Crime

A 36-year-old man who fatally beat a 77-year-old woman living in the same Palm Desert apartment complex pleaded guilty to murder today. During a hearing Wednesday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, Ryan Alkana additionally admitted to a sentence-enhancing allegation of using a weapon during a felony, according to court records. He’s set to

Jury deliberations got underway today in the trial of a 28-year-old Coachella Valley man accused of fatally stabbing his girlfriend during a frenzied attack possibly stemming from drug use. Christian Alejandro Pacheco is charged with murder, arson, assault with a deadly weapon, animal cruelty and a sentence-enhancing allegation of using a deadly weapon in the

Two people suspected of breaking into multiple vehicles in Joshua Tree in March were later spotted using stolen credit cards at the Palm Desert Walmart, authorities said The thefts were reported at around 5:00 p.m. on March 8 at the Hemingway Parking Lot. There was no word on how many cars were broken into. The

A 43-year-old man who stabbed another man on a bus in Desert Hot Springs pleaded guilty today to felony charges and was immediately sentenced to four years and eight months in state prison. Israel Eduardo Perez of Desert Hot Springs pleaded guilty Tuesday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio to one felony count each

 A 41-year-old man who was involved in a 2019 street racing collision that killed two senior citizens in Coachella pleaded guilty to felony charges today. Angel Ramirez pleaded guilty Tuesday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio to two counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence stemming from the May 17, 2019, crash that killed

A 43-year-old man accused of fatally shooting a man in the head several times in Palm Springs re-entered a not guilty plea today to a murder charge. Jeffrey Burgess of Sky Valley is charged with one felony count of murder for the June 22, 2021, killing of 44-year-old Jose Sosa of Coachella and faces a

Two 18-year-old men suspected with two 16-year-old boys in an armed carjacking of a 75-year-old woman in La Quinta pleaded not guilty to felony charges today. Daryl Haxiel Urbano of Coachella and David Reyes III of Palm Desert were charged with one felony count each of carjacking and robbery, according to court records. They additionally

Charges were filed today against a 25-year-old woman suspected of driving under the influence and assaulting an officer in Palm Springs. Melinda Leigh Haley of Desert Hot Springs was charged with three misdemeanor counts of assault against an officer and one misdemeanor count each of driving under the influence and battery on an officer, according

A 33-year-old homeless man suspected of starting a small brush fire in Palm Springs earlier this week was charged today with one felony count of arson to a non-dwelling. Anthony Cordero, a homeless man residing in Palm Springs, is set to be arraigned Thursday afternoon at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.    Officers responded

A 45-year-old felon who stole a vehicle from a motorist at gunpoint in Thermal pleaded guilty today to felony charges and was immediately sentenced to five years in state prison. David Luis Baker of La Quinta pleaded guilty Wednesday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio to one felony count each of carjacking, robbery and

A 36-year-old man was arrested following a nearly 7-hour standoff at the Woodhaven Country Club in Palm Desert. Woodhaven is at Washington and Hovley in Palm Desert. Authorities said it started just at around 10:45 a.m. A spokesperson for the Riverside County Sheriff’s Dept. said deputies were called for a welfare check on a man. When

A felon who stole a wedding ring from a woman in Palm Desert and allegedly attempted to sell it back to her pleaded guilty to felony charges today and was immediately sentenced to two years of formal probation.   Yukon Lee Branch, 47, pleaded guilty Tuesday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio to one felony

A Desert Hot Springs woman was arrested early Tuesday morning on suspicion of driving under the influence and then assaulting police officers in downtown Palm Springs. The incident started at around 3:59 a.m. when officers were called to respond to a report of a vehicle partially off the roadway and facing the wrong direction in

Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin, Sheriff Chad Bianco and other law enforcement officials will gather tomorrow to call for changes in state law to bolster public safety, mainly by undoing the effects of a decade-old legislative act that shifted many former state responsibilities onto counties. The officials will specifically address ongoing impacts of Assembly

A man and woman suspected of robbing and assaulting a 69- year-old man in an unincorporated area of Riverside County near Indio pleaded not guilty to felony charges today. Sonora residents Brooke Cassidy Prentiss, 36, and Morgan Kenneth Styre, 27, were charged with one felony count each of robbery and cruelty to an elder as