Coachella Valley Violent Crime Gang Task Force

Gang Member Arrested with Firearm – Incident Date: 10/01/19

On Tuesday, October 1, 2019, at 3:00 P.M. the Coachella Valley Violent Crime Gang Task Force conducted a probation compliance check at a residence near the 85000 block of Middleton Road in Thermal.  During the probation check, Task Force Officers seized a loaded .25 caliber semi-automatic handgun and suspected methamphetamine.

Task Force Officers arrested documented gang member, Severiano Perez, 28 of Thermal, for Violation of Probation and Possession of Methamphetamine with a Loaded Firearm. 

Also arrested was Shianne Barrera, 21 of Thermal for an outstanding Felony Theft Warrant out of Nevada. Both were booked at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning.

The Coachella Valley Violent Crime Gang Task Force is committed to creating safe and secure neighborhoods free of violent crime and gang activity.

If you have any information about this crime, please contact CVVCGTF member Officer Budnik at (760) 836-1600.

If you have non-emergency information regarding gang activity, please use our online Gang Task Force Tip Form or call 951-922-7601. 

Thermal

Robbery Arrest – Incident Date: 09/30/2019

On September 30, 2019, at 3:06 PM, La Quinta deputies responded to the 7800 block of Main Street, in the La Quinta, regarding a robbery that just occured. During the robbery, witnesses chased the suspect, to the corner of Calle Tampico and Calle Mendoza, in the city of La Quinta. The La Quinta Special Enforcement Team quickly arrived on scene and took the suspect in custody and recovered the victim’s property. During the investigation, it was determined Gabriel Tigner, 18-years-old of La Quinta, entered a business with his face covered and took a female’s purse. Tigner was booked at the county jail in Indio.

The La Quinta Special Enforcement Team is asking anyone with additional information to contact Deputy Huyler at the Thermal Sheriff’s Station by calling (760)-863-8990.

Southwest

NARCOTIC SALES – Incident Date: 09-30-2019

On the above date and time, a Sheriff’s Sergeant from the Temecula Sheriff’s Station conducted a traffic enforcement stop on a gold 1999 Acura for a vehicle code violation. The Sergeant contacted the driver, Christina Marie Quintero, a Hispanic female adult, 25 years of age, and a resident of Menifee. 

A record check showed Quintero had several outstanding arrest warrants for narcotics related offenses as well as a suspended license.  Incident to arrest, a search of the vehicle was conducted, and an assisting deputy located 118 grams of methamphetamine, 2.4 grams of heroin, 70.4 grams of marijuana, 10 Hydrocodone pills, packaging, a digital scale and other items common with the sales of narcotics.

Christina Marie Quintero was arrested and transported to Cois Byrd Detention Center on charges of transportation for sales of methamphetamine and heroin.  While being processed for booking, an additional 24.5 grams of heroin were located hidden on Quintero’s person. Anyone with additional information is urged to call Deputy Punzalan at the Southwest Sheriff’s Station at (951) 696-3000 or Riverside County Sheriff’s dispatch at (951) 776-1099.  

Palm Desert

Driving Under the Influence – Traffic Collision

Incident Date: September 28, 2019

On Saturday, September 28, 2019, at approximately 11:32 PM, Deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff Department, responded to a traffic collision at the 32-000 block of Bob Hope Dr., Palm Desert. It was determined the driver, Jeffrey Myers , 62 years of Cathedral City, was travelling westbound toward Bob Hope Drive and collided into the median.   Myers did not sustain any injuries. During the investigation, it was determined that Myers showed symptoms of being under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. Myers was arrested for driving while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. Myers was transported to a local hospital as a precaution. Once treated, he was booked into the Riverside County Jail in Indio. 

The Riverside County Sheriff Department encourages all drivers not to drink and drive. To report drunk drivers, please call 911. Anyone with any information regarding this incident is urged to contact Deputy  Adrian Morales at (760) 836-1600 or call anonymously at (760) 341-STOP (7867) and reference incident #S192710046.

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Search: CrimeWatch – October 3

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RIVERSIDE (CNS) – Riverside police asked for the public’s help today finding two small children allegedly taken by their mother’s 24-year-old live-in boyfriend after the couple became embroiled in a verbal and physical altercation.
Police said Joshua Adle allegedly took 18-month-old Darla Yonko and 8-month-old Emma Yonko Tuesday night. Police said Adle and the girls’ mother got into an altercation that turned physical between 9 and 10 p.m. Tuesday at their home in the 3100 block of Grace Street.

