Author: KESQ

Jesus Reyes

TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. (KESQ) – A transient man was arrested after allegedly offering teens beer in exchange for sexual acts earlier this week in Twentynine Palms.

Joshua Padore, 32, was arrested on Monday afternoon on the 71700 block of Twentynine Palms Highway.

According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, Padore approached two teenagers and offered them beer in exchange for sexual acts. The teens left the location and called police.

Padore reportedly tensed up during the arrest and physically resisted, the agency said. No injuries were reported.

Padore remains in jail on $100,000 bail. He was charged Wednesday with two counts of contacting a minor w/ intent of sex and one count of resisting arrest, according to county court records.

Stay with News Channel 3 for any new developments.

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Jesus Reyes

JOSHUA TREE, Calif. (KESQ) – A 49-year-old man was killed in an off-road vehicle crash over the weekend in Joshua Tree, authorities confirmed.

Gary Scott Breneman of Oceanside was pronounced dead in the hospital shortly after the crash, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The crash was first reported on Friday at around 9:50 p.m. near the Sunfair Dry Lake area.

Breneman was driving a 2021 Polaris Razor UTV within the Sunfair Dry Lake area

“While driving within the Sunfair Dry Lake area, Mr. Breneman made a sharp turn, causing the Polaris to roll  onto its side. As a result of the crash, Mr. Breneman suffered a major injury to his arm which resulted in  blood loss,” reads a CHP news release.

Breneman was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The investigation into the crash remain ongoing, but authorities said they do not believe drugs and/or alcohol were a factor.

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City News Service

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Philanthropists Barbara Rogers and Gary Geske will receive the 484th star on the Palm Springs Walk of the Stars next week, it was announced today.

They will receive the star in the humanitarian and literary categories at 3 p.m. Dec. 11 at 849 N. Palm Canyon Drive.   

Rogers and Geske have supported numerous initiatives for more than 16 years that have helped women, families, seniors, the LGBTQ+ community, animal welfare and the arts, officials said.

They have participated in many fundraising events, including for the Hanson House and the Palm Springs Air Museum. They helped acquire a dermatology machine for the Eisenhower Medical Center and aided in the development of the pickleball court at the Joslyn Center.

Rogers, who serves on several boards, including Loving All Animals, the Joslyn Center and the McCallum Theatre, is the author of “It’s A No Grainer,” a cookbook that promotes healthy living.

She has received the Woman of Wonder award from the Desert Symphony and humanitarian awards from McCallum Theatre and Jewish Family Services.

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Athena Jreij

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – The family of Jamie Maher, a 30-year-old Indio woman who was killed in 2016, is now speaking out after the man arrested for her murder was released on bail and recently arrested in Indio. 

“When this monster shot my daughter seven times, including once in the face while she begged for her life, he left a permanent hole in my heart,” Valerie Silveira, Maher’s mother said.

Marcos Cruz Gaeta Jr., a 45-year-old Indio man, was arrested in 2019 for Maher’s killing and plead not guilty to several charges including murder, with a trial date set for 2026. 

However, Gaeta was granted and posted bail in 2024, releasing him from the Southwest Detention Center in August of that year. The family says that release allowed Gaeta to commit more crimes after he was arrested in early November for possession of narcotics and firearms, according to Indio Police.

Gaeta has plead not guilty to Maher’s murder but Silveira questions why he was released in the first place.

“He didn’t kill someone else, but I’m thinking that 21 pounds of meth could kill a lot of people, and those guns that he had. ​​It’s not fair that he’s been able to do all sorts of shenanigans and tactics. He’s been a menace in jail. He’s been a menace on the streets. It is time to get this trial over,” Silveira said.

Court records show Gaeta plead guilty to felony child abuse charges in 2011 and felony burglary charges in 2000.

Looking for answers, News Channel 3 reached out to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office who said bail is set and decided by judges. Gaeta qualified for bail because his homicide charge did not have a special circumstance, which can include intention, gang relation, and prior convictions.

According to the DA, his bail was set at $2 million to reflect the severity of his crime, which is higher than the minimum of $1 million for homicide.

News Channel 3 also dug into how Gaeta was able to pay the $2 million bail. We found the county paid him and a man named Alfonso Vega Aguilar $2.95 million for a jail assault in June of 2024, just two months before his release.

Gaeta is scheduled for a felony settlement conference at the Indio Larson Justice Center Thursday. News Channel 3 will be in attendance and have continuing coverage then.

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Gavin Nguyen

THOUSAND PALMS, Calif. (KESQ) – With winter nearly upon us, more valley residents are starting up their heating units for the first time in months.

In the long period between uses, though, some systems may be in need of some maintenance.

News Channel 3 is speaking with local experts on what dangers could be sparked if your heating system isn’t kept in good shape – and what you could do to avoid any problems this winter. Stay with us for the latest.

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Kendall Flynn

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – At the Palm Springs “State of the City,” Mayor Ron deHarte announced the Palm Springs Police Department is making significant strides in crime rates.

deHarte attributed new technology, with Flock cameras and drones, to the departments success in crime-solving rates. He said that technology will continue to expand in the future, and how they have the numbers to back up their success.

Some of the significant reductions are a 32% for burglary, 20% larceny theft and 50% vehicular homicide.

While these categories and more are down, PSPD reports sex offenses are up by four from last year which is an 8% increase. Additionally, the department is handing out more hazardous traffic violations, at an increase of 400 to 1,500.

Stay with News Channel 3 to hear what the main concerns are for the department in the next year and their plans to maintain reduced rates.

