A man accused of supplying a deadly dose of fentanyl to a 40-year-old Norco resident must stand trial for second-degree murder, a judge ruled Wednesday.

Johnnie Curtis Stevens, 40, of Norco was arrested in April following a months-long Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation into the death of Jason Schmuch.

At the end of a preliminary hearing Wednesday, Superior Court Judge Randall Stamen ruled there was sufficient evidence to bound Stevens over for trial on the murder count and scheduled a post-preliminary hearing arraignment for Aug. 30 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.

The defendant is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta.

According to sheriff’s Sgt. Sean Liebrand, on the morning of Nov. 19, 2023, deputies were called to the intersection of Roundup Road and Stagecoach Drive to investigate reports of a comatose man.
Schmuch was pronounced dead at the scene, Liebrand said.

“Deputies located evidence indicative of a fentanyl overdose,” he said.

The sheriff’s Overdose Death Investigations & Narcotics Unit was assigned to the case after it was confirmed “Schmuch died as a result of fentanyl poisoning,” according to the sergeant.

An initial search warrant was served at Stevens’ property in the 5000 block of Trail Street less than a day after the victim’s death. Liebrand said deputies seized “fentanyl, methamphetamine and (drug) paraphernalia” at the location.

Investigators additionally discovered the defendant’s daughter, whose identity wasn’t released, “had access to the narcotics,” Liebrand alleged. Stevens was initially booked into jail only for child endangerment, and he posted bail soon afterward.

The ODIN Unit’s investigation continued, culminating in sufficient evidence to seek a murder charge against the defendant, which prosecutors filed in mid-April.

Stevens has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County. His connection to the victim was not disclosed.

Since February 2021, more than two dozen individuals countywide have been charged with murder in connection with fentanyl poisonings.

In November, prosecutors closed the books on the county’s first fentanyl murder case to go before a jury, culminating in the conviction of 34- year-old Vicente David Romero, who was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for the 2020 death of a Temecula woman. District Attorney Mike Hestrin said it was the first fentanyl murder conviction in the state.

According to public health statistics, there were 550 known fentanyl- related fatalities countywide in 2023, a 9% increase from 2022, when there were 503.

Fentanyl is manufactured in overseas labs, principally in China, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, which says the drug is smuggled across the U.S.-Mexico border by cartels.

Fentanyl is 80-100 times more potent than morphine and can be mixed into any number of street narcotics and prescription drugs, without a user knowing what he or she is consuming. Ingestion of only two milligrams can be fatal.

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RIVERSIDE, CA — A man who allegedly caused a head-on collision that killed a boy and seriously injured his three siblings in Riverside while traveling over 100 mph and under the influence of marijuana was due to make his initial court appearance Monday.

Andres Laris, 23, of Riverside was arrested and booked Thursday into the Robert Presley Jail, where he’s being held in lieu of $1 million bail.

Laris is charged with second-degree murder and three counts of roadway violations that resulted in great bodily injury.

He’s slated to appear before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Walter Kubelun at the Riverside Hall of Justice Monday afternoon.

Riverside police spokesman Officer Ryan Railsback said that traffic detectives this month concluded a yearlong investigation into the collision that killed 8-year-old Obed Liam Barbosa Carbajal of Riverside.

Their findings resulted in sufficient grounds to seek criminal charges, and an arrest warrant was obtained and served on the defendant at his residence on Hershey Way Thursday, according to Railsback.

Critically injured in the collision were Obed’s then-25-year-old sister, Kially Carbajal, and his two siblings, 16-year-old Mario and 10-year-old Kiara.

The latter suffered the most significant injuries — a brain impact, two broken legs and a spinal fracture. She is still recovering. Kially Carbajal suffered a broken arm and foot has since recovered.

Mario, who was seated in the front passenger seat of his sister’s car, suffered significant head trauma that required surgery. He has since recovered.

Kially Carbajal was driving her younger siblings to school on the morning of May 16, 2023.

According to police and an investigation by attorneys for the Carbajal family, Laris was driving his 2020 Honda Civic westbound on Arlington Avenue, going “more than 100 mph” when he lost control at Stover Avenue.

