Month: October 2025

City News Service

LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – A federal grand jury today indicted a 29-year-old former Pacific Palisades resident who is charged with allegedly intentionally sparking what eventually became the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in Los Angeles history.

Jonathan Rinderknecht, an Uber driver who most recently lived in Florida, is charged in the three-count indictment with one count of destruction of property by means of fire, one count of arson affecting property used in interstate commerce, and one count of timber set afire, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.  

If convicted as charged, Rinderknecht would face a sentence of between five and 45 years in federal prison, prosecutors said.   

Rinderknecht has been in federal custody since his arrest on Oct. 7. His next court appearance will be his arraignment, which is expected to occur in the coming weeks in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles.   

According to court documents, law enforcement officials determined that the Palisades Fire was a “holdover” fire — a continuation of the Lachman Fire that began early in the morning on New Year’s Day 2025. Although firefighters quickly suppressed the Lachman Fire, the fire continued to smolder and burn underground within the root structure of dense vegetation.   

On Jan. 7, heavy winds caused the underground fire to surface and spread above ground in what became known as the Palisades Fire, which caused widespread damage in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood. The fire burned 23,448 acres and destroyed much of the exclusive community, destroying about 6,800 structures and killing 12 people.

Using witness statements, video surveillance, cell data and analysis of fire dynamics and patterns at the scene, among other things, law enforcement determined that Rinderknecht “maliciously” set the Lachman Fire just after midnight on Jan. 1 on federal land, prosecutors said.

A week later, the same fire — then known as the Palisades Fire — spread throughout the area.

On the evening of Dec. 31, 2024, Rinderknecht was working as an Uber driver. Two passengers that he drove on separate trips between 10:15 p.m. and 11:15 p.m. that night later told law enforcement that they remembered Rinderknecht appeared agitated and angry, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

After dropping off a passenger in Pacific Palisades, Rinderknecht — who once lived in the neighborhood — drove toward Skull Rock Trailhead, parked his car, attempted to contact a former friend and walked up the trail, court papers show.

He then used his iPhone to take videos at a nearby hilltop area and listened to a rap song — to which he had listened repeatedly in previous days — whose music video included things being lit on fire, federal prosecutors allege.   

At 12:12 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2025, environmental sensing platforms indicated the Lachman Fire had begun. Prosecutors contend that during the next five minutes, Rinderknecht called 911 several times, but didn’t get through because his iPhone was out of range. When he finally connected with 911, he was at the bottom of the hiking trail and reported the fire, according to cell data. By that point, a nearby resident already had reported the fire to authorities.

Rinderknecht then allegedly fled in his car, passing fire engines driving in the opposite direction. He then turned around and followed the fire engines to the scene, driving at a high rate of speed, prosecutors said.   

He walked up the same trail from earlier that night to watch the fire and the firefighters, federal prosecutors allege, and at approximately 1:02 a.m., he allegedly used his iPhone to take more videos of the scene.   

During a Jan. 24 interview with law enforcement in Florida, where he relocated after the fire, Rinderknecht allegedly lied about where he was when he first saw the Lachman Fire. He claimed he was near the bottom of a hiking trail when he first saw the fire and called 911, but geolocation data from his iPhone carrier showed that he was standing in a clearing 30 feet from the fire as it rapidly grew, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

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Peter Daut

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – News Channel 3 has reported extensively on the drug crisis impacting the Coachella Valley, affecting people from all walks of life.

Anchor Peter Daut turned the focus to the LGBTQ+ community, which, according to national data, is far more likely to use illegal drugs than the general population. He spoke with several local gay men who said there is a “hidden, dangerous” subculture of drug use in Palm Springs, and they want to bring the problem out of the shadows.

Across the country, and especially here in the desert, drugs like crystal meth have taken a devastating toll on the queer community. Often linked to parties and sex, they create a powerful high that can quickly turn deadly.

Clinical psychologist Wesley Detwiler works with members of the queer community battling addiction, a struggle he knows firsthand. He’s been sober from crystal meth for ten years.

