Local News
Woman pleads guilty to role in burglary of Indio storage unit – NBC Los Angeles
A woman accused of breaking into an Indio storage unit and stealing items including the ashes of the victim’s deceased son pleaded guilty to a felony count of burglary on Wednesday.
Judge Melissa Hale immediately sentenced Taylor Spencer, 32, to 24 months of formal probation and 270 days of custody Wednesday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, according to John Hall of the Riverside County
District Attorney’s office.
Spencer received 13 days of credit for time served with the remaining 257 days to be served in a work release program.
A felony count of receiving stolen property was dismissed as part of a plea agreement, and an enhancement for committing a felony on bail or own recognizance was stricken.
Spencer was initially set to be arraigned on the charges in December, but did not appear in court and a warrant was issued for her arrest, which was recalled in January.
Co-defendant Wally Venecia, an Indio man in his mid-40s who was charged with receiving stolen property, also made a court appearance on Wednesday. He is scheduled for an upcoming felony settlement conference on Oct. 10.
Victor Banuelos, 54, of La Quinta was charged with three felony counts of being a convicted felon and narcotic addict in possession of a firearm, and one felony count each of receiving stolen property, possessing controlled substances while armed and possessing ammunition.
Juan Carlos Molina of Indio, 37, pleaded guilty Nov. 28, 2023 to one felony count of burglary and was immediately granted one year of supervised release.
The burglary occurred in November 2023 at Prime Storage in the 42900 block of Madison Street, according to the Indio Police Department. Detectives pursued multiple leads over the following days, during which two traffic stops
and a search warrant led them to arrest Molina.
Detectives then allegedly found some of the victim’s belongings at a Bermuda Dunes motel, prompting a search warrant to be served in Palm Desert, where Banuelos was arrested for allegedly having a large amount of the victim’s
property, an assault weapon, additional handguns and 1 1/3 pounds of methamphetamine for sale.
“Due to the continuing investigation, the child’s ashes were dropped off at Cal Fire Station No. 81 (in Palm Desert),” police said. “Detectives quickly responded to the fire station and contacted the Riverside County coroner, who was in possession of the ashes of the victim’s child.”
The ashes were delivered to the family, and two additional suspects –Venecia and Spencer — were subsequently found and arrested in Coachella according to police.
The three defendants were free from jail on varying bail bonds.
Local News
How to add California driver’s license to iPhone, Apple Watch – NBC Los Angeles
California driver’s license holders can now add their state ID to Apple Wallet on their IPhone and Apple Watch, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday.
The digital IDs will be accepted at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) check points, including Los Angeles International Airport and San Francisco Airport, as well as select businesses.
“With this new integration, we’re working to better serve the people of California in the 21st Century,” Newsom said in a statement.
Here’s how to add your ID to Apple Wallet
- Go to Apple Wallet
- Click the + button on the top right-hand corner
- Under the “Add to Wallet” section, tap “Driver’s License or State ID” to select “California mDL Pilot.
- Scan the front and back sides of your California ID
- Scan your face
- Take a picture
- Wait for verification from the California DMV.
But there’s a catch
The mobile driver’s license (mDL) pilot program is currently only limited to 1.5 million participants.
If your license is expired or suspended, your mDL will be rejected.
Other factors that could impact your mDL applications are:
- Wearing headwear
- Not using plain background
- Lack of consistent lighting
- Other faces in the frame
- Wearing sunglasses
More tips can be found here.
Last month, the state announced the DMV addition of Google Wallet as an option to hold driver’s licenses and identification cards.
Local News
Find Riverside County Airport Fire recovery assistance – NBC Los Angeles
Residents impacted by the Airport Fire in Riverside County can visit a local assistance center in Lake Elsinore.
Residents seeking assistance with food, health care support and more are welcomed to visit the one-stop resource center located at the Lake Community Center. The center will be open from noon to 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
The Riverside County Department of Public Social Services, Public Health, Housing & Workforce Solutions and other local agencies will be joined by representatives from the California Office of Emergency Services and several nonprofit organizations to provide information on how to get financial, medical and related aid.
Residents seeking help also can click here.
On Tuesday, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors approved an emergency declaration, enabling the county to seek state and federal allocations for infrastructure repairs or improvements and general recovery of expenses stemming from the blaze.
As of Thursday, the Airport Fire was 41% contained at more than 23,500 acres in Orange and Riverside counties.
For information about Orange County recovery resources, click here.
Local News
Find Orange County Airport Fire recovery resources – NBC Los Angeles
Orange County launched a website and plans to open an assistance center to provide residents with information about recovering from the Airport Fire.
Residents affected by the fire, which also burned in Riverside County, can click here to find information about wildfire assistance.
The county also will open a wildfire recovery assistance center at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo. The center will be open from 3 to 9 p.m. Thursday; 3 to 9 p.m. Friday; and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at 28000 Marguerite Parkway in the second-floor lounge.
The fire, which started more than a week ago, has burned 23,519 acres with containment at 39 percent. The fire destroyed 160 structures and damaged 34 others.
Below-normal temperatures are helping firefighters make progress with helicopter water drops. Crews are working to increse the perimeter with warmer weather in the forecast.
Most evacuation orders and warnings were lifted in Orange County, but many are still in effect in Riverside County. Residents can visit this page to determine if their homes are impacted by evacuation orders or warnings.
The fire was one of three major fires that started during a week of extremely warm temperatures in Southern California.
Information about Los Angeles and San Bernardino county recovery resources can be found here.
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