Crime

A 23-year-old man who stole nearly 500 gallons of diesel fuel from the Mecca Travel Center pleaded guilty to a theft-related count and was immediately sentenced to two years of probation. Huntington Park resident Eliseo Laglera entered a guilty plea to one count of grand theft of over $950 on Friday at the Larson Justice

A Romanian national flagged by the FBI as part of an organized crime group pleaded guilty to a theft charge stemming from her arrest in Palm Desert for allegedly stealing a man’s necklace. Marcideza Dumitru was immediately sentenced to 24 months of probation after entering a guilty plea to one felony count of grand theft

An autopsy was pending today on a 40-year-old inmate who died at the Byrd Detention Center under circumstances that officials said did not appear suspicious. Johnnie Curtis Stevens of Norco was discovered unconscious in his cell, No. 89 of the FH Block, at the Murrieta jail just after 10 a.m. Friday, according to the Riverside

Three people were arrested after a police pursuit in connection with train burglaries in the Coachella Valley. The incident started at around 9:00 a.m., deputies were dispatched to the area of Lincoln Street and Avenue 60 in Thermal regarding found property. The reporting party told police that they found items that were possibly stolen and

Charges were filed today against five of eight suspects identified by police in connection with a physical altercation in Palm Springs.    Three Hemet residents — 18-year-old Erik Carranza, 20-year-old Amari Haynes and 22-year-old Jabarrielijah Elliott — as well as 18-year-old San Jacinto resident Kimora Browne and 19-year-old Bermuda Dunes resident Teiyanie Burns each pleaded

A trial date was confirmed today for a 41-year-old man accused of killing his roommate and his pet cats in their Cathedral City apartment. Joseph Ortega was initially accused after his roommate, Jova Saint Ives Geller, was found dead in the residence, as well as Geller’s two pet cats, according to police. The defendant initially

A 38-year-old woman suspected of lighting more than a dozen palm trees on fire in Palm Springs was charged with multiple felonies on Wednesday. Tiara Chrystal Wons is expected to enter pleas to multiple felony counts of arson Wednesday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio. The Palm Springs Police Department received a report shortly

A 21-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting a ride-hailing service driver at the conclusion of the ride while he was out on bail for a similar assault entered guilty pleas to charges on Thursday. Luis Enrique Lora of Desert Hot Springs pleaded guilty to three sexual battery-related felony counts and admitted one sentence-enhancing allegation of

Two train burglary suspects were arrested after a brief search Thursday morning in the Mecca area. The incident started at around 10:30 a.m. when deputies were alerted to a vehicle in the area of Avenue 66 and Dale Kiler Road. The vehicle was suspected to have been related to a train burglary, Lieutenant Deirdre Vickers

A trial date was confirmed today for a felon suspected of fatally shooting a woman outside a garage in Indio in 2016.    Marcos Cruz Gaeta, 43, pleaded not guilty to the murder charge and one felony count of being a convicted felon and narcotic addict in possession of a firearm and a sentence-enhancing allegation