Author: KESQ

Haley Meberg

JOSHUA TREE, Calif. (KESQ)– A Twentynine Palms resident was taken into custody in connection to a vehicle theft Sunday morning and remains hospitalized at Desert Regional Medical Center.

Officials report the Morongo Basin Station was alerted about a stolen vehicle at approximately 6:41 a.m., June 26, from an area near State Route 62 and White Feather Road. Following the alert authorities tried to stop the vehicle, but the alleged suspect led law enforcement on a high-speed pursuit.

The 21-year old Twentynine Palms man slowed once to allow the victim to exit the vehicle, before repeatedly driving into opposing lanes of traffic. Following intervention pursuits from Morongo Deputies the suspect crashed onto a dirt embankment and was transferred to Desert Regional Medical Center for treatment.

Law enforcement officials report the man accused is set to face charges for vehicle theft, felony evading, and kidnapping once released from the hospital.

The Sheriff’s Specialized Investigations Division has assumed the investigation and urges anyone with information regarding the incident to contact the SID at 909-890-4904.

Stay with News Channel 3 for more information.

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Dakota Makinen

UPDATE: 7/29/2026

Indio police cited 39 people for committing various violations during a bicycle and pedestrian safety operation, officials announced today.

The operation was conducted from 6 a.m. through 2 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Indio Police Department.

The citations were issued for numerous violations, including speeding, driving without a license, holding a cell phone while driving, not wearing a seatbelt, pedestrian in the roadway, failure to stop at a stop light, failure to stop at a stop sign and a warrant arrest, police said.

Original report

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – The Indio Police Department is focusing on bicycle and pedestrian safety, targeting the driving behaviors officers say can put people walking and biking at the greatest risk.

The department conducted a traffic safety operation today focused on violations including speeding, illegal turns, failing to yield, and drivers not stopping for signs or signals.

News Channel 3’s Dakota Makinen rode along with the Indio Police Department’s traffic unit to see what officers are watching for on the road.

Officer Russell Peddycord says keeping people safe requires everyone sharing the road to do their part.

“It’s the responsibility of both the driver and pedestrians to ensure their safety on the roadway,” Peddycord said.

Officers recommend pedestrians use marked crosswalks when available, pay attention to approaching vehicles, and make eye contact with drivers before crossing.

Indio Police also remind drivers that speed can increase the severity of a crash.

For cyclists, safety experts recommend riding with the flow of traffic, staying visible with front and rear lights, wearing a helmet, and making sure bikes are properly maintained.

Kevin Brown, owner of the bike shop, Bikeman, says cyclists should be predictable on the road so drivers know what to expect.

“It’s really, really important to act like a motor vehicle when you’re riding a bike, so drivers can expect what you’re going to do,” Brown said.

Indio Police say the goal of the operation is not only enforcement but also education — reminding drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians that everyone has a role in preventing crashes.

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Peter Daut

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, Calif. (KESQ)– Local doctors are concerned that California has confirmed 52 measles cases so far this year, more than double the 25 cases reported in all of 2025.

These numbers include five confirmed cases here in Riverside County. Children ages 5 to 19 account for more than half of this year’s confirmed cases, with four people requiring hospitalization.

Doctors say the vast majority of people infected were not vaccinated. Measles is a highly contagious virus, and doctors are predicting more cases. Healthcare professionals warn some age groups may need to get re-vaccinated.

“People born in the 60’s may not have had an adequate vaccination. So they should either get re-vaccinated or have their antibodies checked. I was re-vaccinated, I did not have adequate antibodies,” said Dr. Phyllis Ritchie CEO & Founder of P.S. Test

Many public health officials say the US will soon lose its measles elimination status.

Stay with News Channel 3 for more information on the growing measles cases.

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Tommy Gallegos

YUCCA VALLEY, Calif. — UPDATE 8/4: A missing person investigation in Yucca Valley has turned into a homicide case after investigators discovered human remains buried in a shallow grave behind a local residence and identified the victim as 61-year-old Daniel Joslin.

According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, detectives assigned to the Morongo Basin Station obtained a search warrant for a home in the 58000 block of Carlyle Drive on Wednesday, July 29, 2026. The residence was shared by Joslin and his roommate, Cris Jones, 60-year-old, Resident of Yucca Valley.

While executing the warrant, investigators uncovered human remains buried in a shallow grave in the backyard. Detectives from the Sheriff’s Specialized Investigations Division – Homicide Detail responded to the scene and assumed responsibility for the investigation. Crime Scene Specialists and the Coroner’s Division conducted a detailed search of the property before removing the remains.

The San Bernardino County Coroner later positively identified the deceased as Daniel Joslin.

