Category: kesq-local-news

KESQ News Team

JOSHUA TREE, Calif. (KESQ) – An Apple Valley man who’s a registered sex offender was accused on Tuesday of attempting to contact a minor for lewd acts.

Detectives from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Morongo Basin Station arrested Douglas Bergschneider, accusing him of communicating with and sending explicit photographs to a 13-year-old girl from Morongo Valley.

The Sheriff’s Department has released Bergschneider’s photo, as they believe there could be more victims.

They urge anyone with information on this matter to contact the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Morongo Basin Station at (760) 366-4175. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may contact We-Tip at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463) or go wetip.com.

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Cynthia White

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – The City of Palm Springs has started building the highly anticipated wind wall along North Gene Autry Trail.

Crews were hard at work on Tuesday, beginning construction on the nearly 600-foot-long brick wall in a major move to combat the area’s notorious winds and sandstorms that reduce visibility and cause drifting sand dunes along and across the roadway.

The wall will span between the Union Pacific Railroad bridge (just south of the I-10 freeway) at the north, to East Via Escuela at the south.

The $2.2 million project, primarily funded by Measure A, was approved by the city council in April.

Construction is expected to wrap up by December.

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City News Service

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – An ex-Riverside County sheriff’s deputy who fatally shot a wanted man in what he contended was self-defense behaved like a “cowboy,” unjustifiably creating a lethal situation, a prosecutor said today, while the defendant’s attorney argued the shooting was unavoidable under the circumstances.   

Oscar Rodriguez, 44, is charged with first-degree murder and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations for the 2014 slaying of Luis Carlos Morin, 39, of Coachella.   

“Mr. Rodriguez is a liar and a deceitful person,” Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Garcia told jurors in her closing statement at the Larson Justice Center Tuesday. “He employed cowboy tactics.”  

At the time of the shooting, the defendant was romantically involved with Diana Perez, the mother of Morin’s two children. She and the then-deputy originally met in the winter of 2013, when he responded to 911 calls from her complaining about Morin, whom she didn’t want around her home because he had a criminal past and active warrants connected to alleged auto theft and narcotics sales.   

“Diana had the motive, and Rodriguez had the ability,” Garcia told the jury.

She recalled how the defendant and Perez were regularly together from early March to early December 2013, reflected by the numerous credit card receipts for one-night stays at a Motel 6.  

“He was taking advantage of her for sex,” the prosecutor said.   

Rodriguez became emotionally involved in the woman’s ongoing conflicts with Morin, developing animosity toward the victim, Garcia said, adding it culminated in “reckless” behavior that caused him to ignore all of his training and protocols.

Rodriguez decided to act independently in apprehending Morin. On the night of Jan. 27, 2014, the defendant learned the suspect had joined family members for a birthday celebration in Palm Desert and would be returning to his mother’s home in Coachella.

The prosecution alleged Rodriguez went to the neighborhood alone in a patrol unit, without informing his supervisors, parking out of sight and placing Maria Gomez’s house under surveillance.

At 9:40 p.m., Morin and his mother arrived home, and the suspect got out to direct Gomez as she backed her vehicle into a tight parking space. The prosecution said Rodriguez sneaked up behind Morin, but the suspect was alerted and tried to bolt, at which point the deputy swept the man’s legs to stop him, causing both of them to fall down, Rodriguez landing on his back.   

Gomez was heard shouting, “Don’t do it!” Rodriguez then pulled his sidearm and opened fire, fatally wounding Morin in the chest. An autopsy also confirmed bruises to his neck and left hip. The defendant wasn’t hurt.   

“Mr. Rodriguez had no right to self-defense,” Garcia told jurors. “He created this situation.”

She alleged the defendant then fabricated a story, engaging in “lies and cover-ups” that included deleting evidence from electronic devices.

Defense attorney Mark Frederick asked jurors to remember his client’s own testimony, in which he asserted, “I feared he was going to use a weapon,” prompting him to shoot to protect himself. “(Pepper) spray and a baton were not feasible at an arm’s-length struggle,” Frederick said.   

