File # MV230930005

Details:

On Monday, April 3, 2023, about 12:27 AM, deputies assigned to the Moreno Valley Sheriff’s Station responded to the area of Manzanita Avenue and Shagbark Road, regarding multiple reports of shots heard. Deputies arrived within minutes and detained a suspect who matched the description of the shooter. Deputies located a discarded firearm and shell casings in the area. While deputies were investigating the original call, a reporting party, who lived one block away, reported to dispatch her son (Angel Delarosa 29 year old resident of Moreno Valley) shot at his girlfriend’s vehicle as she drove away after an argument.

The victim ( A 35-year-old Hispanic female and resident of Las Vegas, who is five months pregnant) was later located in the area, was not injured, and declined medical attention. Delarosa was found to be on active parole through the California Department of Corrections for Assault with a Deadly Weapon. Delarosa was later booked at the Robert Presley Detention Center for Assault with a Deadly Weapon (Firearm), Discharge of a Firearm at an occupied vehicle, Parole Violation, and other firearm related charges.

Anyone with information on this case is encouraged to call Deputy Holm at the Moreno Valley Sheriff’s Station by calling (951) 486–6700.

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

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Ann Smith | Contributed

In the last several weeks, all manner of dirty laundry has been aired, from long time city council member Linda Krupa to accusations about Congressional District 25 candidate Brian Hawkins to the questionable actions on the part of several city council member in support of Measure H. There are signs all over Hemet from “Keep Hemet Safe”. What’s that all about? There are the new “hires” touted by Police Chief Pust with Measure U money, a total of 3 new police officer.

Senior writer Rusty Strait pretty well laid it out there in last week’s Chronicle, with his endorsement of District 5 city council candidate, John Petty; I second that Rusty, oh, but I’m in District 1, Karlee Meyers’ district! Ouch! We’ll fight that battle when the 2024 election comes along.

The City of Hemet responded to my Freedom of Information request (FOIA) asking for a breakdown of the eleven new hires by Hemet Police Department. These new hires were considered as Measure U hires.

The City of Hemet website has posted their job classifications, annual and/or hourly compensation. According to the above chart, if all employees work 40 hours per week, Hemet Police Department pays out approximately $629,000 annually. This does not include overtime or benefits.

Unless we can obtain the requested general ledger for Measure U, there is absolutely no way anyone can know for sure what share of the $65 million dollars I Measure U tax money public safety is actually getting. Once a month, at city council meetings, there is a “warrant register”, a report of all payments. Some of the checks are absolutely for public safety, but it’s impossible to figure them all out.

This argument bolsters our accusations that Measure U dollars are being used to help balance the city budget. As for the so called “audit” that was performed by the city, that was not a forensic audit by an outside company known and trusted for their national municipal audits, a firm with no ties to Hemet. We requested specific information from the city on the positions, pay scale, etc. but what they sent was a vague breakdown when in fact, there are multiple salary ranges dependent on various factors. Did we mention all “upper management” received raises? Did that come out of Measure U or the real General Fund? Will we ever truly know? We need a real audit! Mayor Malcolm Lilienthal assured me in a phone conversation that Hemet’s new interim Finance Director has been tasked with the job of explaining where Measure U money went. I made it clear to the mayor that what we really need is a copy of the General Ledger of Measure from its inception, not a summary of Measure U income and expenses (as was provided by the last Finance Director, Lorena Rocha). She actually had the temerity to state that it was not possible to provide the general ledger from the General Fund, even though she personally emailed me a summary of the General Fund revenue and expenses. Her explanation to me was “it’s not possible to extract the general fund income and expense from the General Fund” that’s utterly ludicrous; how was she able to provide a summary ?

Moving forward, let’s talk about San Jacinto resident and congressional candidate Pastor Brian Hawkins. Pastor Hawkins has engaged in some pretty nefarious behaviors. There had been some question about the non-profit status of his “Divine Appointment” church. The IRS automatically recognizes churches as 501 (c) (3) charitable organizations if they meet the IRS requirements. The state of California does have some requirements and he was turned down for a lack of requested information. We have not attempted to investigate that since he has done some other questionable thing, the biggest one being this; Hawkins operated a church, Divine Appointment, in the Miller-Jones mortuary building. He failed to pay rent for months. Miller-Jones took Hawkins to court and they won a judgement for about $30,000. Apparently, Miller Jones basically told him, “OK, we forgive the debt”. That is all well and good, however, the last time we looked, Hawkins failed to disclose that forgiven debit on his financial documents for the state elections commission (FPPC). That is definitely Fair Political Practices Commission violation and it was reported. According to the Internal Revenue Service, a forgiven debt is considered taxable and should be reported on form 1099-C. I had a telephone conversation with Mr. Hawkins and he stated that we did not have all the facts). In spite of his protestations, I have been advised by the Fair Practices Political Commission (FPPC) that his case is still open and pending. This is an allegation and if the writer is proven wrong, I will PROMPTLY apologize to hi him.

