Deputies were called to the 43000 block of Mandarin Drive in Valle Vista, an unincorporated area of Hemet, at around 9 a.m. on Thursday after being called for an “open-door call for service,” said a news release from RSO. 

Upon arrival, they found that the home was unsecured and appeared to have been ransacked, and despite searching the area, they did not find the resident or any suspects. 

The release noted that deputies with the Hemet Station’s Special Enforcement Team, who were “familiar with the residence,” assumed the investigation and were able to find the homeowner. They determined that a burglary had occurred after they were told them “multiple items were missing from the residence, including musical instruments and a grey Ford F150.”

On Friday, deputies located the stolen truck in the 25000 block of Sundance Lane in Menifee, the release said. They pulled the vehicle over and arrested the driver, 51-year-old Lake Elsinore resident Tony Goff, without further incident. 

While searching the truck, deputies found “several thousand dollars of stolen musical instruments.”

“The stolen music equipment and vehicle were returned to the owner,” the release said. “Goff was arrested and booked at the Cois Byrd Detention Center for multiple felony charges, including vehicle theft and possession of stolen property.”

As their investigation continues, deputies ask anyone with more information to contact Hemet Sheriff’s Station at (951) 791-3400.

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Anthony Russo, 52, was found dead inside his Arrowbear Lake home Friday, the San Bernardino County Coroner’s office confirmed.

The coroner’s office did not immediately respond to questions about who found him or the nature of the suicide.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office said it had no details to provide since the case was outside its jurisdiction.

The department did “extend our condolences to the family and friends affected by this tragic loss.”

Russo had been out on $50,000 bail after having been arrested Dec. 11 at Smith Correctional Facility in Banning, where he was assigned at the time of the criminal investigation.

He was arrested by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Special Investigations Bureau after the agency received a tip, according to the sheriff’s department.

Russo believed he was communicating electronically with a 15-year-old with whom he shared sexually explicit material and asked to meet up for sex, according to the sheriff’s department. The person he contacted was instead an undercover investigator.

Russo was booked on two felony counts. He was eventually charged by the Riverside County District Attorney’s office with one felony count of knowingly distributing harmful material.

Russo was scheduled to be back in court on Jan. 24.

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PERRIS, CA — A Menifee teen was facing felony charges after leading a weekend police chase through the Perris area in an off-road vehicle.

Shortly after 2 p.m. Saturday, the 16-year-old boy, whose name was not released due to his age, was spotted driving a Polaris RZR on a public street with an underage passenger.

Deputies from the Perris Sheriff’s Station tried to pull him over, but instead of stopping the teen “sped away and drove recklessly … endangering other drivers,” the sheriff’s department reported.

Deputies chased the off-road vehicle through Romoland, Nuevo and Lakeview, and finally corraled the teen and his passenger in the hills near Foothill and Orange avenues, just south of Lake Perris, the agency said.

The passenger was taken into custody but later released to his parents. The driver, however, was booked into juvenile hall on suspicion of two counts of felony evading and one count of reckless driving, according to the sheriff’s department.

“The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office and the city of Perris are dedicated to the safety of everyone, including community members driving on/off the streets. Additionally, we would like to remind our community members that operating an OHV on [a] public street is not only illegal but it can also be dangerous,” the law enforcement agency said.

Visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/ivm/ or http://ohv.parks.ca.gov/ for legal off-road locations across the region. For additional information regarding OHV access spots, contact the Perris Sheriff’s Station at 951-210-1000.

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