The Desert Sun Public Safety Section

LOCAL /
Traffic

A car drives along westbound Ramon Road in Cathedral City Saturday. A rehabilitation project is scheduled to begin Monday on this roadway between Date Palm Drive and Landau Boulevard. It will last until early September. Colin Atagi, The Desert Sun

Ramon Road makeover to begin in Cathedral City

A much-needed improvement project is scheduled to begin Monday on one of Cathedral City's busiest and bumpiest streets.

May 18, 2013

LOCAL /
Crime

Palm Springs police arrest man on suspicion of driving a stolen vehicle

Police arrested a man early Saturday morning on suspicion of driving a stolen vehicle, Sgt. Kelly Fieux said.

May 18, 2013

LOCAL /
Public Safety

Public safety briefs for Sunday, May 19, 2013

Authorities released the name of an Idyllwild rockclimber who died Friday after falling 150 feet.

2:05 AM

LOCAL /
Public Safety

Businessman dead; RM fire ruled arson

Craig Marlar — a longtime Coachella Valley businessman who battled over ownership of the fire-ravaged GG's Island — is dead, The Desert Sun learned Friday.

May 17, 2013

LOCAL /
Crime

Steven Alexander reads his statement to the jury. AP

Jodi Arias victim's family makes dramatic statement

For 4 1/2 months the trial has been about Jodi Arias and Travis Alexander, two attractive young people whose obsessive sexual relationship exploded into murder. One of the lovers is dead, the other may soon be sent to death row.

May 17, 2013

LOCAL /
Public Safety

Public safety briefs for Saturday, May 18, 2013

A rock climber died Friday after falling 150 feet in Idyllwild.

May 17, 2013

LOCAL /
Courts

Man enters plea in Jurupa Valley exposure case

A 57-year-old man accused of exposing himself to a girl in a Jurupa Valley supermarket pleaded not guilty Friday to indecent exposure.

May 17, 2013

LOCAL /
Courts

Ex-con accused of killing homeless man to stand trial

An ex-con accused of fatally beating a homeless man with a rock during a confrontation in a transient camp near Lake Elsinore must stand trial on murder and other charges, a judge ruled Friday.

May 17, 2013

LOCAL /
Fires

Garage in La Quinta catches fire Friday night

At 8:42 p.m., firefighters were called to a single-story home in the 78-900 block of Zenith Way, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

May 17, 2013

LOCAL /
Courts

Suspect in La Quinta Chase bank skimming case charged

Criminal charges were filed Friday against a 29-year-old Sun Valley man who allegedly used an electronic skimmer to steal account information from Chase bank customers at a La Quinta branch.

May 17, 2013

LOCAL /
Courts

Blythe man pleads not guilty by way of insanity

A Blythe man pleaded not guilty by insanity this week to a crime spree in which he allegedly broke into a senior apartment building, started a fire, drove a stolen car into some firefighters and took a victim hostage at gunpoint, using him as a shield.

May 17, 2013

LOCAL /
Crime

Ex-CVUSD official sentenced to prison

The former Coachella Valley Unified School District transportation director was sentenced Friday afternoon to nearly seven years in prison for misappropriating and embezzling district funds.

May 17, 2013

LOCAL /
Crime

Police investigate the deaths of two people Thursday at a home in Desert Hot Springs. Denise Goolsby, The Desert Sun

DHS police: 2 dead in murder-suicide

Two people were found dead inside a Desert Hot Springs home early Thursday in what police called a murder-suicide.

May 16, 2013

LOCAL /
Fires

A brush fire burns Thursday in Coachella. Denise Goolsby, The Desert Sun

Coachella brush fire contained

As of Friday morning, a fire that scorched more than 40 acres of heavy dried brush near Avenue 54 and Tyler Street in Coachella has been contained, fire officials said.

May 17, 2013

LOCAL /
Traffic

CALFIRE firefighters work on the scene of a single fatality accident on Palm Drive near DHS, Wednesday, May 15, 2013. Richard Lui/The Desert Sun.

Woman killed in crash ID'd

The woman killed in a crash on Palm Drive Wednesday afternoon has been identified by the coroner's office as 24-year-old Eleuteria Leon-Leon of Desert Hot Springs.

May 16, 2013

LOCAL /
Crime

FBI to probe death of man beaten by Kern Co. deputies

The FBI has agreed to investigate the death of David Silva, a man beaten by Kern County sheriff's deputies while witnesses shot video with cellphones.

