Babysitter arrested in child's death in Beaumont
Felon accused in fatal home-invasion shooting reenters not guilty pleas
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Local. Relevant. Trusted.
Thursday, July 06-July 12, 2023
VOL. 7,
NO. 128
Fire season roundup: Multiple blazes strike Riverside County this past week
Prosecutors to seek death penalty for man accused of killing deputy
By City News Service
By City News Service
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s the summer fire season gets into full swing with this inaugural heat wave, a number of residential and brush fires scorched locations throughout Riverside County over the last seven days. Mecca fire at 15 acres, 0% Contained; outage affects about 200 structures Mecca Elementary School was voluntarily evacuated Wednesday due to smoke in the area as firefighters battled a vegetation fire of at least 15 acres that caused a power outage affecting about 200 structures. Fire crews responded around 9:10 a.m. Wednesday near Lincoln Street and 64th Avenue to a report of a vegetation fire, according to the Riverside County Fire Department. "Firefighters are currently on scene of a vegetation fire burning thick in vegetation," fire officials said in a statement at 9:53 a.m. "The fire is currently 3 acres and burning with a moderate rate of speed." The fire grew to six acres shortly after 10 a.m. and to 15 acres with no containment by 11:20 a.m., according to fire officials. The Imperial Irrigation District alerted the public at 10:48 a.m. that an outage had affected 198 of its customers from Lincoln Street to Fourth Avenue. Power was restored to all but one customer within an hour. Crews continued to work to restore power to the remaining customer. Power lines were de-energized in the area, and the Riverside County Emergency
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rosecutors intend to seek the death penalty for a 43-year-old man accused of gunning down a Riverside County sheriff's deputy, who went to the defendant's Lakeland Village home to investigate a domestic disturbance, it was announced Monday. Jesse Ceazar Navarro allegedly killed 30-year-old Deputy Darnell Calhoun on the afternoon of Jan. 13. "Deputy Calhoun showed incredible courage during a terrifying situation that unfolded in a matter of seconds," District Attorney Mike Hestrin said. "His dedication to the community culminated in a ruthless attack by Navarro that also put the lives of many others at extreme peril." Navarro is charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder, special circumstance allegations of lying in wait and taking the life of a peace officer, as well as sentenceenhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations. The DA's office customarily waits until after a preliminary hearing to announce whether capital punishment will be sought in murder cases with special circumstances. However, when the cases involve law enforcement personnel See Death penalty Page 27
| Photo courtesy of the Riverside County Fire Department
Management Department worked to establish a cooling center for residents affected by the outage, fire officials said. No evacuation orders were issued, though the school, located a little less than a mile from the fire, had students leave anyway due to the smoke. Brush fire burning in Beaumont Flames burn Hemet house Fire damaged a house in an unincorporated area of Hemet, authorities said Wednesday. The fire was reported at 8:05 p.m. Tuesday in the 41000 block of Marine Drive,
according to the Riverside County Fire Department. Firefighters reported the single story, single family house was well involved in flames when they arrived, officials said. The firefighters put out the fire at 8:38 p.m., officials said. No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire was under investigation. A wildfire was burning Wednesday in Beaumont and prompted evacuation warnings as it made its way through hills and canyons. The fire, dubbed the Bolo Fire, was reported at 9:34 p.m. Tuesday at David Mountain
Road and Bolo Court, according to the Riverside County Fire Department. As of 7 a.m., the fire had charred 8 acres and was 70% contained, officials said. The evacuation warning was issued in the area of Bolton and Green Acres drives, but was lifted once the fire was 70% contained. No injuries have been reported, officials said. The cause of the fire in under investigation. Single-story residential fire breaks out in Eastvale A single-story residential fire erupted Tuesday in See Fire season Page 14
Riverside Councilwoman Cervantes arrested for alleged DUI By City News Service and Staff
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iverside City Councilwoman Clarissa Cervantes was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence Saturday. The 32-year-old Cervantes was arrested by the California Highway Patrol at around 1:20 a.m. Saturday on Eighth Street and Interstate 10 in Banning, according to jail records. "Last night, I made an irresponsible decision that I deeply regret. I take full responsibility, and I want to apologize to my family, my community, and the residents of the district that I represent," Cervantes said in a statement provided to the Southern California News Group. Cervantes was booked at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility on $5,000 bail and was released the same day. Her next court date was listed for Aug. 30. Cervantes represents Ward 2, which includes the campus See DUI Page 28