Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin today joined the father of a college student who died from fentanyl poisoning, along with a federal law enforcement official, in calling on the state Legislature to pass laws that would mandate warnings to drug suppliers that they could face murder charges if what they sell kills someone. “We
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27-year-old man suspected of assaulting a 24-year-old man in La Quinta and stealing his wallet and cell phone pleaded not guilty to attempted robbery today. Skylar Ray Brannen-Grove of La Quinta pleaded not guilty to the felony charge Tuesday afternoon at the Larson Justice Center in Indio. Deputies responded to the 45900 block of Adams
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A man who sold fentanyl pills that killed a 20-year-old college student in Temecula, prompting her father to initiate a nationwide campaign calling for action to break the fentanyl supply chain and bust the dealers, was sentenced today to nine years in federal prison. Brandon Michael McDowell, 24, pleaded guilty in August to possession with
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A Riverside tax preparer pleaded guilty today to federal criminal charges for filing thousands of tax returns that falsely claimed deductions, such as fake medical expenses and bogus mortgage interest, and which caused more than $3 million in losses to the IRS. Andrew Hansack, 39, entered his plea in Los Angeles federal court to two
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A Whitewater man pleaded guilty and was sentenced today for driving drunk and killing a 56-year-old man, apologizing to the family and hearing the fianceé and daughter of the decedent speak about the life that was taken from them. Austin George Jackson, 35, pleaded guilty Friday afternoon at the Larson Justice Center in Indio to
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A 21-year-old man was arrested for allegedly being in possession of 26 grams of cocaine and a Coachella teen was arrested on suspicion of being armed with a loaded ghost gun, authorities said today. During a robbery investigation Thursday, the Thermal sheriff’s station Special Investigations Unit and the Fugitives and Warrants Enforcement Team were in
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Murder charges have been filed against an Arizona woman accused of providing drugs that led to an overdose death in Yucca Valley in March 2021. Alicia Hegarty, 47, was arrested in Sierra Vista, Arizona on Thursday. The charges stem from the drug overdose death of Marshall Luppke, 22, of Yucca Valley on March 14, 2021.
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A man who sped away from Cathedral City police during a 2018 traffic stop, dragging an officer, pleaded guilty to two felony charges. Steven Flores, 36, of Cathedral City, faced five felony counts, one each of attempted murder, assault with a semi-automatic firearm, robbery, assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer and resisting
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A mother and daughter were arrested after border patrol agents said they found them in possession of nearly 700 pounds of meth during a traffic stop on the I-10 near Indio. The arrest happened Tuesday at around 6:00 a.m. Border Patrol agents were conducting anti-smuggling operations on Interstate 10. Agents stopped two separate vehicle stops
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pair of young men suspected of assaulting two people in Palm Desert, one of whom suffered a gunshot wound to his face, pleaded not guilty to attempted murder today. In addition to the attempted murder charge, Cathedral City residents Jorge Arturo Morales, 18, and Jaden Xavier Garcia, 19, were each charged with one felony count
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Police have arrested a man wanted for allegedly setting his partner on fire in Beaumont earlier this month. Nicholas Norman, 38, was arrested on the 600 block of Palo Alto Avenue on Thursday afternoon, Beaumont police announced. Police said he was taken to San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital for an evaluation for booking and transported to
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Disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein was sentenced today to 16 years in prison for sexually assaulting a model-actress in a Los Angeles hotel room a decade ago. Weinstein, 70, was convicted Dec. 19 of one count each of forcible rape, forcible oral copulation and sexual penetration by a foreign object occurring on or about Feb.
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A man accused of gunning down Los Angeles Catholic Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell at his home in Hacienda Heights was charged today with murder. Carlos Medina, 61, was arrested Monday in connection with the Saturday shooting of the 69-year-old bishop. Medina is the husband of O’Connell’s housekeeper, and he also performed handyman work at the
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Two teenagers from Cathedral City were arrested in connection with a shooting that left one man in critical condition Tuesday morning in Palm Desert. Deputies first responded to reports of shots fired on the 45300 block of Garden Square at around 2:53 a.m. A man with a gunshot wound was found in the area of
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A 44-year-old man who allegedly shot someone during an altercation at a bar in Indio pleaded not guilty today to attempted murder. Jose Gabino Ulloa of La Quinta also denied a sentence-enhancing allegation of discharging a firearm causing great bodily injury, according to court records. He pleaded not guilty to the charge and denied the
Continue Reading Two people were arrested on suspicion of stealing jewelry from an 87-year-old woman in La Quinta, authorities said today. Deputies from the Thermal sheriff’s station responded at around 11:40 a.m. Monday to the 79700 block of Highway 111 in La Quinta to a report of the robbery, according to Sgt. David Aldrich of the Riverside
Continue Reading The husband of a housekeeper who worked for Archdiocese of Los Angeles Catholic Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell was arrested in connection with the bishop’s shooting death at his home in Hacienda Heights. Although the motive for the crime remained uncertain, Luna said neighbors told investigators that Medina had been heard making comments about O’Connell owing
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A homicide investigation is underway after a man was found dead in the Penn West neighborhood in Indio. Deputies at the Indio Police Department received a call just after 4 a.m. Sunday morning about a man with a gunshot wound on the 83600 block of Cardinal Ave. When deputies arrived, the man was pronounced dead
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The Department of Justice filed federal hate crime charges against a Riverside County man accused of shooting two Jewish men as they left synagogues in Los Angeles earlier this week. The shootings happened in the Pico-Robertson district less than 24 hours apart. On Thursday, authorities arrested Jaime Tran, 28, formerly of Riverside, in the Cathedral
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Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies are investigating a shooting near some businesses in Coachella. The shooting was reported at around 5:10 p.m. on the 49100 block of Highway 111. Sergeant Wenndy Brito-Gonzalez of the Sheriff’s Dept confirmed that residents reported shots heard and people running in the area. Brito-Gonzalez said that deputies did locate shell casings
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