As the investigation progressed, homicide detectives identified Jones as the primary suspect. An arrest warrant was issued, and on August 2, 2026, Jones was located in Oregon with assistance from the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office.

Jones was taken into custody without incident and is currently being held pending extradition to California, where he has been charged with murder in San Bernardino County in connection with Joslin’s death.

Authorities have not yet released details regarding the cause of death or a possible motive. Detectives say the investigation remains active, and additional information will be released as it becomes available.

Investigators are asking anyone with information related to the case to contact the Sheriff’s Specialized Investigations Division – Homicide Detail at 909-890-4904.

Those wishing to remain anonymous can contact We-Tip by calling or texting “REPORT” to 844-909-3006. Anonymous tips may also be submitted online through the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s reporting portal.

The investigation is ongoing.

Original report from July 28th, 2026

YUCCA VALLEY, Calif. — Authorities are asking for the public’s assistance in locating a 61-year-old Yucca Valley man who has not been heard from in more than a week.

According to the Morongo Basin Sheriff’s Station, deputies responded to a missing person report on Friday, July 3, 2026, at approximately 7:31 p.m. after family members reported they had been unable to contact Daniel Howard Joslin for about 10 days.

Investigators said Joslin was last in contact with family and friends on June 26, 2026. While they received information suggesting he may have planned to travel to Oregon, investigators have found no evidence confirming that he made the trip. His current whereabouts remain unknown.

Joslin is described as a 61-year-old White male, standing approximately 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighing about 260 pounds. He has brown hair and blue eyes and is a resident of Yucca Valley.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department is asking anyone who has seen Joslin or has information about his whereabouts to contact the Morongo Basin Sheriff’s Station at (760) 366-4175.

Those wishing to remain anonymous can call or text REPORT to We-Tip at (844) 909-3006. Anonymous tips may also be submitted online through the We-Tip reporting system.

Authorities encourage anyone with information, no matter how minor it may seem, to come forward as the investigation continues.

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Matthew Pearce

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. (KESQ) — For the last 64 years, the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation has supported students nationwide in completing higher education.

This year, 2,906 students received scholarships with a record-breaking investment totaling $12.635 million.

The scholarship mission is to honor Marines and Navy corpsmen by supporting their children in pursuing higher education. In its time, MCSF has awarded nearly 60,000 scholarships totaling more than $235 million.

Alex and Destiny Isonhart are siblings and are two of the 237 California students who received scholarships from MCSF. They say the support is helping them become the best versions of themselves.

“It’s helping me focus on building connections with people,” Alex, who is entering his first year of college, said.

Meanwhile, Destiny has one more year in school before she hopes to enter the medical administration field. She says this scholarship has been a tremendous help during the three of four years she was getting assistance.

“It really helped me in the beginning because I was able to get a computer, which I didn’t have,” Destiny said. “Which helped me with my studies.”

In the future, when thanking a veteran from any branch of the military, don’t forget to thank their families as well.

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City News Service

LOS ANGELES (CNS) – Environmental organizations sued the Trump administration today for approving a private company’s plan to resurrect a defunct oil and gas pipeline to transport and sell groundwater out of the Mojave Desert, a move the plaintiffs contend would devastate imperiled species like the desert tortoise and desert bighorn sheep.

In their Los Angeles federal court lawsuit, the Center for Biological Diversity and Sierra Club allege the Bureau of Land Management’s approval of the Cadiz water project pipeline ignores the project’s environmental harms and violates the National Environmental Policy Act and other laws governing public lands.

“BLM’s attempt to revive this inadequately studied project is another example of how the Trump administration is selling out the American people and our public lands to private industry hellbent on profiting from natural resources,” plaintiffs attorney Elizabeth Forsyth said in a statement. “It’slike Groundhog’s Day: they still haven’t corrected the legal errors previously identified by the court, and we’re filing another lawsuit to address the same concerns.”

The pipeline crosses Mojave Trails National Monument and other protected federal public land in southeastern California. Its operation would dry up freshwater springs that desert plants and animals need to survive, the suit said, resulting in devastation for imperiled species like the desert tortoise and desert bighorn sheep.

A message sent to the BLM seeking comment was not immediately answered.

“The Trump administration is once again handing out favors to its cronies determined to suck the Mojave Desert dry,” said Lisa Belenky, a CBD senior attorney. “Courts have repeatedly ruled against the Cadiz project and yet the federal government is ignoring the consequences of this disastrous groundwater pumping scheme. Desert creatures like the bighorn sheep won’t survive if key springs and seeps they need are lost. That’s why we are determined to keep fighting this ill-conceived project.”

Plaintiffs contend Cadiz plans to extract far more groundwater from the desert aquifers than is replenished naturally. The drawdown of the water table will deplete and expose desert playa lakebeds, resulting in air pollution from windswept sediments laden with toxic heavy metals, according to the suit filed in Los Angeles federal court.