May 16, 2013

LOCAL /
Public Safety

Public safety briefs for Friday, May 17, 2013

An identity theft investigation led to four arrests in Desert Hot Springs Wednesday

May 16, 2013

LOCAL /
Crime

Vahe Ruben Yerkanyan, 29 Courtesy of Riverside County Sheriff's Department

Police: ATM skimmer hits Chase in LQ

Vahe Ruben Yerkanyan, who's accused of using an electronic skimmer to steal key account information from Chase bank customers at a La Quinta branch, is expected in court Friday.

May 16, 2013

LOCAL /
Traffic

Woman killed, children injured in DHS crash

Two children were ejected from an SUV that overturned today near Desert Hot Springs. Their mother died at the scene, according to authorities.

May 16, 2013

LOCAL /
Earthquakes

3.1 quake shakes valley

The earthquake that struck Wednesday morning near Cabazon was felt across the Coachella Valley.

May 15, 2013

LOCAL /
Courts

Jodi Arias looks at the family of Travis Alexander as the jury arrives on Wednesday during the sentencing phase of her trial in Phoenix. Rob Schumacher, The Arizona Republic

Video: Arias eligible for death penalty

The same jury that convicted Jodi Arias of murder one week ago took about three hours Wednesday to determine that the former Palm Desert resident is eligible for the death penalty.

May 15, 2013

LOCAL /
Public Safety

Public safety briefs for Thursday, May 16, 2013

A magnitude-3.2 earthquake struck Wednesday near Cabazon, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

May 15, 2013

LOCAL /
The Road Warrior

Issue with missing letters on bridge persists

Drivers typically see the name of a bridge just before crossing it, but on one local structure they're only seeing letters and random messages.

May 15, 2013

LOCAL /
Crime

Teen arrested in armed robbery after La Quinta standoff

After a nearly six-hour standoff Monday at a La Quinta home, deputies arrested a 17-year-old boy on suspicion of armed robbery.

May 14, 2013

LOCAL /
Crime

Police make arrests in Indio Medical Clinic theft

Authorities have arrested two suspects in an armed robbery at an Indio medical office this afternoon.

May 14, 2013

LOCAL /
Traffic

FILE - A curve along Highway 74 Crystal Chatham, The Desert Sun

One hurt in Highway 74 head-on crash

At least one person was taken to a hospital following a collision that is delaying traffic on Highway 74 today.

May 14, 2013

LOCAL /
Traffic

Visalia police Officer Scott Nelson tests a driver during a DUI checkpoint in this 2005 file photo. Gannett file photo

NTSB: Drop DUI standard to .05

The National Transportation Safety Board recommended Tuesday that states adopt a .05 blood alcohol content limit, cutting their threshold for drunken driving by nearly half and matching a standard that has substantially reduced highway deaths in other countries.

May 14, 2013

LOCAL /
Traffic

Man succumbs to injuries from February I-10 crash

A Joshua Tree man died today, months after he was hit by a pickup truck on Interstate 10.

May 14, 2013

LOCAL /
Public Safety

Public safety briefs for Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Authorities arrested two suspects in an armed robbery at an Indio medical office Tuesday.

May 14, 2013

LOCAL /
Crime

Border Patrol agents found an 18-year-old man Saturday on a stopped tour bus with two vacuum-sealed bags of heroin strapped to his belt, authorities said Monday. Courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Heroin found strapped to man at checkpoint

U.S. Border Patrol agents found 41/2 pounds of heroin in vacuum-sealed bags strapped to a man's belt Saturday at the Highway 86 checkpoint near Salton City, authorities said Monday.

May 13, 2013

LOCAL /
Fires

The Summit Fire burns May 2 near Banning. Crystal Chatham, The Desert Sun

Wildfire season expected to be active

The national wildfire season is off to its slowest start in 10 years but is expected to gain steam in the next three months out West, particularly in California, federal officials said Monday.

May 14, 2013

LOCAL /
Crime

Indio police search for man suspected of attempted kidnapping

Indio police are on the lookout for a man that tried to kidnap a female student Monday morning.

May 13, 2013

LOCAL /
Traffic

A two-vehicle crash with major injuries closed the intersection of Dinah Shore Drive and Gene Autry Trail about 12:30 p.m. Monday, according to Palm Springs police. K Kaufmann/ The Desert Sun

Crash causes injuries, closes PS intersection

A two-vehicle crash with major injuries closed the intersection of Dinah Shore Drive and Gene Autry Trail about 12:30 p.m. Monday, Palm Springs police said.