I provided the Pastor with my email address so he could forward what documentation he had. I stated I would do all I could to help him if he would forward me documentation.to help clear his name. Is this the person you want as your 25th congressional district representative? He has now stated publicly in a Facebook post that there is no need for him to prove anything and accused me of distorting his facts (all verbal and no substantiation) In spite of his protestations, I have been advised by the Fair Practices Political Commission (FPPC) that his case is still open and pending.

Lastly, we have the case of 2 city council members creating and posting to social media, their endorsement of Measure H. To his credit, one of the council members removed his post. Meyer did eventually pull the post. She had used a “likeness” of the city logo, that being legally questionable in itself. Meyers posted her endorsement of Measure H and according to city ordinances, that’s illegal. There is a flyer circulating around Hemet, campaigning for Measure H. Not so sure about how that is legal. Lots of animosity and finger pointing. Again, she did remove the post.

Lest I forget, District 1 council member Karlee Meyer has confused the heck out of everyone proclaiming her endorsement of Measure H. That is the opposite of what she has previously stated. She was elected based on all kinds of promises which she has reneged on. He comments, when approached on both social media and in private message to me were “you’re confused.” That is the same answer she gives to anyone questioning her about her reversal of the facts. Council member Meyer, the voters will remember that when the next election comes along. You, along with council member Krupa, will be remembered for the damage you have tone to Hemet, the failed promises to your constituents. You showed so such promise, you were such a great mayor and at the time, a council member for the people. What happened to change that?

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On August 24, 2022, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Central Homicide Unit assumed a homicide investigation initially commenced by the Hemet Police Department on August 22, 2022.

The Hemet Police Department located the deceased victim within their jurisdiction on August 19, 2022, with an unknown cause of death.

Through the initial investigation it was discovered the victim was in a physical altercation with unknown individuals in the county area of Hemet prior to being found in the city of Hemet.

The victim has been identified as Daniel Preciado, 40-year-old resident of Hemet.

The investigation is on-going.

If anyone has information regarding this investigation, they are encouraged to call Investigator Sandoval of the Central Homicide Unit at 951-235-2262 or Investigator Vasquez of the Hemet Sheriff’s Station 951-791-3400.

Citizens may also submit a tip using the Sheriff’s Homicide Tipline online form.

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

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The body of Jodi Newkirk, a resident of Mountain Center, was discovered at around 5:30 p.m. on Thursday in a large, open field near the intersection of Bonita Vista and Apple Canyon roads, according to Riverside County sheriff’s Sgt. Ed Baeza.

Baeza said investigators were under the impression Newkirk was struck by a hit-and-run driver and left at the scene. But upon further examination, her body appeared to bear “unexplained injuries” that raised suspicions of homicide.

The sheriff’s department lead homicide unit has since taken over the case.

Anyone with information relevant to the investigation has been asked to contact the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, Central Homicide Unit at (951) 955-2777.

Jake Flanagin | Contributed

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Officers and medics arrived on scene and found the bicycle rider still in the roadway, unconscious but breathing. Medical aid was rendered and the subject was transported to a local hospital where he is listed in critical condition. The driver of the vehicle – a blue Toyota Camry, remained on scene and fully cooperated with the investigation.

The Hemet Police Traffic Bureau was called in to investigate the collision and preliminary investigation revealed that the driver of the Camry was driving south bound on Sanderson Ave, approaching Devonshire. The driver proceeded south into the intersection on a green signal and collided into the bicyclist in the intersection. Neither alcohol nor drugs were a factor with the driver of the Camry.

As of this writing, investigators have exhausted all available resources and the bicyclist has not been identified. The Hemet Police Department is seeking the public’s help in identifying him. The bicyclist is a Hispanic male about 15 to 18 years old, approximately 5’9” tall, weighing about 130 pounds. He was wearing a black ‘hoodie’ sweatshirt, brown belt, and blue jeans. He also has two small tattoos on his left hand.

If you know someone who matches that description and has been unaccounted for since last night, please call Lt. Dickson at (951)765-3795 or e-mail at edickson@hemetca.gov.

Hemet Police Department | Contributed

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Despite life-saving efforts by deputies and medical personnel, the victim was pronounced deceased at the scene. The victim has been identified as 25-year-old George Torres from Moreno Valley.

Investigators from the Perris Station and Central Homicide Unit responded and assumed the investigation.

