Man charged with perpetrating holdups at banks in Riverside, Moreno Valley
Trial date set for man accused of double murder in Corona theater
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County board tentatively OKs law to combat catalytic thefts, green-lights cannabis shop in Temescal Valley
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Catalytic converters and tools. | Photo courtesy of the Arcadia Police Department
year-to-date number for the current year is 316, already 58% higher. Catalytic converters are used to filter emissions to cut down on the amount of pollutants discharged by cars and trucks. They're located within a vehicle's exhaust system and average about $1,200 apiece. Components include metals like palladium, platinum and rhodium, all of which command perounce prices ranging from $1,000 to $14,000. Thieves take the converters to scrap metal dealers and sell them. Ordinance No. 987 would make it a misdemeanor offense to unlawfully possess a catalytic converter detached from a vehicle. A person caught with one would have to provide "verifiable valid proof of ownership" or risk facing criminal charges. Bills of sale, auto body
shop documents indicating that the converter was removed by owner consent, email messages between the possessor and previous owner showing there was an agreement to relinquish the device, pictures of the vehicle from which the converter was removed and other evidence would be required to establish appropriate possession under the proposed ordinance. Without the paper trail, a person caught with a converter could be slapped with fines between $1,000 and $5,000, as well as possibly spend up to a year in county jail. Moreno Valley resident Roy Bleckert, a regular speaker, doubted the ordinance would have any impact because "the offenders are probably going to be given a ticket and never serve any time in jail." "And maybe that's because
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New trial date set for ex-LAPD officer who fatally shot mentally disabled Corona man By City News Service
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rial proceedings scheduled for an ex-cop accused of fatally shooting a developmentally disabled man in a Corona Costco, as well as critically wounding the victim's parents, were postponed Monday to the end of October. Salvador Alejandro Sanchez, 34, of Corona, is charged with voluntary manslaughter and two counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm resulting in great bodily injury for the 2019 shooting. During a status conference Monday at the Riverside Hall of Justice, Riverside County Superior Court Judge John Molloy decided to forgo assigning the case to a courtroom for trial until records requests and other defense matters could be resolved. On his own motion, Molloy reset jury proceedings to Oct. 30, though it remained uncertain whether that would provide sufficient time to iron out potential pretrial hangups. Sanchez is free on a $155,000 bond. The shooting occurred on the evening of June 14, 2019,
By City News Service he Riverside County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday tentatively approved an ordinance intended to crack down on catalytic converter thieves by establishing local regulations and penalties where none exist at the state level. "You've got to hold these crooks accountable for stealing catalytic converters in our neighborhoods," Moreno Valley resident Daryl Terrell told the board. "The victims are working class people, who may have to pay (to replace) these catalytic converters. They may have to use a month's salary to pay for it. Hold people accountable for their criminal acts." In June, board Chairman Kevin Jeffries and Supervisor Yxstian Gutierrez jointly requested — with the full board's support — that the County Executive Office draft a measure to punish catalytic converter theft, which Jefferies and Gutierrez described as one of "the fastest growing crimes in the country." "Currently, law enforcement cannot seize a catalytic converter found to be removed from a vehicle and in someone's possession unless a victim can be identified," the supervisors wrote. "Catalytic converter theft is very costly to victims of this crime, both in dollars and in the time and inconvenience of repairs." According to the Executive Office, in 2022 there were about 200 reported converter thefts countywide, while the
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See Ex-LAPD officer Page 32
Fentanyl crimes: Man admits giving MoVal woman deadly dose; felon awaits trial in Wildomar overdose
we're not (fully) funding the 1,200 beds at the (Benoit Detention Center in Indio)," he told the board. "It's nice to pass an ordinance and give deputies the tools to enforce the law, but it's probably useless if there's no punishment at the end of the day." Only one-third of the Indio jail is in operation. "We still need to evaluate how many (inmate) beds we need, and how many millions we want to spend on beds if the courts are not going to put people in jail," Jeffries said. Ordinance No. 987 would only be applicable to unincorporated communities. It is based on similar measures approved in San Bernardino County and the cities of Eastvale and Upland. The ordinance seeks to fill
man accused of supplying a fatal dose of fentanyl to a 32-year-old Moreno Valley woman pleaded guilty Friday to voluntary manslaughter and was immediately sentenced to 11 years in state prison. Brandon Michael Shino, 31, of Jurupa Valley, admitted the felony count under a plea agreement with the Riverside County District Attorney's Office. In exchange for his admission, prosecutors dropped a murder charge against him. The plea deal was announced just as Shino's case was called for a preliminary hearing at the Riverside Hall of Justice. Superior Court Judge Jason Armand certified the terms of the bargain and imposed the sentence stipulated by the prosecution and defense. The defendant provided an unspecified quantity of fentanyl to Brittany Locke in January 2022, precipitating her death.
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See Wildomar overdose Page 16
By City News Service
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