May 13, 2013

LOCAL /
Traffic

A Palm Springs police car is seen in a 2010 file photo. Brian Indrelunas, The Desert Sun

PS officer, another driver hurt in crash

An on-duty Palm Springs police officer and another driver had minor injuries from a Friday night crash on Avenida Caballeros, police said Monday.

May 13, 2013

LOCAL /
Public Safety

British hiker found dead on PS trail

A hiker from the United Kingdom died Saturday after falling about 40 to 50 feet while coming down the Museum Trail behind the Palm Springs Art Museum.

May 12, 2013

LOCAL /
Courts

Joseph William Knyvett Riverside County Sheriff's Department

Driver in collision to get day in court

A La Quinta man accused of driving under the influence of alcohol and causing a three-vehicle collision is scheduled to appear in Riverside County Superior Court on July 30.

May 12, 2013

LOCAL /
Public Safety

Woman stranded on Colorado River rescued

A woman ran her personal water craft aground on the Colorado River near Blythe, and was stranded for several hours in the dark, but found and rescued Sunday, a sergeant said.

May 12, 2013

LOCAL /
Traffic

Freeway collision deals major injuries

One person suffered major injuries in a three-car collision on Interstate 10 in Banning, a Riverside County Fire Department spokeswoman said Sunday.

May 12, 2013

LOCAL /
Public Safety

Alcohol may be factor in Palm Desert motorcycle accident

A motorcyclist suffered moderate injuries when he was ejected off his bike after it struck a large rock near the intersection of Gerald Ford and Pacific drives late Saturday night, police reported.

May 12, 2013

LOCAL /
Fires

Firefighters extinguish garage fire in Indio

Firefighters quickly extinguished a wood shop fire that broke out Sunday afternoon on Avenue 50 at Monroe Street.

May 12, 2013

LOCAL /
Traffic

Officials find problem is not restricted to one area of valley

May 11, 2013

LOCAL /
Public Safety

Public safety briefs for Sunday, May 12, 2013

Firefighters are investigating the cause of a brush fire that burned early Saturday in Indio.

May 11, 2013

LOCAL /
Traffic

Collision knocks over utility pole, delays traffic on Highway 62

A multi-vehicle collision knocked over a utility pole and is causing traffic delays near Desert Hot Springs tonight.

May 11, 2013

LOCAL /
Traffic

4 motorists arrested in Palm Desert on suspicion of DUI

Four motorists were arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs during an overnight sobriety/driver's license checkpoint in Palm Desert, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department said Saturday.

May 11, 2013

LOCAL /
Courts

Participants in a fight that broke out at the The Springs HOA meeting in February are headed to court. Jay Calderon/The Desert Sun

Suit filed over Rancho Mirage HOA meeting fight

More than two months after a fight erupted during an HOA meeting at The Springs that sent one man to the hospital, that man has filed a lawsuit accusing the HOA and numerous others of violating his civil rights, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and negligence.

May 10, 2013

LOCAL /
Courts

Candace Duran, seen in court Sept. 13, 2012, was convicted last month of voluntary manslaughter in a 2007 killing in Palm Springs. Crystal Chatham, The Desert Sun

Candace Duran sentencing for manslaughter pushed back

Candace Duran will not be sentenced until at least June, her attorney told a judge Friday. Attorneys will reconvene then to consider how to proceed with the voluntary manslaughter conviction as well as the nine unrelated criminal cases still pending against Duran.

May 11, 2013

LOCAL /
Crime

Carjacking victim ID'd

Authorities have identified a Beaumont man killed Thursday in a shooting that preceded an Interstate 10 pursuit that ended with gunfire from California Highway Patrol officers that left a suspect dead.

May 10, 2013

LOCAL /
Public Safety

Public safety briefs for Saturday, May 11, 2013

A home that appears to be abandoned was destroyed by fire Friday morning north of Desert Hot Springs, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.

May 10, 2013

LOCAL /
Courts

Man arrested in Coachella standoff jailed in lieu of $50,000 bail

Jacob Nunez, the man suspected of engaging authorities on a standoff Thursday, was arrested on suspicion of false imprisonment, kidnapping, intimidating a witness, and resisting arrest.