HEMET (CNS) – Hemet residents who want a better understanding of police operations and how they can contribute to the safety of their community are invited to attend the Hemet Police Department’s inaugural “Citizen Academy,” which begins next month.
“During this 10-week academy, students will learn from department personnel, who are experts in the areas of patrol tactics, criminal investigations, SWAT, K-9, narcotics, gang task force, dispatch, traffic enforcement, use-of-force, and other related fields,” Hemet police Sgt. Derek Maddox said. “All students will participate in practical demonstrations,
simulators, and a ride-along during the academy.”

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“During this 10-week academy, students will learn from department personnel, who are experts in the areas of patrol tactics, criminal investigations, SWAT, K-9, narcotics, gang task force, dispatch, traffic enforcement, use-of-force, and other related fields,” Hemet police Sgt. Derek Maddox said. “All students will participate in practical demonstrations,
simulators, and a ride-along during the academy.”

The program begins Aug. 21 and will require a once-a-week commitment — every Wednesday evening — through the first week of November. “Students will gain an overall knowledge of the Hemet Police Department, the structure and how we are organized, how we serve our community, and how we respond when citizens call for a police matter,” the sergeant said.

Most classes will be held at the agency’s main office, 450 E. Latham Ave.
Applications for admission to the academy are being accepted now.
Maddox noted that applicants are required to undergo a background check prior to acceptance. About 15 people will be admitted, he said.

All attendees must be over 18 years old, and they cannot have felony convictions or unresolved criminal matters of any kind pending in court.
Anyone interested was encouraged to contact Maddox via email at
dmaddox@cityofhemet.org or call 951-765-2400.

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A report came in around 12:30 p.m. Sunday of a man trying to lure a 15-year-old into his car near the intersection of Esplanade and San Jacinto avenues in the city of San Jacinto, according to Riverside County sheriff’s Sgt. Tommy Mix.

Witnesses told deputies that the suspect was seen driving a black, four-door Nissan sedan with Arizona license plates. Based on that information, deputies were able to find and arrest Billie Fenter, 40, who was booked on suspicion of annoying or molesting a child.

Two days later, deputies went to Esplanade and San Jacinto avenues — the same intersection — in response to another attempted kidnapping report about 5:30 p.m., Mix said. He said witnesses’ descriptions of the crime, the suspect and the vehicle involved all were similar to the circumstances of Fenter’s arrest on Sunday, and deputies checked jail records and discovered Fenter had been released from jail on Monday.

The victim in the Tuesday abduction attempt positively identified Fenter, Mix said.
Deputies conducted a “widespread” search for the suspect, but could not find him, and asked for anyone with information on Fenter’s whereabouts to call them at 951-776-1099.

Images of Fenter and his vehicle are available at
http://www.riversidesheriff.org/press/hem19-0730.asp

Updated: He has been captured, according to the sheriff’s department. Details on the arrest of Billie Fenter haven’t yet been released.

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Officials said the nighttime shutdowns enabled Watsonville-based Granite Construction Inc. to expedite completion of the $4.69 million Gilman Springs Resurfacing Project, which involved overlaying new asphalt, repairing distressed sections of roadway, upgrading guardrails, replacing rumble stripes, improving shoulder space and reconstructing drains.
“These improvements will go a long way making Gilman Springs Road safer, but it is important that motorists remember to drive safely,” said TLMA spokeswoman Patty Romo. “Don’t get distracted, and don’t get behind the wheel when impaired. We are partners in making our roads safer.”
Only a small section of roadway now requires improvement, but that will not necessitate full closures — only temporary single-lane travel under the supervision of road crews, Romo said.

During the project, access from the 60 to Gilman Springs was not available between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m., though residents whose properties could only be accessed from Gilman Springs were able to utilize the corridor from Alessandro Boulevard in Moreno Valley. The road was also closed to the south at the junction with Highway 79.
A separate $150,000 project on Gilman Springs this month entailed erecting 2-foot-high yellow plastic reflecting devices to serve as traffic dividers on the heavily used artery.
The dividers have been placed 50 feet apart in most locations.
However, along tight curves, they’re be only 25 feet apart, Romo said.
Deadly collisions have occurred on the route over the years. In May, a 48-year-old Moreno Valley woman was killed when a motorist illegally crossed two sets of double yellow lines on Gilman Springs to pass a slower vehicle, slamming head-on into the victim’s sedan.

