Authorities have arrested an Indio man after they say he tried to kidnap two young girls as they walked to school. At about 9:20 a.m. Wednesday, the girls reported that a man tried to pull one of them into a vehicle near the intersection of Cactus Avenue and Perris Boulevard in Moreno Valley, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department said in a news release. "The juvenile was able to break free from his grasp and, upon arriving at school, notified school administrators, who contacted the Sheriff’s Office," the release said. The girls gave investigators "a detailed description of the suspect and ..read more

A local pastor was arrested for the alleged sexual assault of a child in Riverside County. The suspect was identified as David Helbling, 79, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. On Jan. 30, deputies responded to reports of a previous child sex assault that occurred at a property on the 23000 block of Hemlock Avenue in Moreno Valley. Investigators discovered the juvenile victim had allegedly been assaulted by Helbling. Neither the victim’s age nor gender was released. On Feb. 14, deputies searched the Moreno Valley property where evidence related to the assault was collected ..read more

A 21-year-old inmate in Riverside County died of a "recently diagnosed illness" on Friday, officials said. At about 7:30 p.m., investigators learned that Shaundale Booker, a Moreno Valley resident, died at a local hospital, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department said in a news release. Booker had been hospitalized with an illness, and during the course of his treatment, his condition worsened. Officials did not identify Booker's specific sickness. Despite life-saving efforts, Booker was declared dead by hospital physicians. "There were no signs of foul play," officials said. Anyone with inf ..read more

A Moreno Valley man is behind bars after he allegedly opened fire on a Yucaipa home last month. Peter Ibarra Gurrola, 22, was arrested Wednesday in connection with a Nov. 17 attack on a house in the 33000 block of Colorado Street, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said in a news release. After multiple gunshots were reported last month, deputies found "numerous shell casings in the street and numerous bullet strikes to the residence," officials said. After Gurrola's arrest, deputies found multiple firearms at his home, officials said. At the time of the shooting, victims told depu ..read more

As Southern Californians prepare for the holiday season, Christmas Grinches targeting Riverside County homes remain at large. On Dec. 1 at around 4:30 a.m., Alexandra Falcon’s surveillance video caught at least two suspects trespassing on her property on Calle Vejar in Moreno Valley. “A group of guys were on my lawn and on my neighbor's as well and they had unplugged from the extension chord on two of our inflatables,” Falcon said. The woman’s security cameras captured at least two people stealing large, pricey Christmas decorations from the homes on her street. “We had a singular reindeer, li ..read more

The Moreno Valley Unified School District Board of Education voted to fire its superintendent on Tuesday. The board voted 3-2 to remove Dr. Martinrex Kedziora after a three-hour meeting behind closed doors.  The firing comes after the district agreed to pay a $27 million settlement on Sept. 13 to the family of Diego Stolz, a 13-year-old boy who died after he was assaulted by classmates in 2019. Kedziora had served as the superintendent of the district since 2017. Officials did not confirm whether the settlement prompted his firing. Stolz was an eighth-grader at Landmark Middle School when ..read more

The Santa Ana Police Department arrested two Garden Grove residents who allegedly shot and killed a Santa Ana man earlier this month. Jorge Valazquez, 29, succumbed to gunshot wounds to his upper torso after he was attacked a few minutes before 2 a.m. on Aug. 13, the SAPD said in a news release. Detectives canvassed the area near 2734 N. Bristol St. and "identified several suspects who were at the scene during the shooting," including 31-year-old Diana Tenorio, said police. She was arrested Aug. 15, and police added that a gun was found at her home. The alleged shooter, 30-year-old Manuel Chai ..read more

The Riverside County Sheriff's Department is investigating after two men sustained gunshot wounds in Moreno Valley Wednesday night. Several people reported gunshots to authorities at about 11:07 p.m., and when deputies arrived at the scene in the 12000 block of Carnation Lane, they found a man who had been shot multiple times, Sgt. Wenndy Brito-Gonzalez said in an email. Footage from the scene shows investigators searching an alleyway between several apartment buildings. He was taken to a local hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries. At that same hospital, another man was dro ..read more

Over the past few years, brawls at malls and shopping centers have become a somewhat regular occurrence. But at Moreno Valley Mall, the three fights that happened on Sunday were beyond the pale, requiring the Riverside County Sheriff's Department to be called, and management is cracking down on unaccompanied teens. The youths, who were drawn by $4 movie tickets, may now face additional stipulations if they visit the shopping center at 22500 Town Circle after 5 p.m. on weekdays or anytime on weekends, according to a report in the Inland Empire's Press-Enterprise. Moreno Valley Mall patrons are ..read more

A Moreno Valley clerk was robbed at gunpoint early Friday morning, and the Riverside County Sheriff's Department is looking for the perpetrator. The employee of a business in the 24000 block of John F. Kennedy Drive was held up around 4 a.m., officials said in a news release. That address appears to correspond with a Circle K convenience store and gas station. The employee complied and gave the robber an undisclosed amount of cash from the register before the man fled on foot, officials said. No one was injured. The robber is a man believed to be about 6 feet tall who has an athletic build and ..read more