Crime

Manuel Tamayo Valadez, 37, was sentenced on Tuesday to seven years in jail for the 2020 abduction of a former girlfriend and threatening her at gunpoint. Valadez was accused of driving the woman around the Coachella Valley and firing a handgun out of the car window. A struggle followed and Valadez crashed the car in

A 38-year-old man was rushed to the hospital after being shot Monday afternoon in Indio. The shooting was reported at around 5:30 p.m. at the Myoma Mobile Home Park in the 79000 block of Avenue 40. Police said the 38-year-old was involved in an altercation with a 34-year-old man. The 34-year-old fired a gun, striking

A sentencing hearing was suspended today for a 30-year-old motorist who perpetrated a series of unexplained attacks on fellow drivers and one bicyclist throughout Palm Springs and is now seeking another psychological evaluation to determine whether he’s eligible for treatment in lieu of prison.   A Riverside jury in March convicted Juaquin Mercer Moraga of Palm

The court granted a defense motion on Friday to place Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputy Christian J. Lopez in a misdemeanor diversion program for his alleged involvement in the 2023 crash that killed bicyclist Christopher Thomas. According to the Riverside County District Attorney’s office, District Attorney Mike Hestrin was opposed to the motion. The court ruling

A Palm Springs Police Department employee accused of fatally rear-ending a 31-year-old motorcyclist, another off-duty PSPD employee, pleaded not guilty today to second-degree murder and other offenses. Juliana Leigh Granados, 25, of Cathedral City allegedly killed 31-year-old PSPD Community Services Officer Nicholas Griego on Thanksgiving. Along with murder, Granados is charged with DUI gross vehicular

An April 7 trial date was confirmed today for a 23-year-old man accused with two others in a shooting at a Coachella Valley residence. Caillou Marcus Renteria of Coachella is charged with attempted murder, shooting at an inhabited dwelling and a sentence-enhancing gun use allegation for the 2022 attack. During a status hearing at the

Two suspected vandals accused of causing more than $10,000 of damage to public and private property in Coachella Valley made initial court appearances today. Austin Levens of Desert Hot Springs and Jayce Creeden of Rancho Mirage, who were 27 and 23 at the time of arrest, respectively, each pleaded not guilty to a felony count

A Palm Springs resident accused of fatally shooting a man in Desert Hot Springs in 2022 must stand trial on a murder charge, a judge ruled today. Richard Douglas Taylor Jr., 33, was held to answer Wednesday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio. He previously pleaded not guilty to a felony murder count —

A person was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after a two-vehicle crash in Palm Desert Tuesday afternoon. The crash was reported at around 1:10 p.m. near Cook Street and 42nd Avenue. “One of the vehicles was a truck containing pool cleaning chemicals, which spilled as a result of the collision,” writes Lieutenant

A Marine has been arrested on suspicion of killing his wife in Twentynine Palms, authorities announced. U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Carlos Zamudio, 23, from Twentynine Palms, was arrested early Sunday morning at the Hi-Desert Medical Center in Joshua Tree, after being accused of the murder of Savannah Encke, 21, of Twentynine Palms. According to the