Railsback said he failed to negotiate a bend in the road and “veered into the opposite lanes of traffic due to his high speed” going through the intersection.

“He collided head-on into the 2015 Nissan Sentra, which was traveling east on Arlington,” the police spokesman said.

The collision resulted in the two vehicles becoming a gnarled wreck, trapping all of the parties.
Riverside Fire Department crews extricated them a short time later. Obed was pronounced dead at the scene.

Along with the victim’s siblings, Laris was seriously injured and was in the hospital for an unspecified period.

Railsback said investigators decided to pursue a murder charge based on the defendant’s prior conduct, which included two speeding convictions, one of which led to his taking an online traffic safety course that warned “speeding is dangerous because it increases the risk of a crash and decreases the time the driver has to react to avoid a collision.”

The signs of cannabis in his blood after he was hospitalized indicated he was likely under the influence, further justifying criminal charges, according to Railsback.

Laris has no documented prior felony convictions.

The Carbajal family in December announced a civil action against the city and the defendant, alleging negligence on the part of both.

The lawsuit, which is still pending, blames municipal officials, in part, for the wreck because the plaintiffs allege that the city failed to move forward with a plan established in 2015 to install a traffic light and make various other roadway safety improvements at the intersection.

According to the plaintiffs, residents of the area had repeatedly complained about the need for changes. Between 2009 and 2023, there were nearly 30 collisions, including three fatal ones, in the area of Arlington and Stover, according to the suit.

Arlington is a major travel corridor through the western half of the city, and the point of impact was at a roadway curve where speeding is not uncommon.

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The man, Ricardo I. Flores, also known as Koyote the Blind, faces eight felony charges, including rape by force and aggravated sexual assault, according to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. The authorities said the acts occurred from 2012 to 2023. If convicted, Mr. Flores could face up to life in prison.

Mr. Flores, 59, who is being held in jail without bail, was arrested on Aug. 7 as he re-entered the country after a visit to Mexico, according to the Riverside County Sheriff. In a news release, the sheriff’s office said that some of the alleged crimes took place at an address that matched the location of Xicoco Shamanic Arts, an organization led by Mr. Flores in the city of Moreno Valley, about 65 miles east of Los Angeles.

The authorities said they believed there could be more victims and encouraged anyone with information to come forward.

Mr. Flores was arraigned on Aug. 9 in Riverside Superior Court. His next scheduled court appearance, on Aug. 23, will be a continuation of the arraignment, according to a statement from Riverside Superior Court.

A spokesman for the Riverside District Attorney’s Office said in an emailed statement that it did not comment on cases still under investigation or awaiting trial. The Riverside County Public Defenders Office, which is representing Mr. Flores, did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Mr. Flores describes himself in online profiles as an exiled shaman — a person who claims to have access to spirits — originally from El Salvador. He also says he is an accomplished magician and yogi.

As Koyote the Blind, Mr. Flores has led a number of organizations and has written books and offered teachings revolving around esoteric spiritual ideas, according to his online biographies. Central to his teachings is a “healing system” and “ancient healing energy” called “Aka Dua.”

In various venues, Mr. Flores has also referred to teachings related to sex. On podcasts and blogs, he discusses his mastery of “Sexual Alchemy” and “Sex Magick.”

A bearded man who often appears in photos and videos in a bowler hat and colored beads, Mr. Flores has mainly resided in recent years on the grounds of Xicoco Shamanic Arts, a registered charitable organization.

In addition to appearing in YouTube videos and on podcasts, Mr. Flores has in recent years offered workshops and retreats at Xicoco that can cost participants thousands of dollars. According to social media posts, the activities sometimes involve dances around a large tent.

Xicoco’s website says it “hosts Sweat Lodges, Vision Quests, and a Medicine Wheel.”

Mr. Flores has promoted esoteric ideas for decades. His talks and books draw on a number of different thinkers and spiritual traditions, including magicians and mystics like Aleister Crowley and Carlos Castaneda. He also often invokes Indigenous groups like the Toltecs, a civilization that lived centuries ago in what is now Mexico.

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