News Roundup Wednesday February 19, 2020 to Wednesday February 26, 2020

Riverside County/Inland Empire

HEMET: 02-21-2020 Investigation of Triple Homicide in Hemet progresses with capture of two suspects in Nevada

New to the Chief position, but not new to the scene, Chief of Hemet PD, Eddie Pust released information about the tragic triple homicide that took place on Wednesday February 19, 2020 in Hemet, Ca. It’s with heavy hearts and yet, sighs of relief, that some Hemet residents are taking in the news that the alleged perpetrators of this horrific crime are in police custody in Nevada, awaiting extradition to California.

Chief Pust relayed pertinent information but kept some details close to the cuff in the biggest crime to take place in Hemet since he took on his new position as Chef of Police.

He identified the two suspects: Jordan Destinee Guzman (20) and her boyfriend Anthony Damion McCloud (18) who allegedly attacked three women and strangled and caused blunt force trauma to the victims which ultimately led to their deaths.

The victims are identified as Wendy Lopez-Araiza (46), Genesis Lopez-Ariaza (21) and Trinity Clyde (18). The murders occurred in a home in the 1400 block of Rabbit Peak. At around 8:50 pm on Wednesday, February 19, the husband of the oldest victim arrived home to find a victim lying in a pool of blood. It is believed that the suspects were still in the home when the man arrived to find the first victim.

The couple allegedly then stole a vehicle belonging to Trinity Clyde, the youngest of the three victims and fled. Ultimately, they were tracked and apprehended in Las Vegas, NV in the 1400 block of Charleston Boulevard, when they were attempting to leave that residence. Chief Pust declined to offer any insight into the way the car or the suspects were tracked to the location in Las Vegas.

Extradition to California could take a couple of weeks and as many as 25 days. Several events have been held in the community in remembrance of the victims including at the West Valley High School, where Clyde attended recently.

WASHINGTON D.C.: 02-25-2020 Congressional Representative for the 36^th District Claims major part in Water Conservation grant for Beaumont-Cherry Valley Water District

Raul Ruiz has claimed some of the credit for the award of a grant which will be earmarked for use in Water Conservation for the Beaumont – Cherry Valley Water District in the amount of 1.5 million dollars coming via a program implemented by the Bureau of Reclamation.

This after a September 25, 2019 letter written by the Congressman in support of the intrepid project designed by the water district.

You can read a copy of Ruiz’s letter HERE

CORONA: 02-26-2020 Unbeaten since he moved to Corona, Senior Wrestler Jesse Vasquez eyes a spot only 3 others in California history have attained

Jesse Vasquez has a chance to become only the fourth prep California Boy to be a state champion all four years of high school. Despite changing schools more than once, he has a legitimate shot at that, considering he is the #1 seed in the State CIF Championship that will be held February 27-29 in Stockton, California.

He is wrestling at the 145 lb. weight class in a bracket loaded with talent, but he is driven and confident. There are a few contenders, but he seems the odds-on favorite. His loss to the Ohio wrestling sensation Victor Voinovich in October meant he wouldn’t be crowned the best in the nation, by the premier prep wrestling media outlet Flo Wrestling – but that probably has spurred Jesse on to perform at an even higher level in Stockton tomorrow.

His recent win at the Ford sponsored CIF Masters tournament for the Southern Section against Luka Wick of San Marino High School will likely give him an additional push in the State championship. In the Master’s tournament in the 0:48 of the first period, Luka Wick suffered a knee injury, it’s not reported yet whether he is going to miss the State tournament, but with a conspicuous bye in the 54^th bracket and the #4 seed assigned to Luke Gayer of Calvary Chapel who finished #3 in the Masters tournament for the Southern Section in California behind Jesse (#1) and Luka, it’s likely he will not compete.

The #2 seed at the state tournament is the very good Aaron Gandara from Poway High School a perennial powerhouse in wrestling since the 1990’s. They have numerous wrestlers in the tournament in 2020. The #3 seed is Jaden Le from Rancho Bernardo High, just minutes away from Poway high in North San Diego County. They too, have numerous wrestlers in the state tournament. Poway High is ranked #2 in the state and #15 in the nation as a program; Rancho Bernardo is #9 in the state.