The investigation is ongoing, and currently, there are no additional details available for release.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department encourages anyone with information regarding the incident to contact Central Homicide Investigator Robertson at (951) 955-2777.

Riverside County Sheriff’s Department

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Anyone with information regarding this investigation is encouraged to contact Deputy Stokes at the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department- Lake Elsinore Station by calling (951) 245-3300.

As a reminder, “Community Policing” involves partnerships between law enforcement and community members.

Business owners and residents are encouraged to report suspicious activity directly to law enforcement by calling Sheriff’s Dispatch at (951) 776-1099, or by calling 911 if the matter is an emergency.

Riverside County Sheriff’s Department

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Brittany Peevyhouse, 31, was arrested after a months-long investigation following the discovery on Jan. 22 of a deceased infant found discarded in the trash at a location in the 1700 block of Goetz Road. The suspect was taken into custody at a residence on South Lyon Avenue in Hemet and was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center. She is being held without bail with a court date on Wednesday, according to jail records.

An autopsy indicated that the infant was alive and birth and was not stillborn. An extensive search was launched for the mother.

The investigation is ongoing and no other details will be released at this time, according to a Sheriff’s Department news release. Anyone with information is asked to contact Central Homicide Investigator Magana at 951-955-2777.

Doug Spoon | Contributed

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A preliminary hearing was held here last Friday in Riverside County Superior Court for ****Y, who is accused of raping four minors, including his own daughter—the four alleged victims were interviewed about their experiences with the defendant.

The longest interview took place on Jan. 12, and the victim detailed her experiences with ****Y. She was 14 when her sexual relationship with the defendant, her own father, started.

An investigator said that the victim was attracted to her father because “he wasn’t in her life when she was a kid, so he wasn’t like a father figure to her.”

At the beginning of her interview, the victim “described how she had been sexually assaulted by a separate individual” at a young age in Mexico, and that this had severely impacted her. She said that rape in Mexico, culturally, “is the victim’s fault.”

The investigator said the victim “proffered that she might have felt sexual curiosity [toward ****Y] as a result of the rape that happened in Mexico,”

The defense pointed out that ****Y felt regret the morning after the first sexual experience, uttering, “What the hell did I do?”

The victim reassured ****Y by saying “If you like it, just don’t do nothing.”

During one sexual encounter, ****Y was driving a car “and she told him she wanted” to perform a sex act. ****Y told her to do it and recorded it.

On the subject of the nude photographs sent to ****Y, it was concluded by the defense that the victim “would send photos because she wanted to.”

While the victim described the relationship as “completely consensual,” the investigator pointed out that she was still a child when she said so.

The rest of the prelim focused primarily on whether or not an element of force was present in this relationship.

During their first sexual encounter, the victim told ****Y to stop “because she was nervous and had never done it before.” The defense argued this nervousness was “more indicative of a novel sexual act” than because she was afraid of ****Y.

The defense said it was actually quite the contrary, and that according to the evidence “all their relations were consensual, and that she was initiating.”

During her interview, the victim stated, “I was the one who touched his arm and then we ended up kissing.” The judge questioned whether the victim was able to express to ****Y whether or not she was comfortable “when he took it too far,” given ****Y did not stop when she initially asked him to.

During her interview, when the victim asked ****Y about their relationship, he told her, “You have the kind of thing. You have the power.” The defense claimed ****Y gave her the ability to speak out about their relationship if she wanted to. The defense also said ****Y had indicated to the victim that “he would go to jail” if their relationship was revealed.

At one point, the judge dismissed the narrative he thought the defense was trying to form—that ****Y was the victim, and that his daughter had forced herself on him.

The judge found there would be an element of force and pressure as a result of ****Y being the victim’s father, whether or not he physically asserted more force than was expected during an act of consensual sex.

This was, the judge reasoned, because ****Y, despite not being involved in the victim’s early life, was still an authority figure for her and could easily take advantage of her trust in him.

The judge found there was sufficient evidence provided during the preliminary hearing to go to trial.

This case will reconvene in court on Nov. 5.

Amy Berberyan | Contributed

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Interviews revealed that two armed individuals had entered the business. They brandished their weapons, then fled with several items.

Further investigation was conducted, and several witnesses were contacted. Hemet Sheriff’s Station Investigators arrived on-scene to assume the investigation.

One robbery suspect was ID’d as Jeremiah Woods (18), of Hemet. Later that evening, he was located, arrested for robbery, and booked into the county jail.

This ongoing investigation has Investigators searching for other involved and as-yet unidentified subjects. Anyone with information about this armed robbery is urged to contact Investigator Don Atkinson at the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department – Hemet Station (951) 791-3400.

UNINCORPORATED HEMET COUNTY | CONTRIBUTED

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