A man accused of killing his mother in Palm Springs and driving to South Dakota, where he was arrested following a New Year’s Day police chase that led to the recovery of her body, has been returned to Riverside County to await arraignment on a murder charge.
Tosten David Walsh-Lommen, 30, is accused of strangling 58-year-old Michelle Nanette Walsh, whose body was found wrapped in a blanket in the rear of the suspect’s SUV following a 50-mile high-speed pursuit.
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INDIO (CNS) – A Desert Hot Springs resident was Monday convicted of second-degree murder and assault with a gun for the 2017 slaying of his roommate, who was shot in the back of the head in the kitchen of their apartment.
Jurors deliberated for about two hours Monday afternoon before finding Brian Keith Hernandez, 49, guilty in the death of 49-year-old Steven Nelson, but acquitted him of making threats toward the victim’s girlfriend.
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RANCHO MIRAGE (CNS) – Nearly half of the vote-by-mail ballots for Rancho Mirage’s municipal election have already been received, county officials said Monday.
The Riverside County Registrar of Voters reported that 4,832 of 9,984 issued ballots had been received as of Monday for the city’s all-mail ballot election, which will decide who among six candidates will claim three seats on the city council.
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INDIO (CNS) – The former president and treasurer of an Indio elementary school PTA pleaded not guilty Monday to charges stemming from the alleged embezzlement of more than $22,000 from the association.
Danny Cervantes, 34, of Indio, is charged with grand theft for allegedly taking $22,043 over the course of 10 months via a debit card issued solely to him as the head of the Herbert Hoover Elementary School PTA.
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RIVERSIDE (CNS) – The mercury pushed into the record books in at least one Inland Empire location Monday, and another came close.
According to the National Weather Service, the high temperature in Idyllwild was recorded as 79 degrees, shattering a previous record of 77 degrees set on this date in 2014.
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MURRIETA (CNS) – A probationer accused of wounding a man in a drive-by shooting in Wildomar must stand trial on attempted murder and other felony charges, a judge ruled Monday.
Mario Francisco Vega, 31, was arrested last May, soon after the alleged attack in the 32000 block of Mesa Drive, near Sylvester Road.
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FRENCH VALLEY (CNS) – A motorist suspected of running a red light at a French Valley intersection while under the influence and slamming into a car, killing a Winchester woman and seriously injuring her passenger, was being held without bail Monday.
Elvis Eugene Tate, 59, was arrested after the wreck that killed 27-year-old Ashley Alcarez about 5:30 p.m. Sunday.
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RIVERSIDE (CNS) – An unidentified substance was found Monday in a classroom at Riverside City College, and firefighters were sent to determine whether there was a hazardous materials exposure threat on the campus.
The Riverside Fire Department was called to RCC’s Humanities Building on Magnolia Avenue about 3:45 p.m. after dispatchers received reports of a chemical release.
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MENIFEE (CNS) – A man who was hurt Monday while bicycling on a dirt path south of Menifee was retrieved by a sheriff’s helicopter crew.
The remote area rescue happened shortly before 3 p.m. in a canyon west of Keller Road and Scenic View Drive, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
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RIVERSIDE (CNS) – The Riverside Metropolitan Museum confirmed Monday that the celebrated “Insect Fair” is scheduled to return on April 28 and will feature an assortment of creepy crawlers for people to see, touch and possibly taste on the downtown plaza.
The UC Riverside Department of Entomology, in partnership with the museum, will stage the fourth annual event outside the museum, on Mission Inn Avenue, between Lemon and Orange streets. Several thousand people are expected to visit the exhibition.
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INDIO (CNS) – Kenny Rogers announced Monday that he is canceling tour dates through the end of the year, including his scheduled performance at the Stagecoach Music Festival in Indio this month, due to unspecified health issues.
The 79-year-old singer-songwriter had a final farewell showcase of tour dates set for the `Gambler’s Last Deal’ tour, which included a stop at Stagecoach, the annual Coachella Valley country music spectacle at the Empire Polo Grounds in Indio. Rogers was set to perform on the Palomino Stage on April 29.
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RIVERSIDE (CNS) – A man who drove onto the grounds of the Orange Empire Railway Museum in Perris while under the influence of alcohol, injuring two people and sending terrified parents and children fleeing for safety, was sentenced Monday to a year in jail and five years probation.
Carlos Jaime Gabaldon, 38, pleaded guilty last month to one count each of driving under the influence resulting in injuries, hit-and-run, vandalism and resisting arrest, with sentence-enhancing allegations of driving with a blood-alcohol level in excess of .15, refusing a chemical test and injuring multiple people during a felony offense.
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RIVERSIDE (CNS) – Authorities reached out to the public Monday for help in identifying and locating a woman wanted for stealing people’s personal identifying information in San Diego and Riverside counties and using it to open credit lines in their names.
In late February, the thief stole an Encinitas resident’s identity, tried to withdraw money from the victim’s bank account, secured credit cards in her name and used them to make numerous fraudulent purchases, according to San Diego County sheriff’s officials.
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MENIFEE (CNS) – A toddler was pulled unconscious from a water-filled bathtub in a Menifee home Monday but was revived by firefighters.
The near-drowning was reported shortly before 11 a.m. at a house in the 29000 block of Avenida de Real, near Park Avenue, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
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CORONA (CNS) – A blaze erupted Monday in a Corona manufacturing plant, damaging equipment, but no injuries were reported.
The fire was reported at 11:55 a.m. in the RW Lyall & Co. facility at 2665 Research Drive, just north of the Riverside (91) Freeway.