He reminded jurors that Rodriguez was an experienced peace officer “known to make felony arrests.”   

Morin was notorious for fleeing from law enforcement officers, so Rodriguez did not want to take any chances by giving the man an opportunity to run, according to Frederick.

He questioned the reliability of Morin’s mother’s testimony, saying she was unclear about the position of her son’s hands during the botched arrest.

The attorney referred to Morin as a “career criminal,” angry about the relationship between his ex-girlfriend and Rodriguez. At the start of the monthlong trial, Frederick noted that several months before the deadly shooting, Perez received a message from Morin, stating, “Cop lover … Tell him to bring his A-game, because no matter what he does, he’s going to lose.”   

The investigation that ensued culminated in a grand jury indictment in 2017.

Morin’s family sued the sheriff’s department and county for wrongful death, netting a $7 million payout.

Perez was indicted along with Rodriguez, charged as being an accessory to a felony. However, the charge against her was dismissed in April.   

Jurors are slated to begin deliberations Wednesday morning.   

Rodriguez is free on a $1 million bond.

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Shay Lawson

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ)  – The 2025 31st annual Palm Springs International ShortFest opened Tuesday with a packed red carpet, a variety of short films and a celebration of global storytelling.

Nachhattar Singh Chandi, Chairman, said Palm Springs is a very inviting place for filmmakers.

“A lot of youngsters, they come, they learn about the magic of cinema,” Chandi said.

311 short films from 64 different countries are apart of the program.

These have been selected from more than 6,200 submissions.

“It’s really well-organized and I’m impressed, especially with what we just saw with the selection process,” Eileen O’Brien, volunteer, said. “I had no idea there were over 6,000 films entered and they had to whittle that down to 300. Remarkable I don’t know how they do that.”

Hundreds of attendees including filmmakers, local leaders and cinema lovers gathering at Festival Theaters to kick off the week long festival.

Organizers said the opening night screening featured a curated selection of short films followed by a Q&A.

ShortFest runs through June 30 and includes multiple screenings and panels.

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Jesus Reyes

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – The Board of Supervisors today authorized the Riverside County Department of Environmental Health to join 11 other agencies throughout Southern California in a mutual aid agreement aimed at improving vector control operations targeting mosquito-borne threats and related public health risks.   

In a 5-0 vote without comment, the board signed off on agency Director Jeff Johnson’s proposal to add environmental health to the mutual assistance compact for the upcoming fiscal year.

“Mosquitoes and other vectors do not recognize jurisdictional boundaries, and they can transmit diseases or cause discomfort to humans across regions,” according to an agency statement posted to the board’s agenda Tuesday. “The Southern California vector control districts recognize the risks of vector-borne disease transmission and the need to have an agreement to allow for joint efforts when necessary.”  

The compact makes county environmental health personnel available — for compensation paid by the requesting agency — for operations conducted by the Antelope Valley Mosquito & Vector Control District, Coachella Valley Mosquito & Vector Control District, Compton Creek Vector Control District, reater Los Angeles County Vector Control District, Long Beach Department of Public Health, Los Angeles County West Vector Control District, Eastvale-based Northwest Mosquito & Vector Control District, Orange County Mosquito & Vector Control District, San Gabriel Valley Mosquito & Vector Control District, Santa Barbara County Mosquito & Vector Control District and the Ontario-based West Valley Mosquito & Vector Control District.   

“The residents of Riverside County will benefit from this agreement through improved protection from vector-borne diseases like West Nile virus,” Johnson said. “The agreement allows for quicker, coordinated responses to mosquito outbreaks and reduces the risk of disease transmission.”  

No West Nile virus infections have been documented in Riverside County, or anywhere else in California, so far this year. In 2024, a total 151 infections — including six in Riverside County — were recorded statewide, according to the California Department of Public Health. There were a dozen WNV-related deaths throughout the state, one of which was in Riverside County.   

Mosquitoes typically become carriers of the virus after feeding on an infected bird and can then spread the potentially lethal strain to animals and humans. Those at greatest risk include seniors and individuals with compromised immune systems.

