Month: October 2026

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – An ex-cop who roughed up two boys while arresting them after they fled an alleged burglary on the campus of Desert Hot Springs High School was on probation today.

Johnny Acosta, 31, on Tuesday pleaded no contest to gun assault, filing a false report and assault by a peace officer. The charges were originally felonies, but under the defense’s plea offer, all counts were reduced to misdemeanors.

The plea was made directly to the court — over the objections of the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office — during a hearing at the Larson Justice Center in Indio. Superior Court Judge Susanne Cho certified the terms and sentenced Acosta to a year of probation, as well as 100 hours of community service, to be completed through an area nonprofit organization.

The Department of Probation will also make a determination as to potential victim compensation, court records showed.

Acosta was arrested in November 2025 following a Riverside County Force Investigations Detail Task Force probe into the acts involving excessive use of force. Acosta posted a $30,000 bond and was released from custody the same day.

According to the District Attorney’s Office, shortly before 2 a.m. on Nov. 8, 2024, Desert Hot Springs Police Department patrol units were sent to the high school on Pierson Boulevard to investigate a possible break-in.

Acosta was among the patrolmen who encountered four male suspects fleeing the location when the officers approached, prosecutors said.

The defendant pursued one 17-year-old boy, resulting in the first act of excessive force, then went after another 17-year-old, culminating in the second instance of heavy-handedness, according to investigators.

The youths were ultimately taken into custody without incident, and there was no indication that either suffered injuries that necessitated medical treatment.

The specific actions on the part of the defendant weren’t disclosed, and there was no word regarding damage to the campus during the reported burglary.

Acosta was placed on administrative leave, after which an internal investigation was initiated that led to his dismissal from the police department on March 27, 2025.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – Friday will mark the 60th anniversary of a Riverside murder case that remains unsolved but for which detectives continue to seek decisive clues that might close it.

Cheri Jo Bates, 18, was killed on the campus of Riverside City College, where she had gone to study in the library on the afternoon of Oct. 30, 1966.

Riverside Police Department Detective Steve Espinosa said that even though it’s been six decades, “information from the public may help bring answers to Cheri Jo’s family and move this investigation forward.”

The young woman went to visit the campus library while her family was elsewhere, though she left a note for her father telling him her destination, Espinosa said.

When his daughter didn’t return home that night, the man became anxious, finally contacting police shortly before 6 on Halloween morning.

Less than an hour later, an individual walking in the area of Fairfax Avenue and Terracina Drive, which is near the middle of the campus, discovered the body of a woman in an alleyway and called police. Espinosa said the remains were quickly confirmed to be those of Bates.

Detectives have not publicly disclosed the manner in which she was killed, or whether there was any type of attempted sexual assault.

“Investigators identified a primary person of interest,” Espinosa said. “Based on the evidence, this individual has remained a focus of the investigation over the years.”

There has not been sufficient evidence for an arrest.

“Investigators have continued to evaluate all viable leads and pursue new avenues of inquiry,” the police spokesman said. “The search for answers continues.”

Anyone with information was asked to contact the police department’s Cold Case Unit at homicidecoldcase@riversideCA.gov.

COACHELLA VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) – California’s 47th State Assembly District is a big race for the Coachella Valley.

The district is a large one. Encompassing a big chunk of the valley, its eastern bounds start in La Quinta before stretching to portions of the Inland Empire. Including parts of Redlands, it also stretches north, into the High Desert of San Bernardino County, including Yucca Valley and Joshua Tree.

Greg Wallis is the incumbent and is looking ahead to his third term after first being elected in an extremely tight race in 2022. A Republican, he said he’s worked with the legislature’s Problem Solvers Caucus in search of good policy decisions rather than partisan politics.

That’s why he said he disagreed with how campaign ads paid for by his opponent have portrayed him this election cycle.

“It’s the politics of division we’ve seen every two years out here in the races that I’ve run,” he said. Responding to an ad that claimed he voted with the “Republican MAGA agenda,” he refuted, “You look at the initial claim on that. It was from an article that Cal Matters wrote calling me the most independent member of the state legislature.”

The ad also said he has voted to keep costs for Californians high. He refuted that claim, citing his voting history in the assembly: “I’ve voted against policies that are going to drive, well, companies out of state, because right now, the reality is Californians need fuel to get around. And when we artificially limit the supply like we have in Sacramento, you’re going to see costs go up.”

Leila Namvar is the Democratic challenger looking to oust Wallis from his assembly seat. Originally from Iran, she moved to the Coachella Valley in 2005. She has since served more than 20 years with the City of Indio drafting policy and is currently a Public Arts Analyst within Indio’s Public Works department.

Ads targeting her campaign claimed the policies she and her backers support extreme. She disagreed.

“I don’t consider [any of my positions] extreme. We pay taxes for essentials. Our tax pays for our police, fire, ambulances,” she said. “Their claims that there are some Democrats, that they disagree with me. That’s wrong.”

Namvar said her experience in public policy is something she would take with her to Sacramento.

“The way I operate is always show up, listen, learn and bring all the stakeholders at the table so we can create the policy that is balanced.”

She said she wanted to prioritize affordability, justice, and access to education and healthcare. “People are talking about affordability. People are afraid of their health care. That is going to go away. People are afraid that they can’t afford their rent.”

For Wallis, he said the cost of living was what was at the top of every voter’s mind this election. He wanted to prioritize bringing legislation forward to help drive down costs.

“I think that really means getting rid of red tape, getting rid of some of the redundant regulations that end up increasing timelines and driving up costs on projects that ultimately get passed on to Californians,” Wallis said.

The key to the race, according to independent political analyst Chad Mayes, was the appeal Greg Wallis manages to secure from voters across party lines.

“You know, that party label means an awful lot,” he explained. “The question is for Assemblymember Wallis, has he done enough to be able to reach out to folks in the district to say, listen, I’m representing your values. I think that he’s done that. The question is, is do the voters believe that he’s done that?”

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