A man was arrested for a hit-and-run crash that left a young boy hospitalized in Riverside County.  The suspect was identified as Mlouie Qutami, 29, from Menifee, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Office.  On Feb. 14, deputies responded to a crash near the intersection of West 3rd Street and South C Street in Perris at around 6:36 p.m. Investigators discovered Qutami’s Ram 1500 pickup truck had initially crashed into a parked vehicle. As he began driving away, that’s when he struck the boy as he was crossing the street with his family, authorities said. Instead of stopping ..read more

A new ordinance passed by the Perris City Council aims to limit the amount of junk food displayed at the checkout aisles at grocery stores. City Council members passed Ordinance 1423 in February, and it went into effect in July. The ordinance requires grocers larger than 2,500 square feet to provide healthy food or beverage items as the “default” selection at checkout aisles, a news release said ..read more

A car with an out-of-state license plate in Chino Hills turned out to have been stolen, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said, and three Perris residents were arrested. The car was spotted at around 2:15 a.m. Wednesday morning, and vehicle records showed it had been stolen from Perris in July, the SBSD said in a news release. "During a search of the vehicle, a pair of brass knuckles, drug paraphernalia, and a small bag of narcotics were recovered," deputies said. Carlos Lopez, 40, Meghan Cardinel, 36, and Angel Parra Moreno, 23, were arrested for alleged possession of a stolen ve ..read more

State water managers issued a warning Monday for people and pets to stay out of Lake Perris in Riverside County due a hazardous algal bloom. Lake Perris, or Perris Reservoir, is a popular fishing, boating, and camping site between Moreno Valley and the City of Perris. California’s Department of Water Resources issued an advisory after tests showed elevated levels of blue-green algae or cyanobacteria. DWR says algal blooms are typically caused by warm water temperatures, calm conditions, and certain nutrients in the water. They can produce toxins harmful to people and pets. The signs of Harmful ..read more

The Riverside County Sheriff's Department has identified the two people who died Friday in a helicopter crash near Perris. Two Murrieta men, 61-year-old Mark Carter and 62-year-old Dennis Foster, were aboard the Bell 407 helicopter when it crashed at 12:22 p.m. near Pulsar View Road in Nuevo, just east of Perris. Authorities say a call was received about an air emergency moments before the seven-seater helicopter crashed down in the remote, unincorporated area. The aircraft is typically used for short-haul transportation, utility operations and law enforcement, according to officials. A Rive ..read more

A possibly hazardous spill led to the closure of both directions of the 215 Freeway north of Perris, the Riverside County Fire Department announced. The spill at Harvill and Oleander Avenues was reported at 7:41 p.m., leading to the closure of the freeway "South of Van Buren and North of Ramona Expressway," the RCFD said on Twitter. Harvill Road is also closed in the area "from Oleander to the North and Commerce Center to the south," the RCFD added. By about 8:50 p.m., the leak's source was identified as coming from a rail car, though the RCFD said what is leaking is "an unknown substance." RC ..read more

The Turpin children, whose abuse at the hands of their parents in Perris made headlines, filed a lawsuit this week against Riverside County and a foster care placement agency, claiming their abuse continued with their new foster family. The six youngest Turpins filed the suit, which details the abuse they suffered, including being forced to eat moldy food, physical beatings and more, said attorney Elan Zektser. "They were in the exact same position that they had been in years earlier when they thought they'd escaped a life of abuse," said attorney Carly Sanchez. Kimberly Cheng reports for the ..read more

A home invasion in Perris on Wednesday left neighbors shaken. The Riverside County Sheriff's Department said that the victim, who owns a home near Avishan Drive and Caltha Way, welcomed two female acquaintances who were allegedly planning to rob him. The acquaintances were reportedly casing the home for a third suspect, a 19-year-old man named Cameran Deneal, who walked in and assaulted the homeowner, Sgt. Edward Soto said. "A male suspect entered the residence with a handgun and pistol-whipped and assaulted the homeowner demanding money," Soto said. However, the victim wrestled the gun away a ..read more

Six students at Enchanted Elementary School in Perris were sickened after eating cannabis-laced food, officials said. Just before 11:30 a.m. Thursday, deputies responded to the school located at 1357 Mount Baldy St. regarding multiple juvenile students reporting food-related illnesses, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department told KTLA. An investigation revealed that a student brought food to school and later shared that food with peers. The food was believed to contain small amounts of a cannabis product unbeknownst to the responsible student, officials said. A total of six students were tra ..read more

Did you buy a Powerball ticket in Perris last October? You could be holding on to a $2.2 million-winning ticket, and California Lottery officials want to talk to you before it's too late to claim the prize. The ticket — sold at a Circle K at 19470 Brown Street in Perris on Oct. 27 — is set to expire on Monday if it is not claimed. It matched five of the six winning numbers that same night (3-26-51-35-6), missing only the red Powerball number (17). “Powerball winners who match five numbers have 180 days from the date of the draw to claim their prize,” lotto officials said in a news release ..read more