Symptoms may never materialize, but include fever, headache, nausea, body aches, skin rashes and swollen lymph nodes.   

Along with West Nile, mosquitoes are additionally known to transmit chikungunya, dengue, yellow fever and Zika virus.

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Haley Meberg

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ)– Riverside County Department of Veterans Services is announcing the relocation of the Indio office as of July 1st. 

The Department says the move is necessary to help offer better services to the community, including benefit assistance, outreach and support programs.

The new local office will be at the Henry Lozano Community Center at 12800 West Arroyo Drive in Desert Hot Springs.

The Department will also have a new Hemet office on July 1st., located at 880 North State Street, Ste. B-1.

Both offices will be open Monday through Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and on Fridays from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

For more information, call 951-955-3060, or visit rivcoveterans.org.

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City News Service

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – A $16 million storm water diversion tunnel in Palm Springs will spare area residents and businesses from flood risks going forward — as well as potentially save them money on insurance — following confirmation today of new maps depicting the diversion channel.

The Riverside County Flood Control & Water Conservation District presented the revised maps to the Board of Supervisors for approval Tuesday, and the board unanimously accepted. The key feature of the updated plots is Palm Springs Line 41, a subterranean storm drain spanning more than a mile and capable of channeling flood waters below Highway 111, south of Tahquitz Creek.

“This flood risk reduction project is the result of years of engineering, community collaboration and major investment in regional flood protection,” Flood Control & Water Conservation District General Manager Jason Uhley said. “Its value was proven during Hurricane Hilary in August 2023, when the project successfully protected surrounding neighborhoods, including the Safari Mobile Home Park, from severe flooding.”  

When Hilary struck, the channel was about 90% finished. However, in the days prior to the remnants of the system, downgraded to a tropical storm, arriving over the Inland Empire, engineers completed emergency work to make the channel operational.

As a result, overflows that would have otherwise impacted the mobile home park and the Backstreet Art District were averted, officials said.   

“I am glad, through this flood control infrastructure investment, we were able to support Palm Springs with a project that is a major benefit for public safety and the economy as well,” board Chairman Manuel Perez said.   

Officials confirmed that a total of 514 structures, most of them residential, situated on a 102-acre space are no longer under a “high risk of flooding” designation, in accordance with parameters approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. That change could net homeowners and businesses within the newly classified low-risk space savings by permitting them to alter property insurance policies, dropping flood protection altogether if they choose.

Prior to the channel installation, flooding had occurred in the area, most recently in 2017, according to the county.   

The project was initiated in September 2021 and completed in April 2024.   

The removal of the FEMA high flood risk designation takes effect on July 18, 2025.

Property owners were encouraged to engage their insurers and review Palm Springs Line 41 for further details. According to one estimate, the average annual flood insurance premium is $784 around the location.   

Additional information is at https://rcflood.org/.

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Gavin Nguyen

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Before being stripped from the Senate reconciliation bill, millions of acres of public land in California were identified as eligible for sale. This would allow private entities to purchase this land to develop housing and energy projects.

The provision, however, was found to violate the chamber’s rules.

This land is primarily managed by the United States Forest Service (USFS) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The Wilderness Society provided a map, seen below, that illustrates what local public lands from the two agencies were eligible based on the bill’s text.

Senator Mike Lee, the Chair of the Senate Energy Commission pushed for the federal land sale. After it was stripped from the bill, he reaffirmed that he would keep trying, and wrote in part on X:

“Housing prices are crushing families and keeping young Americans from living where they grew up. We need to change that. Thanks to YOU—the AMERICAN PEOPLE—here’s what I plan to do:

1. REMOVE ALL Forest Service land. We are NOT selling off our forests.

2. SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE the amount of BLM land in the bill. Only land WITHIN 5 MILES of population centers is eligible.”

— Sen. Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee, X)

The Senator has not yet formally introduced the revision, but it could be proposed at any point. For now, local conservation groups said it’s a “chance to breathe.”