All crime rates from PSPD:

Homicide decrease 25%

Vehicular Homicide decrease 50%

Sex Offenses increase 8%

Robbery decrease 3%

Assault decrease 8%

Burglary decrease 32%

Larceny Theft decrease 20%

Motor Vehicle Theft decrease 12%

Arson decrease 40%

Total Part 1 Offenses decrease 17%

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Daniella Lake

COACHELLA VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) – The Imperial Irrigation District in partnership with the Coachella Valley Association of Governments will be planting 1,000 new trees near the Salton Sea by December 31. The organizations were awarded a $2.9 million grant by CAL FIRE for their “Shade Trees for Southern California’s Deserts” initiative.

Through the program, 6,000 trees will be planted across the Coachella and Imperial Valleys over the course of three years.

Salton City resident Graciela Ramos says that the lack of shade keeps her inside her house, and that her family has a number of health problems from the environment in the area. “I have asthma and allergies,” she says.

She tells News Channel 3 that her electricity bill is typically $500. The Imperial Irrigation District says that they hope their tree shade initiative can help residents like her out.

“We believe we’re going to make an impact in terms of the power consumption and improve the overall quality of life to these very vulnerable communities,” says Alex Cardenas, who serves on the board of directors for the organization.

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Cynthia White

DIAMOND BAR, Calif. (KESQ) – The South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) is taking action on expanding its dust monitoring capabilities to better understand and address dust (particulate matter-PM10) challenges in the Coachella Valley.

The strong desert winds that blow through the valley stir up and carry dust across the region, affecting air quality, public health, and quality of life.

South Coast AQMD has installed a high-resolution environmental camera in San Jacinto State Park that uses imagery and AI-supported analysis to track dust emissions and movement in the northwestern area of the valley.

In partnership with UC San Diego, a second camera operated by the university on Toro Peak overlooks the area from Indio to the north shore of the Salton Sea which monitors and tracks dust in that region.

The Toro Peak camera is part of the ALERTCalifornia and High Performance Wireless Research and Education Network (HPWREN) network. ALERTCalifornia is a public safety program that works to understand wildfires and other natural hazards and determine short and long-term impacts on people and the environment.

“I have been working with South Coast AQMD on increased airborne dust since Hurricane Hilary, and these two cameras are new steps in these efforts,” said V. Manuel Perez, Riverside County Supervisor and South Coast AQMD Governing Board member. “They will help us pinpoint where the dust is coming from and allow us to focus remediation efforts.”

South Coast AQMD is also working with UC Riverside to guide targeted dust-mitigation actions with field measurements, satellite analysis, and computer modeling. Information gathered from the cameras will help this work in developing more precise strategies to reduce dust emissions and improve regional air quality.

On November 6, South Coast AQMD and Supervisor V. Manuel Perez hosted a Dust Summit featuring community input, scientific presentations, and updates on current and future dust-mitigation efforts to address the challenges in the Coachella Valley.

The installation of the two cameras is another step towards actions to reduce dust while medium and longer-term solutions advance.

Real-time images of dust conditions monitored by the cameras can be seen on the Coachella Valley Dust Monitoring website. For more information on the Coachella Valley dust monitoring cameras, including access to real-time images, visit www.aqmd.gov/cvcameras.

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Shay Lawson

Update 12/03/25

Aaron Garcia was found by police, his family told News Channel 3’s Shay Lawson.

Original Report 12/02/25

COACHELLA, Calif. (KESQ) – Daniela Gonzalez, the mother of Aaron Garcia a 12-year-old Coachella boy reported missing on Monday, is pleading for the public’s help as the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office (RSO) continues to search for him.

She said she last saw Garcia on Saturday between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m.

“He was walking to a friend’s house in the community,” Gonzalez said. “He never made it to his friends.”

RSO confirms he was last seen on the 45900 block of Meritage Lane.

Gonzalez said she realized something was wrong on Sunday when Garcia stopped responding. She said that is when she reported him missing.

“Aaron’s really good at communicating,” she said. “The last message we received said he was going to be late — and then time passed by. We realized something was wrong.”

Garcia is described as five feet tall, weighing 90 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a red shirt, blue jeans and a silver chain with a silver outlined black cross.

His mother describes Garcia as a loving, musical, high-achieving middle schooler who plays in his school band and earns A’s and B’s on his report card.

She said he loves his family and is the youngest out of 4.

“My son has a good heart,” Gonzalez said. “He loves to help people. He’s a giving person.”

She said anyone with information should call authorities.

“Anything, big or small, please share it,” Gonzalez said. “If you know something and you’re afraid to say it, please don’t hold back. Just help bring my son home.”

If you have any information, you are urged to call Sheriff’s dispatch at 800-950-2444.

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Tauli Anderson

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – A major milestone at Cal State San Bernardino’s Palm Desert Campus on Tuesday – Leaders celebrated the topping off of the new Student Success Center.

The Center is the first state-funded facility on campus and is currently ahead of schedule, with plans to open in 2027.

Many attended the ceremony, and each had the chance to sign the final steel beam before it was lifted into place.

Campus leaders shared their excitement, saying the new building will expand services for both current and future students to come. “This is an important building for our students for the future. We don’t have a living room like this yet on this campus, so we’re really pleased. Students of the future are going to have a really wonderful place to come be part of this campus. We’re very thrilled,” said VP for Advancement Ray Watts.

The new building will include an advising and tutoring center, career center, and an expanded campus library.

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