In 2021, environmental groups sued the BLM when it approved the Cadiz project in the final days of the first Trump administration and in 2022 a federal judge vacated the approval.

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Garrett Hottle

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – The Riverside County Board of Supervisors took up three items Tuesday that hit the Coachella Valley: new vacation rental rules, results from this year’s fireworks crackdown, and $325,000 for a Mecca sports park.

Vacation Rentals

Supervisors today tentatively approved a series of adjustments to the Riverside County ordinance regulating short-term rentals in unincorporated communities, as well as formally ending a roughly 16-month moratorium on the issuance of STR certificates in B-Bar H Ranch and Thousand Palms.

The board on Tuesday held the first of two public hearings on amendments sought by the Transportation & Land Management Agency to Ordinance

After taking public testimony over a nearly two-hour span, the supervisors voted 5-0 to accept most of the modifications — and directed TLMA to make several other revisions that they wanted regarding citations after listening to speakers.

“This has taken too long. I’m really just out of patience,” Supervisor Chuck Washington said before casting his vote. “Here we are still trying to find the recipe for the magic sauce. People have trusted us to get them the peace and quiet they deserve in their communities. Now we’re tweaking this ordinance more. We’ve got to be results-oriented.”

Until Tuesday, the STR ordinance hadn’t undergone significant changes since it was formally implemented in 2022.

On his and Perez’s motion, the board voted to revise the numbers to three citations leading to suspension, and five citations triggering revocation proceedings. They also directed TLMA to model the publicly accessible electronic complaint platform to match what San Bernardino County has, enablingpeople to view locations of STR complaints and read what, if any, actions have been taken by officers.

The approved change to officers’ hours of service and deployment to handle STR complaints will ensure two code representatives are on duty at the agency’s Palm Desert and San Jacinto offices 7 a.m. to midnight Thursday to Sunday, when complaint volume is highest. Previously, officers were off the clock by 10 p.m.

Another change eliminates the current “60-minute self-correction window” that has, up to now, permitted STR owners to address complaints themselves within an hour. Instead, TLMA now will have enforcement officers go directly to locations where complaints have been lodged and attempt “knock and talk” tactics that immediately make parties aware of noise, obstruction and related problems.

Notices, or administrative citations, will be issued where complaints are documented under the new changes. This will establish a gradual process for ticketing violators. However, under an “urgent circumstance,” where there’s a public health or similar issue, the noticing will be dispensed with inpreference to immediate suspension of an STR certificate and a cease-and-desist order mandating that actions be taken to correct the offense forthwith.

The last part of Tuesday’s hearing involved termination of a temporary moratorium on STR issuances within the eastern Coachella Valley communities of B-Bar H Ranch and Thousand Palms. The moratorium was declared in April 2025, after a surge in boisterous parties at vacation rental properties throughout the areas, where there are a combined total of 59 STR properties.

However, during the Coachella Valley’s most popular fests — Coachella Music & Arts Festival and Stagecoach Music Festival, both in April — and in the two months following, less than a dozen complaints were fielded, and only one citation was issued, TLMA said, adding that the data supported a proposal to end the moratorium. The board agreed.

A vote to formally adopt the revisions is slated for Aug. 25.

Fireworks

Officers issued 212 citations over the Fourth of July weekend, up 22% from last year, and seized more than 2,000 pounds of illegal fireworks, according to City News Service, which reviewed the county’s after-action report.

In an unanimous vote without comment, the board filed the Executive Office’s “After-Action Report,” which showed that, compared to the same period last year, there was a 22% jump in the number of citations issued — 212 this past July 4 weekend, as opposed to 172 in 2025.

Those figures combine the aggregate citations handled by the county Sheriff’s, Fire and Code Enforcement departments.

The number of 911 fireworks-related calls for service and complaints also rose — 3,776 during the holiday weekend this year, compared to 3,696 last year, according to the narrative.

Authorities confiscated 2,105 pounds of alleged illegal pyrotechnics during operations earlier this month, a drop from last year, when 2,194 pounds were seized over the same period, the report stated.

County fire personnel were sent to 69 fireworks-related blazes during the most recent holiday weekend, a one-third drop from 2025, when they responded to 102 fires, officials said.

Fines in unincorporated areas run $1,000 to $5,000.

Mecca Sports Park

The county signed off on a $325,000 allocation to support a project at the Mecca Sports Park, enabling the addition of amenities intended to enhance the space.

In a 5-0 vote without comment Tuesday, the board authorized the Riverside County Executive Office to make the appropriation from the Unincorporated Communities Initiative Fund. An agreement between the county and Desert Recreation District, stipulating how the money can be used, was additionally approved by the board.

