SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA — A 23-year-old man accused of giving a fatal dose of fentanyl to his then-17-year-old girlfriend in an unincorporated area of Riverside County near Desert Hot Springs two years ago was arrested near the Mexico border, authorities announced Tuesday.

Michael Garcia was arrested around 7:45 p.m. Monday in the El Centro area and returned to Indio, where he was booked into the John Benoit Dentention Center on suspicion on unlawfully furnishing a controlled substance to a minor and felony child endangerment, according to inmate records and the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

He was being held in liue of $75,000 bail and tentatively scheduled to appear in court for arraignment Thursday in Indio.

Around 9 a.m. Aug. 21, 2022, deputies from the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station responded to a report of an unresponsive teen girl in her bedroom in the 15000 block of Via Quedo, according to Sgt. Sean Liebrand of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

“Lifesaving measures were unsuccessful, and the juvenile was ultimately pronounced deceased,” Liebrand said in a statement. “The investigation determined the female juvenile had overdosed on fentanyl.”

The department’s Overdose Investigations and Narcotics Unit assumed the investigation and identified Garcia as the suspect who gave her the fentanyl, according to Liebrand.

According to a court declaration in support of his arrest, Garcia was present when deputies responded to the home, and he told investigator James Peters that the previous night he “purchased M-30 pills, which he stated he knew contained fentanyl, and provided them to (the girl), who smoked them.”

“Michael said he awoke the next morning to find (her) overdosing,” Peters wrote in the declaration.

According to Peters, Garcia also told him that he knew the girl was only 17 years old but he had a sexual relationship with her for several months and was buying her fentanyl even though he knew she had been released from a residential rehab for fentanyl addiction a few weeks before her fatal overdose.

More suspects and arrests were expected in the case, Liebrand said at the time. It was not immediately clear if additional arrests have been made in connection to the case.

Anyone with additional information on the case was asked to call Peters at 951-955-1700 or Investigator Dan Shaffer at 951-955-1700.

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File # LA230600026

Details:

On Thursday, March 16, 2023, the La Quinta Special Enforcement Team (SET) served a property related search warrant at the 26000 block of Bruce Street, in Highland. The search warrant stemmed from multiple grand theft incidents that were reported on March 01,2023. The incidents occurred at two businesses located at the 78000 and 79000 block of Highway 111, in La Quinta. The businesses had also reported similar thefts at their other locations out of the area. Arrested was Huy Nhat Pham, 32 of Highland, for grand theft, possession of stolen property, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia . Approximately $3,200 worth of stolen merchandise was recovered. Pham was booked at the John J. Benoit Detention Center.

Anyone with information on this case is encouraged to call Deputy Chris Williams at the Thermal Sheriff’s Station by calling (760)863-8990, or Crime Stoppers at (760)341-STOP (7867).

For media inquiries regarding this incident please contact the Media Information Bureau.

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On January 21, 2022, at 8:36 P.M., Southwest deputies conducted a vehicle stop in the area of La Paz Road and Temecula Parkway for equipment violations. Deputies contacted the driver, who initially provided a fictitious name to conceal his identity. Through investigative techniques, deputies positively identified the driver as Brian Torres (25 years old of Lake Elsinore). Deputies conducted a record check of Torres, which revealed he had three felony warrants for his arrest and was currently on Probation out of Riverside County for Robbery. A search of his vehicle was conducted and a loaded 12-gauge shotgun, shotgun ammunition, and Methamphetamine was found. Torres was arrested for possession of a controlled substance while armed with a loaded shotgun, felon in possession of a firearm, possession of a controlled substance for sales, violation of probation. Torres was booked into custody at the Cois Byrd Detention Center.

Anybody with information pertaining to this investigation is encouraged to contact Deputy Au at the Southwest Sheriff Station, at (951) 696-3000 or the Riverside County Sheriff Dispatch, at (951) 776-1099.

As a reminder, “Community Policing” involves partnerships between law enforcement and community members. Business owners and residents are encouraged to report criminal activity directly to law enforcement by calling Sheriff’s Dispatch at (951) 776-1099, or by calling 911 if the matter is an emergency.

For media inquiries regarding this incident please contact the Media Information Bureau.

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