As for Vasquez, nothing is a foregone conclusion in prep wrestling, but he has been decisive and nearly impossible to beat thus far. With three previous state titles, he seems poised to add a fourth after the tournament is wrapped on the evening of February 29^th, 2020.

LAKE ELSINORE: 02-25-2020 State Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez outraises all the competition

Melissa Melendez has been in the state assembly since 2013 and has taken a new lead with regards to campaign money-raising. Amidst a crowded field of opposition democrats, she has managed to focus contributors’ thoughts on her continued presence at the state level. She raised more than $390,000 as of her latest filings.

Funds have been received by CA Realtor’s Assn. Real Estate PAC ($9300); The Riverside Sheriffs Association ($7700) and several tobacco companies including Phillip Morris ($9400).

It’s clear that the solid campaign finances and contributions along with a crowded, divided field of opposition make it a lot easier for Melendez to maintain a seat in the CA Assembly.

WILDOMAR: 02-25-2020 New plans for a Shooting Range are widely accepted by City Council and Community at large, it seems

The plans for a 38-foot-tall, two-story building that would house an indoor gun range have been approved by the Wildomar City Council (February 12, 2020) and the council seems very excited about it. Especially Ben Benoit, who seemed over the moon for the concept.

There have been in subsequent meetings, causes for concern raised about the increased traffic load, despite well laid out plans presented by city engineer, Dan York.  

The range will sit at the southeast corner of Bundy Canyon and Mission Trail. The overwhelming support from the community was evident, though not everyone is a fan.

PERRIS: 02-26-2020 New information in the triple homicide at a Perris Cemetery earlier this month

Riverside County Homicide detectives released information regarding a suspect in the killing of three men earlier in the month. The suspect is 33-year-old Jose Luis Torres Garcia and his vehicle is a Silver 2007 GMC Yukon with plates 8BKX913. They ask for anyone with information to contact 951-955-2777.

RIVERSIDE: 02-25-2020 Riverside County resident has tested positive for Coronavirus

A passenger that was on the quarantined Diamond Princess ship in Japan is a Riverside resident. Their identity is not being revealed, but Riverside County Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser informed the community that the person is being monitored closely at Travis Air Force Base, and that there are no indicators at this time that there are exposures in Riverside County. The resident is expected to fully recover.

This on the day when Italy has officially stepped up their public reaction to more than 400 confirmed cases of Coronavirus, for which, “Patient X” has yet to be found. The Lombardy (the region encompassing Milan) and Veneto (the region encompassing Venice) areas are of particular interest as they have closed many public spaces banned certain activities and suspended normal celebrations including the Carnival in Venice.

RIVERSIDE: 02-20-2020 RCAHT Task Force Nabs 72 in Sex Crimes coordinated Sting

Anti-Human-Trafficking Advocates scored a win recently when the RCAHT (Riverside County Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force) conducted a four-day operation in Temecula, Corona, Moreno Valley, Hemet and Palm Desert to curb prostitution and child sex trade activities in the Inland Empire. In all, 72 arrests were made – many with ties to human trafficking.

The two-fold goal was to nab illegal sex trade participants and to offer an opportunity to sex workers who were forced into the life to get an “out”. Obviously, some of the biggest wins are not going to be publicized, to ensure the safety of victims, but in statewide coordinated efforts, the numbers reported that 76 adults and 11 children were rescued out of human trafficking situations. Some of those are likely to have ties to the Riverside County operation.

The operation occurred between January 26, 2020, and February 1, 2020, with verifiable information getting out to media outlets just this past week. In total “the sting” included 10 agencies, 5 operations and netted 72 arrests.  

The post Riverside County News Round Up February 20-26 2020 appeared first on Easy Ad - Local Small Business Resources.

Riverside County/Inland Empire

PERRIS: 02-18-2020 3 dead bodies in possible Cartel related crime

Sheriff Chad Bianco detailed a triple homicide in the Perris area that seems tied to cartel activity. The scene of the crime was at a specific gravesite within the cemetery at 915 North Perris Blvd. Important notes included:

Sheriff’s department believed the positioning and manner of death for the three Perris residents (aged 50, 38 and 28) denoted execution/assassination.