Under the new funding agreement, if contractors hired by the Desert Recreation District are unable to complete the project by June 30, 2027, the district must return any unspent county funds.

The park opened in October 2023, built for about $6.7 million most of it a $5.8 million state grant.

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Gavin Nguyen

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – With summer heat on full blast, many valley residents are looking to the pool to cool off.

But as the desert sun heats up pool water – and hot overnight lows keep that water from cooling down when the sun has set – a refreshing dip can feel more like a sauna.

The water temperature in your pool can easily climb well past 90°F during peak heat.

According to pool experts, excessively warm pool water, generally above 86°F, can accelerate bacteria and algae growth in the water. Swimming in water that’s too warm can lead to health impacts, like hyperthermia and heat stroke.

David Keyes, Aquatic Manager at the Palm Desert Aquatic Center, agreed. He urged anyone swimming in hot water to never do so alone.

“Do not enter a body of water, especially a warm body of water alone, because that could that could lead to fainting,” he warned. “There’s no one there to to help you to call 911 or to pull you out of the water.”

And for those exercising in warm water, he said swimmers’ bodies can take them by surprise. “A lot of people assume, ‘Oh, I don’t – I’m not sweating while I’m in the water,’ but that’s still happening.”

At the Aquatic Center, they’re forced to close the pools if the water temperature exceeds 104°F. Even then, they generally start placing warning signs around lap pools and other areas where swimmers exercise if the water begins pushing up into the 90s.

“People go in and have strenuous activities, like lap swimming or even water exercise. Depending on how hard you’re going in the class, you could end up potentially having a level of heat stroke,” he warned.

The Aquatic Center maintains their pool’s water temperature by using three large chillers. It drastically cools water, then pumps it back into the system, in an effort to keep water temperatures regulated. With the chillers on, Keyes said the water temperature is usually kept, on average, near 85°F. They work like swamp coolers, so in the dry heat, they work effectively, but with extra humidity, they start to be less effective. When that happens, water temperatures can push into the 90s.

The pool’s carefully balance mix of chlorine levels, pH, and alkalinity, though, prevent any bacteria and algae from growing at the center, despite the hot temperatures.

Mike Marshall, the Facilities Operations Manager at PDAC, has had more than three decades of experience with pools. He said homeowners in the desert often make these mistakes: “Everyone’s always looking to save a few bucks when it comes to at home operations. ‘Maybe I can run my pool a little bit less and save a few dollars, or maybe I cannot put as much chlorine in the water to save a few dollars.’ Those two X factors alone are the death of a swimming pool. Circulation is key.”

He also said testing your pool regularly can also prevent large algae blooms in the water. He also said purchasing a residential-sized chiller, like the ones used at PDAC, can be a good investment that will help regulate your pool’s temperature.

At the end of the day, he pointed to regular use and maintenance as the key.

“A pool that swam in is going to be much more easy to maintain and manage, as opposed to a pool that’s in a yard as a water feature,” he said.

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Jesus Reyes

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – A suspect in a stolen vehicle was arrested Tuesday afternoon in Thousand Palms.

Deputies reported spotting a vehicle reported stolen shortly before 4 p.m. in the area of Varner Road and Monterey Avenue.

Deputies attempted a traffic stop in the area of Cook Street and Varner Road, where the vehicle yielded and the driver was taken into custody without incident.

The suspect was arrested on charges related to the stolen vehicle. The investigation remains ongoing.

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Jesus Reyes

BERMUDA DUNES, Calif. (KESQ) – An arrest has been made in a shooting 22 years ago that took the life of a 17-year-old Indio teenager.

The suspect, Eddie Zazueta Jr., 40, of Bermuda Dunes, was arrested on Friday, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office announced. County jail records show he is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.

Zazueta was officially charged with murder on Tuesday. He pleaded not guilty to the charge and is due back in court on Aug. 6 for a felony settlement conference.

Eddie Zazueta Jr. during his arraignment at the Larson Justice Center in Indio July, 28th, 2026

The shooting happened on July 5, 2004, along the 52400 block of Avenida Obregon in La Quinta. Daniel Medina, 17, of Indio was found with multiple gunshot wounds. He was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

During the initial investigation, a person of interest was identified; however, at the time there was insufficient evidence to support an arrest, and the case eventually went cold, authorities said.

As part of the Sheriff’s Office’s ongoing efforts to review unsolved homicide cases, investigators recently reexamined this case. During the review, several leads and follow-up tasks were identified, and the case was reopened.

Through this follow-up investigation, additional evidence was obtained, and Zazueta was identified as the suspect.

The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Master Investigator Robertson or Deputy Lucifora at (951) 955–2777.

Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing updates on this case.

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