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Michael Moses Rivera, 42, was arrested Sunday and booked into the Robert Presley Jail Detention Center in downtown Riverside on suspicion of driving under the influence of a controlled substance causing injuries.
According to a Riverside Police Department statement, Rivera exited the Riverside (91) Freeway onto Van Buren Boulevard, going southbound well in excess of the speed limit, shortly after 11 a.m. Sunday.

At the intersection of Van Buren and Citrus Heights Road, the suspect sped through a red light, and his vehicle slammed into three SUVs before colliding with a sedan and coming to a complete stop, police said.
Patrol officers arrived within a few minutes and encountered Rivera behaving erratically, running in the vicinity of his wrecked car with a “glass drug pipe” in one hand, according to the police department.
Officers took him into custody without incident.
Five adults and six children suffered minor to moderate injuries in the collision and were treated at a hospital, investigators said. All are expected to recover.
Rivera did not require medical treatment

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“…because I was suspicious of the guys in the car, so I wanted to lock down the trailer. I never got the chance,” said Hakala, hostage in what has been dubbed, “America’s most spectacular bank robbery,” the 1980 Norco, California bank robbery/hostage/murder case.

In a flash, three Hispanic men descended upon Hakala’s van. “All three were Hispanic. One came through the passenger side, one through the driver’s side, and one opened the sliding door. I was as close to them as I am to you right now. There’s zero chance that I was mistaken. I said it then, and I’ll say it now: I saw three Hispanic men: two of them were the Delgado brothers, yes, but there was a third Hispanic man. There’s no way I was wrong. I know what I saw.”

After enduring unimaginable pain for almost six hours, Hakala thought his ordeal was over. He sought to put it behind him as quickly as possible when he left the hospital later that same night. But his ordeal wasn’t quite over.

“The news cameras had spread my picture and story all throughout the country within minutes of my release from the hospital. As soon as I exited, the news guys with their cameras grabbed me and started firing questions. My mom and dad lived in Wyoming at the time, and they saw the story and called me as soon as they saw it. I was telling the police, even in the hospital that there was another Hispanic man to go along with the two Hispanic men and three white guys they were after. No one wanted to listen.”

When the hospital, the police, and the news crews were done with him, Gary Hakala was tired, alone…and stranded. “Nobody cared. I was just there, with no ride…miles from home. After all that, a reporter who arrived late, by the last name of Rose, he was from KABC-7…he drove me home. Nobody cared about me.” The other thing nobody seemed to care about was the fact that the assailants were in control of Hakala’s van…they knew his address.

When he got home, Gary Hakala was about to receive a solemn reminder that his saga wasn’t quite finished. “When I got home…there were muddy footprints all throughout the house. And remember…this was that same night before they had caught those guys the next day.” Hakala didn’t wait around to see who might show up next. “I immediately beat it to a friend’s house and stayed there for a few days.”

For a full year, Hakala carried protection everywhere he went. “I didn’t even go to the bathroom without protection. After a year I figured I’d kind of forgotten what the guy looked like…and I began to relax. But I’ll never forget that there were 3 Hispanic men.”

When asked if George Wayne Smith (who, at the time of the robbery had a slightly “Hispanic” look) could have been the mysterious “third Hispanic,” Hakala was unequivocal, “Hell no. It clearly wasn’t him. This guy was smaller…and more sedate than any of the other guys. Smith might have been a nice guy under normal circumstances, but these weren’t normal circumstances. During the robbery he was hyped up and brash, barking orders at very one. Smith was the one in charge. The third guy was also, very obviously not the ring-leader. Manny (Delgado) secured me, Billy (Delgado) was driving, and the
third Hispanic was just taking orders.”

Hakala recalls many other instances that support his assertion of a sixth assailant. “When we pulled up to…what seemed to me to be a warehouse…this was before they set the diversion and before they actually robbed the bank…it was wherever they loaded the bombs and bullets, three other guys entered the van. I heard what I came to know from TV and in court was Smith’s voice holler out, “Where’s the dude?” You see, he wasn’t in the van originally. It just wasn’t any of those five guys…not the three they caught, nor the two that died. Smith never saw me, and I never saw him because I was backward in that little closet in my van.”

