Editor’s Note: The Riverside County District Attorney’s office issued a correction on its information related to this case. Officials said the charges were dropped because the woman died as the case was ongoing. A Sky Valley woman accused in a 2013 animal hoarding case had her charges dropped following her death, officials said. Bernadette Schwenn,
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A 24-year-old man was in custody today after being sentenced to 48 months of probation and 120 days behind bars for supplying a fatal dose of fentanyl to his 17-year-old girlfriend near Desert Hot Springs. Michael Garcia entered guilty pleas on Sept. 10 at the Larson Justice Center in Indio to felony counts of willful
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Updated post: Investigators announced Thursday night that an hours-long standoff had ended. They said the incident began after a suspect vehicle, which had been involved in an early-morning pursuit, was spotted off San Pascual, near Civic Center Park. A pursuit, which had been reported earlier that morning around 5:30 a.m., began when investigators said the
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Three men accused in a 2020 attack on a man in a Palm Springs mobile home park entered guilty pleas to assault charges today. Â Â Angel Valtierra, 26, Nathan Roldan Ramirez, 25, and Anthony Jose Lopez, 25, each pleaded guilty to one felony count of assault resulting in great bodily injury, according to court records.
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A 27-year-old Corona man accused of leaving La Quinta Middle School with a then-12-year-old girl he had been communicating with via social media was sentenced today after pleading guilty in September. Joshua Meza previously entered guilty pleas to six felony counts of committing a lewd act on a child under 14 and one felony count
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A 38-year-old man suspected of supplying a lethal dose of fentanyl to a 30-year-old man in Palm Desert must stand trial for murder, a judge ruled today. Gregory Michael Gauto of Palm Desert was held to answer to the felony charge Friday at the Riverside Hall of Justice, according to case records. Â Â The defendant
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The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office announced today the receipt of a nearly $1 million grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) aimed at prosecution costs in DUI cases. The $942,459 grant, which covers “a vertical prosecution team of four deputy district attorneys,” was green-lit by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors on
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A man was arrested on Friday on suspicion of stealing $2,000 in US currency, electronics, and safes from multiple businesses in Rancho Mirage and Thousand Palms throughout October. The suspect, a 48-year-old from Thousand Palms, was arrested while driving a stolen vehicle in the area of Ramon Road and Thousand Palms Canyon Road in Thousand
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A 21-year-old man who entered guilty pleas after sexually assaulting a ride-hailing service driver at the conclusion of the ride while out on bail for a similar assault was sentenced to three years and six months in prison today.  Luis Enrique Lora of Desert Hot Springs pleaded guilty to three sexual battery-related felony counts and
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Border Patrol officers at the Calexico West Port of Entry seized more than 100 pounds of fentanyl pills found hidden in a vehicle. The discovery was made on Friday. According to Border Patrol, CBP officers encountered a 26-year-old man driving a red sedan seeking entry into the United States from Mexico. After initial inspection, CBP
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In a case that began with a suspicious disappearance, closing arguments wrapped up Wednesday in the trial of two suspects accused in the 2017 killing of a Coachella Valley couple. The jury has begun deliberations on the trial against Aaron Bernal and Adilene Castaneda, who, along with Manuel Rios and Abraham Fregoso, are suspected in
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A 2025 trial date was confirmed today for a Coachella man suspected of driving under the influence and causing a crash that killed a 36-year-old woman in Palm Desert. Alberto Lopez, 27, was ordered to stand trial for a felony count of murder in August at the Larson Justice Center in Indio. He initially pleaded
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A man accused of breaking into an Indio storage unit and stealing items including the ashes of the renter’s deceased son was absent from a scheduled court appearance, authorities said today. Thalia Hayden of the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office told City News Service on Wednesday that Indio resident Wally Venecia failed to show up
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A minor was rushed to the hospital with a gunshot wound Tuesday night in Desert Hot Springs. The shooting was reported at a little after 9:00 p.m. at the soccer park inside Mission Springs Park on Palm Drive. News Channel 3 crew at the scene saw officers placing multiple markers along the park. The Desert
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A 16-year-old boy became the third person arrested in connection with a deadly shooting earlier this year in Coachella. The teenager was arrested Tuesday in the city of Ontario. He was later booked into Juvenile Hall for murder, robbery, and conspiracy. Due to his age, his identity will not be disclosed. The arrest was related
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An 18-year-old suspect charged along with a teenager of killing another 18-year-old man in Coachella was charged today with murder and robbery. Fabian Diaz pleaded not guilty to the charges Tuesday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, according to case records. Diaz and the 17-year-old boy also accused in the case are both Coachella
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Three people were taken into custody after a handcuffed suspect ran from deputies Tuesday morning in Rancho Mirage. The incident started on the 34000 block of Rebecca Way. Deputies were called to the area after a report of a suspicious vehicle occupied by three subjects. Deputies detained two subjects, but one ran from the area
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A 2025 trial date was confirmed today for a 32-year-old man accused in a fatal shooting in Cathedral City. Along with a murder charge, Jose Ernesto Martinez of Desert Hot Springs is facing sentence-enhancing allegations including discharging a firearm causing great bodily injury and using a weapon in commission of a crime. Martinez’s trial was
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One of two former Riverside County Superior Court clerks indicted for mishandling privileged information connected to a criminal case pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit a crime. Michelle Valdez, 59, of Thousand Palms admitted the felony count in a plea agreement with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. No charges were dismissed. The admission
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The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office is continuing a financial crimes investigation involving a teacher’s alleged misuse of Coachella Valley Unified School District funds. The investigation began on Oct. 15, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Authorities said there is no threat to staff or students. There was no word on whether any arrests have been made.
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