RIVERSIDE—A convicted felon who killed a 65-year-old woman while driving drunk in Mead Valley was bound for state prison on July 14 to serve a sentence of 25 years to life after pleading guilty to second-degree murder and other charges. Lawrence Michael Dileva, 39, of Nuevo admitted the murder count, along with DUI gross vehicular…

A dispute between two homeless men in Riverside may be at the center of one of the men’s hands being cut off on May 13, according to authorities. Riverside Police began receiving calls around 10:30 p.m. Saturday of reports of a severed hand found on the sidewalk near Fifth Street and Fairmount Boulevard, according to…

ANAHEIM, Calif.—Three members of an Anaheim family—two girls and a woman—were killed Sunday in a crash on eastbound Interstate 10 near Haugen Lehmann Way in the Whitewater area of Riverside County. The crash was reported at 7:27 a.m. Sunday in the eastbound lanes near Haugen Lehmann Way, according to the Riverside County Fire Department. Investigators…

Eight suspects have been arrested for allegedly stealing about $1 million worth of merchandise primarily from Apple stores, state Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Feb. 9. The alleged retail theft operation occurred between August 2022 and January 2023—in several counties across the state, including Yolo, Monterey, Alameda, Santa Clara, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, Orange,…

Eight suspects have been arrested for allegedly stealing about $1 million worth of merchandise primarily from Apple stores, state Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Feb. 9. The alleged retail theft operation occurred between August 2022 and January 2023—in several counties across the state, including Yolo, Monterey, Alameda, Santa Clara, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, Orange,…

The Riverside County Superior Court dismissed 96 cases in the past week, four of which were felonies, primarily due to a lack of available judges, according to the county District Attorney’s office. Three of the recent dismissals were felony child sexual assault cases, including one—dismissed Jan. 26—where a conviction would have resulted in a possible…

RIVERSIDE, Calif.—The family of a slain Southern California sheriff’s deputy on Jan. 6 demanded the resignation of a judge who had previously released the lawman’s shooter despite a violent criminal record. Riverside County Deputy Isaiah Cordero, 32, was fatally shot on Dec. 29 during a traffic stop in the city of Jurupa Valley, east of…

“The accused criminal gets a free pass. The person walks free, it’s not on their record, there are no consequences, and the injured party, the victim, they don’t see their day in court. Nothing.” Siyamak sits down with Michael Hestrin, district attorney for Riverside County. Over 1,000 criminal cases have been dismissed in Riverside County,…

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announced Dec. 6 it will close prisons in Riverside and Kern counties and disband facilities at six other locations due to ongoing state budget cuts and an initiative to reduce inmate population across the state. Chuckawalla Valley State Prison in Blythe, about 100 miles east of Palm Desert,…

RIVERSIDE, Calif.—The suspect in a triple homicide in Southern California who died in a shootout with police was a Virginia law enforcement officer who police believe drove across the country to meet a teenage girl before killing three members of her family. Austin Lee Edwards, 28, also likely set fire to the family’s home in…