And Hakala says that, contrary to what one might think, he was not nervous or frightened by what was going on. “I thought to myself, “I’ll be damned if my last minutes on earth are going to be spent begging for my life. If I’m going to go out, I’m going out defiant. There was little I could do of course, but I certainly wasn’t frightened. At first, I was dead calm…and then I got angry. I was never nervous or out of control. I knew and know everything that went on.”

Hakala can still clearly remember that the man in question was much younger than Smith. He also recalls that the young man’s hair was very neatly combed and manicured. “Yes, I saw pictures of Smith in the papers, and he had…sort of an Afro and scruffy facial hair. The guy I saw was younger and was clean-shaven. The difference was night and day.”

Hakala also points to what he told the police the day they asked him to identify all three men in prison. “I told them the truth. I turned to the police and said, “Yes, I know this is Mr. Smith and I know these are the Harvens, but I only know that from the newspapers and the TV. I never saw Mr. Smith while I was in the van. I told them that even then.”

The young Hispanic was very compliant with all the orders he was given. “They told him to take my glasses off. He was actually within just a couple of inches of me at most…and he’s the one who took my glasses off. We were looking at each other eye-to-eye when he began to remove the eyeglasses from my face. When I objected, he said, “Don’t worry, I’ll put them in the glove compartment.” And that is precisely where the female police officer retrieved them for Hakala later in the day. “She had started to ask me some questions. I answered one, maybe two and said, “Listen, my head is splitting. I’m not answering anything else until you get me my glasses in the glove compartment. She got them and then she continued to question me.”

Looking back through the lens of nearly forty years can be difficult. Recall of fine details may be all but impossible, but while Gary Hakala may have lost the details of the facial features of the timid, clean-cut well-manicured young Hispanic man he knows existed, his testimony then-and-now, has never wavered.
“I will go to my grave, knowing that there was at least one more man involved.”

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According to SoCalGas Co. spokeswoman Christine Detz, Kirkpatrick had been with the company for 11 years, starting his career as a meter reader. He was a lead technician at the time he died. Kirkpatrick is survived by his mother, a sister and six brothers, one of whom also works for SoCalGas, Detz said.

According to Murrieta Fire & Rescue, three firemen who suffered minor injuries when the explosion occurred were treated and released from Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar. SoCalGas representatives said a technician who was hurt in the blast has also been released from the hospital. There was no word on the status of the nearly dozen civilians who suffered varying injuries, none life-threatening.

Four homes in the neighborhood have been red-tagged by the fire department due to the considerable damage inflicted by the explosion, which shattered the home at ground zero. An evacuation order remains in place for properties between 23548 and 23582 Wooden Horse Trail, according to Murrieta Fire & Rescue.

Twenty residents were referred to a care reception center at Vista Murrieta High School on Clinton Keith Road on Monday, authorities said. It was unknown how many stayed overnight. According to Murrieta Fire & Rescue Deputy Chief David Lantzer, crews initially responded to the home on Wooden Horse Trail, near Spicewood Avenue, at 10:57 a.m. Monday because of a breached gas main.

Officials said a solar panel contractor, who did not call SoCalGas in advance to have gas lines marked, split the line while doing installation work. A utility crew arrived at 11:23 a.m. to begin repairs, but at 12:10 p.m., an explosion occurred, Lantzer said. “I went to go pick up the diaper bag and my wallet and everything, and I just saw everything crashing down around me, and I thought I was dead,” she told the station. “I thought that was it. I just waited until it all stopped.”

Haaland said she got out of the home by crawling out a shattered window. “I’m alive and my family is OK, so we’re OK,” she told the station.

“I don’t know how I made it out. I’m so thankful. I mean, I only have a couple of scratches.”
A GoFundMe page has been established at www.gofundme.com/f/1onfcrpnk0 to benefit the family, noting they lost “everything they own.”

SoCalGas Vice President of Construction Cedric Williams said confirming where gas lines are located prior to any type of construction work is required by state law. “We urge all contractors and homeowners to ensure that 811 is called and utility lines are marked prior to excavation of any sort,” Williams said.

“No matter what you’re doing — if you’re digging, call 811, even if the work doesn’t involve natural gas or natural gas appliances, as was apparently the case here.”
According to SoCalGas, utility crews stopped the flow of gas to the property about 1 p.m. Monday.
Road closures in the area were lifted overnight.

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