Contributed

On November 28, 2021, Benjamin Winkle was located in Northern California and arrested by the Placer County Sheriff’s Department. Winkle was arrested for unrelated new charges and the arrest warrant stemming from this homicide investigation. Winkle is currently in custody at the Placer County Jail and will eventually be extradited to Riverside County for the murder charge.

The suspects in the murder of George Torres have been identified as 23-year-old Edgar Ortega-Sanchez and 18-year-old Bryan Ortega. The suspects are brothers and residents of Perris. They have been arrested and booked into custody. The case has been submitted to the Riverside County District Attorney’s office, and murder charges have been filed.

Palm Desert Station Burglary Suppression Unit (BSU) conducted further investigation regarding several commercial burglaries that occurred at a local self-storage center during the past few months. BSU identified convicted felon, Blaine Sniffen, 50 years of Palm Desert, and Valori McFann, 31 years of Palm Desert for their involvement.

On Monday, November 29, 2021, deputies assigned to Lake Elsinore Sheriff’s Station responded to the area of Railroad Canyon Road and Canyon Hills Road, regarding a stolen vehicle out of Long Beach. Deputies attempted an enforcement stop at which time a pursuit was initiated.

Nearly two years after the emergence of the virus that causes COVID-19, a variant of the virus called Omicron is raising concerns around the world. Transmission checked in with some of Columbia Mailman School’s top experts in virology, emerging infectious diseases, epidemiology, and the global response to pandemics to answer questions about the variant, including its potential risks and what we can do to protect ourselves.