Local reaction to the proposal

“I would say it’ll be a win when those lands are totally safe,” said Colin Barrows, Co-founder of local conservation group CactusToCloud Institute.

Members of Oswit Land Trust, another local nonprofit that purchases land to protect it from “imminent development,” also said the proposal was alarming.

“Ultimately, it’s a big betrayal of the public. These are supposed to be public lands that were protected for the public, protected for wildlife, and they’re sort of changing the rules,” said David Paisley, the Deputy Director of the organization.

Oswit Land Trust has purchased several areas across the Coachella Valley in recent year, including Oswit Canyon, the Prescott Preserve, and a 600-acre area in the Indio Hills.

Staff said losing public lands would restrict access to recreation and hurt conservation efforts.

“They’re out here on these lands and you can’t have wildlife without habitat. You have to have both,” Paisley explained.

For CactusToCloud Institute members, they encouraged the public to make their voices heard: “As far as the public lands themselves, you know, the best way for us to protect them and for us to steward them so that we get to enjoy them is to speak up for them and talk to these people in power and tell them that they’re not to be messed with.”

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City News Service

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – The Board of Supervisors today approved a roughly $10 billion budget for fiscal year 2025-26, which includes a targeted hiring freeze in Riverside County government to keep a lid on spending in the face of a budget gap.

The new fiscal year starts July 1.  

“This budget was built with a lot of input from the community,” county CEO Jeff Van Wagenen said ahead of the 5-0 board vote Tuesday, referring to community surveys conducted online. “There are hundreds of millions of dollars in transportation projects funded. The budget was built with a realization of our obligations to meet the needs of all of our constituents. The number one priority was public safety.”

Today, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors approved a $10 billion budget for fiscal year 2025-2026, investing in health, public safety, housing and infrastructure to keep the community safe and thriving.

Key allocations include: 💉$2.8 billion for health services 🚓$2.3… pic.twitter.com/Y8bunEC9iK

— County of Riverside (@RivCoNow) June 24, 2025

Van Wagenen told the board during hearings earlier this month that, while excess costs will require tapping $73 million from the county reserve pool, a number of funding necessities will need to be placed on hold for “just- in-time” consideration, as discretionary revenue builds throughout 2025-26.  

“We’re recommending a hiring freeze for all departments that receive discretionary fund revenue,” the CEO said. “The freeze … will require (some departments) to shrink by attrition. Revenue is not decreasing across the system, but we are seeing it flatten and go down in certain areas.”

The last payroll pause to rein in spending occurred in 2016-17, and he said that saved $40 million to $50 million.   

The current deficit stems from “inflationary pressures, growing labor costs, unpredictable state and federal funding and necessary investments in aging infrastructure (that) strain our financial capacity,” according to the 500-plus-page budget book.The aggregate budget for 2025-26 is $9.98 billion, compared to $9.58 billion in 2024-25. The Executive Office is predicting a reserve pool of $655 million. It had been projected at $728 million, but the total will have to be pared down to fix the gap.

Payrolls continue to consume half of outlays under the budget plan. The county employs 25,632 people on a regular or rotating temporary basis   

The following departments will be exempt from the freeze: Animal Services, Assessor-Clerk-Recorder, Auditor, Board staff, Public Social Services, District Attorney’s Office, Registrar of Voters, Riverside University Health System, Sheriff and Treasurer-Tax Collector.

Sheriff Chad Bianco complained during the June 9 hearing the appropriation for sheriff’s operations “falls woefully short” of what would be needed. The sheriff’s department ended the current fiscal year $10 million in the red, and the “flatline” spending plan for 2025-26 would put the agency $76 million in the hole, he said.   

Unlike in previous budget hearings, the sheriff emphasized the need to make the Benoit Detention Center in Indio fully operational. Only one-third of the facility, which was completed in the previous decade, is functional. Undersheriff Don Sharp said about $32 million would be required to complete a two-phase activation of the jail in the coming fiscal year.   

Other costs weighing on the department include ballooning labor and pension expenses stemming from the county’s agreement with the Riverside Sheriffs’ Association, the collective bargaining unit representing deputies, as well as court security, the anticipated agreement with the Law Enforcement Management Unit, and internal service obligations, such as for maintenance of facilities.   