“Everything I did in my life in some way, shape, or form had to do with crystal meth; using crystal meth; getting it; so it was pretty pervasive in my life,” Detwiler said. Daut asked him, “How easy is it to get drugs here in Palm Springs?” He answered: “It’s pretty easy. People go online, and they meet people on the apps, they go over, they might not even be looking for the drugs, but they walk in and there they are.”

Studies show men who have sex with men are significantly more likely to use illegal drugs than their heterosexual counterparts. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health/Columbia University, gay men are three times more likely than straight men (9.2% vs. 3.2%) to use stimulants like crystal meth.

“We’ve got circuit parties; we’ve got this culture of fun and celebration, especially coming through our AIDS crisis and our AIDS epidemic. There’s this mentality of living life in the moment, living for now. And crystal meth really feeds into that. It can be really fun, but it’s just a really good example of when fun becomes dangerous,” Detwiler said.

That danger recently hit close to home for Detwiler. His friend, Glenn Soukesian, known to many as adult gay film star Colton Ford, was found dead in May near a Palm Springs hiking trail. The coroner ruled his death an accidental overdose from MDMA, better known as Ecstasy or Molly.

“He was always gracious and kind, and always took the time to get to know somebody and look you in the eyes. It was a real tragedy what happened to him,” he said.

Tragedy also became a turning point for Palm Springs resident Bob Rahl. He quit using crystal meth four years ago, after losing his close friend Jason to a drug overdose at just 42-years-old.

“His death still haunts me, and it’s one of the reasons I’m still sober today,” Rahl said. Daut asked him: “Do you think this is a major problem in our community?” He answered: “Definitely. People are pretty desperate. They don’t have the coping mechanisms for situations that life is going to throw at them.”

Meth is a big part of what’s called the “party and play” or “chemsex” subculture. The drug can increase energy, heighten sex drive, and keep users awake for days, before they crash hard. And in a destination known for escape and indulgence, Palm Springs can make it easy for that danger to spread.

Rahl pointed to a recent case involving Hakan Isik of Desert Hot Springs, charged with several felony counts for drugging and sexually assaulting multiple men he met through a dating app. If convicted on all counts, Isik faces life in prison.

“I have seen firsthand the damage he has done to people,” Rahl said. “There’s a very dark world in Palm Springs of people who use drugs that will just as soon leave you dead on the side of the road than help you.”

Before becoming sober five years ago, Rory Slikker was a homeless drug addict living on the streets of Palm Springs. “It was really easy to get sucked into the meth underbelly here in Palm Springs. It’s like the dark side of the moon here. We have our sacred witching hours between 2 and 5AM when the world is asleep. That’s when we function and I thrived in that,” he said.

Slikker now works at Rainbow Hill Recovery, an outpatient mental health and substance abuse program provided by queer people, for queer people. “We can’t help people who are dead. There are resources more readily available than people realize,” he said.

Nearly one-third of bisexual and gay men dealt with a substance use disorder in 2022, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. That’s much higher than the nearly 21% of straight men. Meanwhile, stimulant and cocaine deaths continue to rise, partly because many drugs are now laced with fentanyl.

“The substances are only getting heavier and heavier. The meth that I used when I was out was only a fraction of the potency of what it is today, and I’m very grateful that I am alive today because fentanyl really wasn’t in the scene,” Slikker said.

Meanwhile, Wesley Detwiler said recovery is possible, but it takes support and a real commitment to change. “Find that foothold. But you’ve got to be open, you’ve got to be willing, and you’ve got to be honest about what it is you want, and be ready to do the work,” he said.

Short-term meth use can lead to insomnia, hallucinations, and anxiety. Long-term users face severe tooth decay, organ damage, and even stroke.

But even after the darkest moments, recovery is possible, and help is out there. Palm Springs has a strong recovery community.

Resources include:

https://www.crystalmeth.org

https://www.ruhealth.org/behavioral-health/sapt/locations

https://www.collegeofthedesert.edu/students/health-wellness/mental-health/alcohol-drug-abuse-treatment.php

https://riversiderecovery.org/

rainbowhillrecovery.com

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