Crime

Jury selection got underway today for the trial of a 24-year-old man accused of joining his brother in a violent takeover robbery at a Banning cannabis store, where two people were stabbed and another shot. Raymond Emilio Paul Matus of Beaumont is charged with armed robbery attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and sentence-enhancing

A 20-year-old woman was arrested after Border Patrol agents found 34 pounds of cocaine hidden in her vehicle’s trunk at the Highway 86 checkpoint. The incident happened on the afternoon of March 19. According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a black sedan approached the primary inspection area of the U.S. Border Patrol’s immigration

Felony charges were filed today against a 41-year-old man suspected of multiple window-smash burglaries throughout the Coachella Valley over the past two months. Charles Emmanuel Cobb of Indio was charged with one felony count each of burglary and vandalism, according to court records. He’s set to be arraigned on the charges Friday afternoon at the

A Murrieta jury today deadlocked in the retrial of a convicted felon involved in a street racing crash in Rancho Mirage that killed an 81-year-old woman, prompting the judge to declare a mistrial and setting the stage for a potential third murder trial. After deliberating only a day, jurors declared themselves unable to overcome an

A 41-year-old man suspected of multiple window-smash burglaries throughout the Coachella Valley over the last two months was behind bars today. The suspect, an Indio resident, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of 17 counts of commercial burglary, according to Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Patrick Mushinskie. The burglaries occurred at numerous businesses throughout the Coachella

A 27-year-old man pleaded guilty today to sexually assaulting a woman in Rancho Mirage at the end of last year.    Reginald Demond Macon Jr. of Indio pleaded guilty Wednesday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio to one felony count of rape by force or fear, according to court records. He is set to

Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies apprehended two people, including a possible wanted felon, after a pursuit ended near Bagdouma Park in Coachella. Deputies attempted a traffic stop at around 2:30 p.m. at Bagdad Avenue and Mecca Avenue. According to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, two occupants fled from the vehicle, however, deputies were able to detain

A Desert Hot Springs man was convicted today of fatally shooting his wife of three years in their home and endangering their children, who were all under 4 years old. James Daniel Fidler III, 34, was found guilty of second-degree murder and four counts of child endangerment, according to Riverside County District Attorney’s office spokesman

Two murder suspects from Washington state were arrested in Blythe and are set to be extradited, police said today.    Philip James Brewer, 32, and Christina Joel Hardy, 47, were arrested Thursday on suspicion of murder, according to the Blythe Police Department Officers responded at 1 a.m. that day to information about two possible murder

California Highway Patrol investigators today requested the public’s help identifying the motorist who ran over and killed a 29-year-old pedestrian on Interstate 10 in Banning, then fled the scene. Christina Rodriguez of Banning was fatally struck in the hit-and-run on eastbound I-10, roughly a quarter-mile east of Eighth Street, on March 13.    CHP Officer

A 38-year-old convicted felon who fatally shot his helper at an illegal marijuana grow in Anza after the man accidentally caused a vehicle to roll over and kill a puppy was sentenced today to 40 years to life in state prison.   A Murrieta jury in February found Benjamin Franklin Winkle guilty ofsecond-degree murder for killing

A felon who killed his 27-year-old girlfriend and her unborn child during an argument at their San Jacinto home was convicted today of two counts of voluntary manslaughter. Following two days of deliberations, a Banning jury returned with the manslaughter verdicts against Angel Martine McIntire, 29, of Beaumont, convicting him of the lesser offenses rather

A probationer and his cohort accused of killing a 31-year-old Cabazon man whose remains still haven’t been located must stand trial for murder, a judge ruled today. Richard Eugene Seevers, 59, of Banning and Frank Edward Mansfield, 48, of Cabazon were arrested last August following a two-year Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation into the disappearance