Geographic relationship to a grave of a man killed prior to this incident, in Mexico, potentially ties this triple homicide to other cartel-related crime.

Recent crime increases in the area has Perris residents worried; Sheriff Bianco assured: “…we do not have a serial killer on the loose.” Mayor for Perris Michael Vargas announced a safety specific city council meeting slated for February 27^th and is considering ways to increase physical deputy presence in the area under the contract with the city that RSD has.

HEMET: Plans for the old K-Mart Shopping Center get clarified and refined

Christopher Lopez, Hemet’s deputy city manager clarified that the 220 West Stetson Ave. location will house a McDonald’s and office/retail buildings/spaces.

There may be as many as 7 spaces, which will range in size between 1280 sq. ft. and 55,000 sq. ft.

This is a clarification on the previous design plans submitted to the planning commission and helps residents to understand the changes in landscape for the area.

The property is just over 7.5 acres and is titled KPC Hemet Center and lists Anthony Florek and Johnny Gonzalez on the paperwork. Well known Hemet resident Kali P. Chaudhuri is a Key Executive in the KPC Hemet Center, LLC.

HEMET/SAN JACINTO: 02-17-2020 Median work resumes on Florida Avenue

The median project is slated to be completed in February 2020, despite some major opposition in the city center business area and several breaks having been implemented, including a thanksgiving break which lasted until December 1^st 2019.   

The 20 million dollar project with work being performed by Granite Construction Company includes work to connect the I-215 to state route 74.

AGUANGA: 02-12-2020 More than 400 lbs. of processed Marijuana and 10000 individual plants found in Drug Seizure

Six warrants were served to initiate a raid in Aguanga that ended up producing nearly two tons of Marijuana that did not meet legal growing parameters. Additionally, three firearms and two stolen vehicles were also seized, including an SKS rifle, which is a very old semi-automatic rifle produced in the hundreds of thousands in Eastern Bloc and Asian countries from the 1950’s to the 1980’s generally.

This was a joint effort by CA Dept. of Fish and Game; CA Water Board; Riverside County organizations including code enforcement; Sherriff’s Dept. and Auto Theft Interdiction detail.

BEAUMONT & LAKE ELSINORE: Two cities in Southwest Riverside County were named on a top ten list of fastest-growing cities in California

Based on the American Community Survey census data and proprietary algorithmic calculations by the website HomeSnacks, Beaumont and Lake Elsinore are top ten cities by growth this year. Beaumont ranked 2^nd in growth with a 38.2% growth rate while Lake Elsinore was ranked 4^th with 31.6% growth.

Interestingly, both cities were ranked in their respective positions last year as well. Clearly, the growth trends are solidly in place for the time being.

LAKE ELSINORE: 02-19-2020 Route 74/Ortega Highway will see additional delays in the upcoming week

CalTrans has updated the traffic alert for the Ortega Highway area stating it expected several delays during the upcoming week, which is likely to extend the frustration that motorists felt in past weeks.

They expect to have a single lane open for through traffic and have clarified that Wednesday through Friday, slope stabilization work will be occurring. You can follow updates at the Twitter account for CalTrans District 8 at @Caltrans8 on twitter.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY: 02-19-2020 Several new inclusions to the AAA Four Diamond rating list from Riverside County

Six restaurants were added to the list, notably Cielo at Morongo Casino in Cabazon; Great Oak Steakhouse at Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula and Duane’s Prime Steaks and Seafood at Mission Inn Hotel & Spa in downtown Riverside.

Others included 2 Rancho mirage restaurants and one in Palm Springs.

Hotels that landed on the Four Diamond list included notables:

The Grand Idyllwild Lodge; Hotel Paseo Autograph Collection in Palm Desert; The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa in downtown Riverside and two Temecula hotels including Ponte Vineyard Inn and Pechanga Resort and Casino.

Several others in La Quinta, Indian Springs, Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage as well as one additional in Palm Desert made the list.

The post Riverside County News Round-Up February 12-19 2020 appeared first on Easy Ad - Local Small Business Resources.