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Defendant called as witness in murder trial over death of Mecca man
Kitty rescue causes 3-vehicle wreck on 91 Freeway in Riverside
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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 09- SEPTEMBER 15, 2024
VISIT CORONANEWSPRESS.COM
NO. 188
VOL. 8,
3 juveniles charged with causing destructive wildfire in Riverside By City News Service
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hree boys who allegedly ignited a 527-acre wildfire while playing with fireworks that destroyed seven Riverside homes are facing more than two dozen felony arson-related charges, authorities announced Thursday. “This fire was caused by illegal use of fireworks,” Riverside Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson said during a news briefing at City Hall Thursday afternoon. “All fireworks are illegal in our city for a reason.” The defendants, whose names were not released, are all 16-year-old juveniles from the area. Two were taken into custody without incident Thursday morning and booked into Riverside Juvenile Hall, but the third is pending arrest, Riverside police Chief Larry Gonzalez said. All of the teens are charged with 27 counts of willful or malicious arson to
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The Riverside Fire Department defends a neighborhood from the Hawarden Fire in July. | Photo courtesy of South Coast Fire Equipment/Facebook
property, he said. “The criminal investigation into the Hawarden Fire began immediately,
and illegal fireworks were identified as the source,” Gonzalez said. “We worked diligently to identify the
three suspects. Surveillance video captured the three individuals lighting fireworks in a field.”
A pickup truck belonging to one of the youths became evidence used to track down that defendant, culminating
in identification of his two alleged cohorts, according to the chief. “The fireworks that were used are not only illegal in Riverside, but they’re classified as dangerous in the rest of the state,” he said. “They’re not fireworks that could be obtained and purchased in other parts of the state where some fireworks are legal.” Riverside Fire Department Chief Michael Moore said the brush fire erupted just after 1 p.m. July 21 in the area of Hawarden Drive and Mary Street, in a neighborhood known as Hawarden Hills, and spread quickly “with temperatures over 100 degrees, winds gusting to 27 mph and humidity down to 20%.” “There were 18 structures damaged, 13 of them inhabited,” Moore said. See Wildfire Page 27
Death sentence recommended for man who killed estranged wife
Coachella Valley Firebirds, NBC Palm Springs announce TV deal
By City News Service
By Staff and City News Service
death sentence was recommended Wednesday for a Jurupa Valley man who killed his estranged wife, while jurors recommended life in prison without the possibility of parole for the defendant’s nephew in the quarter-century-old slaying for which another man had been wrongfully convicted. A Riverside jury deliberated roughly two days before returning with recommendations in the penalty trial of Googie Rene Harris Sr.,
67, and Joaquin L. Leal, 58. The same jury last week convicted the pair of firstdegree murder and a special circumstance allegation of lying in wait. The panel also found true a special circumstance allegation against Harris of committing murder for financial gain in the 1998 slaying of 33-year-old Terry Cheek. Closing statements in the penalty phase of the defendants’ trial concluded Thursday, and jurors
returned to the Riverside Hall of Justice on Friday for a half-day of deliberations. They were behind closed doors all of Tuesday, as well as part of Wednesday morning, before the recommendations were returned. Riverside County Superior Court Judge Bernard Schwartz scheduled a sentencing hearing for Leal on Oct. 18 and for Harris on Dec. 6 at the Riverside Hall of Justice. See Death sentence Page 28
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he Coachella Valley Firebirds and NBC Palm Springs announced a broadcast partnership Wednesday to televise the Firebirds’ entire regular season home schedule, beginning in 2024-25. “Hockey Night Coachella Valley” will air live on KPSE (now rebranded as My Firebirds TV) for each home showdown, according to a team statement, and will be accompanied by a preand post-game show. Evan Pivnick, Grant Fuhr and
Gino LaMont will lend their voices to the broadcasts as play-by-play, analyst and host, respectively, with NBC Palm Springs anchor and sports director Tim O’Brien taking a role as a rinkside correspondent. Viewers can find My Firebirds TV on Spectrum channel 20, FiOS channel 9 and DirecTV channel 50, among other outlets. “The unwavering support the fans have provided over the course of two seasons has been unreal and as such we
are excited to air all 36 home games for the upcoming season across the Coachella Valley,” said John Page, the team’s senior vice president. “Providing better access to our games will continue to grow our fanbase and expose others to the great game of hockey.” Firebirds staff also promised additional content throughout the season, including regular segments See Firebirds Page 27