The board obligated no funds in the budget to fully open the Benoit Detention Center.  

District Attorney Mike Hestrin acknowledged during the hearing that his office continues to contend with heavy case loads, but the agency has remained within spending limits, and he expected to end the current fiscal year in the black.

He asked for an additional $1.4 million over what the Executive Office recommended in the office’s 2025-26 spending plan, and the board acceded.   

Fire Department Chief Bill Weiser requested an “augmentation” of $6 million in the agency’s 2025-26 appropriations plan outlined by the Executive Office. The funding would be roughly split between equipment outlays and new staffing expenses. The board agreed to $1.85 million; the remaining needs will be met by just-in-time funding.

More than two-thirds of the county budget is composed of programmed spending, including federal and state earmarks for specific uses, along with grants and related external source revenue. The board has little control over those dollars.

Direct property taxes remains the county’s largest source of discretionary income. It rose to $574 million in 2024-25, compared to $542.6 million in 2023-24, according to figures. The projection is for a $54 million, or 10%, jump in the next fiscal year.

There are more than three dozen county agencies. The Department of Public Social Services consistently requires the highest level of appropriations of any of them. For 2025-26, DPSS, which is an umbrella for a range of programs, including dependent children, foster care, adult protection and welfare benefits, was allocated $1.63 billion.

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Jesus Reyes

LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – The man in federal custody for allegedly aiding in the bombing at a Palm Springs fertility clinic has died.

Daniel Park, 32, of Kent, Washington, was found unresponsive Tuesday morning at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles, the Department of Justice confirmed.

Life-saving measures were initiated, and Park was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

There is no word on a possible cause of death.

06-24-2025 – MDC Los Angeles – Press Release – Death – Daniel Park (1)Download

Park was accused of helping supply the explosive materials used in the May 17 attack on American Reproductive Centers, which federal officials have labeled an act of domestic terrorism.

He was arrested as he returned to the United States from Poland, from which he was deported. Authorities said he “left the United States to go to Europe” days after the bombing.  

Park was charged with providing and attempting to provide material support to a terrorist.

The primary suspect in the bombing, 25-year-old Guy Edward Bartkus of Twentynine Palms, was found dead at the scene. Authorities say Park and Bartkus shared anti-natalist extremist views — a belief system opposing human reproduction — and that Park had been posting such content online since at least 2016.

Guy Edward Bartkus

According to U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles Bill Essayli, Park shipped about 180 pounds of ammonium nitrate, which is “commonly used to construct homemade bombs,” from Seattle to Bartkus’ home in Twentynine Palms and also arranged for another shipment of an additional 90 pounds.

Three days before Park arrived at Bartkus’ house, records from an AI chat app show that Bartkus researched how to make powerful explosions using ammonium nitrate and fuel, federal prosecutors said.

FBI Assistant Director in Charge in Los Angeles, Akil Davis, said Park was also in possession of an “explosive recipe” similar to the device used in the deadly 1995 Oklahoma City federal city bombing.

Essayli said Park “shared Bartkus’ extremist beliefs” and he visited Bartkus’s home in Twentynine Palms for about two weeks in late January and early February, “spending time together running experiments in Bartkus’ garage, where the FBI recovered large quantities of chemical precursors and laboratory equipment after the bombing.”

Bartkus’ garage in Twentynine Palms

During the explosion, at least five people were injured, and the blast caused major damage to the clinic as well as 40 other properties, with at least 8 buildings deemed unsafe to occupy. The bombing caused approximately $12 million in damages. 

Thousands of embryos and eggs stored inside the facility were saved due to the quick response of emergency crews.

Officials said local law enforcement had not previously flagged either suspect. Evidence recovered from a phone at the scene showed Bartkus pacing outside the car for over 30 minutes before the explosion and speaking into the phone moments before detonation.

The investigation remains ongoing, and federal officials are asking the public to come forward with any information by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI.

Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing coverage on this developing story both on air and online.

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