Prevention Officers into the Smith Detention Center in Banning, where she remains on $100,000 bail. Original Report 4/14/24 Cal Fire is still on
Continue Reading
A New York man who was allegedly posing as a priest to commit burglaries was arrested in Moreno Valley, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department announced today. Law enforcement agencies across the U.S. were on the lookout for the serial burglar who was allegedly posing as “Father Martin.” The suspect allegedly gained access to churches by
Continue Reading
A Desert Hot Springs man was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison for trafficking large quantities of fentanyl and cocaine to Connecticut, the Department of Justice announced. Victor Rodriguez-Gomez, 49, also known as “Calami,” was officially sentenced on Thursday to 156 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. On Dec. 4,
Continue Reading
Three people from Chile were arrested after a theft at a jewelry store in the El Paseo area of Palm Desert. The theft was reported at around 1:30 p.m. on the 73000 block of El Paseo in Palm Desert. Staff told police that the thieves stole high-valued pieces of jewelry and fled the location. “The
Continue Reading
An attempted armed robbery suspect was in custody Tuesday evening after a violent confrontation with store clerks in Palm Springs at a South Palm Canyon Drive business near West Baristo Road. Police did not reveal the store’s name, but said a man tried to steal merchandise from a business on the 300 block of South Palm Canyon
Continue Reading
A teenage driver was killed, and four others were badly injured, in a high-speed wreck in Cathedral City Monday night. The Riverside County Coroner’s Office identified the driver killed as Noah Garcia, 19, of Cathedral City. Police say they also found two loaded and unregistered handguns in a speeding car that slammed into a second
Continue Reading
A 21-year-old man from Whittier was arrested Thursday afternoon on suspicion of driving under the influence and leading police on a pursuit through Indio into the eastern region of the county. The incident started at around 2:15 p.m. when Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies spotted a vehicle in the city of Indio with a driver suspected
Continue Reading
A former Palm Desert pawn shop manager who embezzled $165,000 from his one-time employer pleaded guilty today to felony charges and was immediately sentenced to a year’s probation and a month in jail, as well as ordered to repay all of what he stole. John Doyle Ventling, 42, admitted two counts of grand theft and
Continue Reading
A San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputy was arrested Thursday following an investigation connecting him to an outlaw motorcycle gang. The investigation into Deputy Christopher Bingham and his association with the motorcycle gang dates back to January, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department announced. The agency noted that during the investigation it was learned that Bingham,
Continue Reading
Two Los Angeles area men were arrested in connection with a theft at a business in Palm Desert. Authorities announced a 47-year-old from Glendale, and a 40-year-old from Hollywood were arrested following a short pursuit related to an investigation of an earlier theft. The incident started Monday at around 5:30 p.m. Deputies were called out
Continue Reading
Three Mexican men who were arrested in El Monte with more than 1 million fentanyl pills pleaded guilty today to a federal narcotics charge. At a hearing in Los Angeles federal court, the three defendants — all from Sinaloa, Mexico — entered their pleas to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent
Continue Reading
A Chinese national was arrested after driving onto the Marine base in Twentynine Palms and then ignoring orders to leave, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirmed to News Channel 3. The arrest happened on March 27. According to CBP, El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents were called out to the Marine Corps Air Ground
Continue Reading
An employee of the Beaumont Unified School District was arrested after accusations of sending explicit pictures to a minor. Michele Carrillo, 29, was arrested Thursday afternoon in Beaumont, according to jail records. She was released on $30,000 bail. Carrillo is accused of sending harmful material to seduce a minor and contacting a minor with intent
Continue Reading
A probationer who provided a fatal dose of fentanyl to a 15-year-old girl was sentenced today to 12 years in state prison. James Leon Dailey, 51, of Banning was arrested last July following a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation into the death of the young girl, also of Banning. Dailey last week pleaded guilty
Continue Reading
A 32-year-old man suspected of torturing and killing his 7-month-old son in Indio re-entered not guilty pleas today to felony charges including murder. Jawhon Sherod Burts is also charged with one felony count each of torture and assault on a child under 8 with great bodily injury resulting in death, according to court records. He
Continue Reading
A 29-year-old motorist who perpetrated a series of unexplained attacks on fellow drivers and one bicyclist throughout Palm Springs was convicted today of nearly a dozen charges. After deliberating less than a day, a Riverside jury found Juaquin Mercer Moraga of Palm Springs guilty of three counts of felony assault with a deadly weapon, two
Continue Reading
Marc Huestis is still in disbelief following the brutal murder of his friend, 68-year-old Robert DeTulio. DeTulio was fatally stabbed on Monday by a 22-year-old investigators said he was in a relationship with. The suspect, Evan Steele, has been charged with two felony counts for murder and breaking and entering. Steele pleaded not guilty to
Continue Reading
Female inmates sexually exploited by an ex-Riverside County sheriff’s deputy responsible for supervising them on a home detention program are federally suing the county, sheriff’s administrators and others for alleged civil rights violations, it was announced today. “Deputy (Christian) Heidecker sexually preyed upon the plaintiff(s) and took advantage of (their) vulnerabilities,” according to a
Continue Reading