A former Riverside cop who admitted carrying out or attempting to commit seven armed robberies while still on the force was sentenced this afternoon to 15 years in prison. 28-year-old David R. Reeves of Moreno Valley pleaded guilty February 23rd to four counts of armed robbery and three counts of attempted armed robbery, all of which included sentence-enhancing allegations of using a firearm during a felony. Reeves blamed his behavior on an addiction to prescription drugs that got out of control. Riverside County Superior Court Judge Richard T. Fields says Reeves' criminal conduct was as serious as it gets, but noted that the seven-year police veteran had lived an honorable life up to that time.

The number of Riverside County properties falling into foreclosure crept up last month but remained below year-ago levels. A total of 7,140 mortgage default notices, auction sale notices, and bank repossessions were recorded in Riverside County in February, a 2% increase from January, but 27% below a year ago. With one in 108 households in default last month, the county had the second-highest foreclosure rate in the state. Nationally, California ranked number four in foreclosure activity in February, recording 68,562 filings; one for every 195 households, down 4% from January, and off 15% compared to a year ago.

A 58-year-old convicted sex offender living illegally in the United States was behind bars today and being processed for deportation. Jose Ramirez, a Mexican citizen living in Coachella, was arrested about 6:30 a.m. Wednesday near his home. Border Patrol agents were alerted of Ramirez's presence in the Coachella Valley and he was taken into custody without incident. Ramirez was convicted in 1989 of two sex-related felonies. Ramirez was sentenced to a six-year prison term, of which he served around two years.

Legendary singer Tony Bennett will perform at an exhibition tennis match tomorrow at the BNP Paribas Open that will benefit earthquake victims in Haiti. Bennett is expected to sing “Smile” at today’s “Hit for Haiti” charity event, which will benefit the American Red Cross Haiti Relief and Development Fund. Retired tennis stars Andre Agassi and wife Steffi Graf, along with Martina Navratilova and Pete Sampras, are expected to play. Sampras will team with Roger Federer, the world's top-ranked men's player, in a doubles match against Agassi and Rafael Nadal, ranked third, while Navratilova and Justine Henin will face Graf and Lindsay Davenport. New tournament owner Larry Ellison says he hopes the event will raise at least $1,000,000 for Haiti.

A suspect in a home invasion robbery who allegedly led deputies on a chase in a stolen car and then escaped Thursday has been re-arrested. 19-year-old Jose Angel Ramos fled about 10:30 a.m. from the Indio
Sheriff’s Station on Oasis and Dr. Carreon and was re-arrested around noon about a mile away. During the search Theodore Roosevelt Elementary and Martin Van Buren Elementary were locked down as a precaution. Ramos and another man were spotted in a 1996 Honda Prelude that was stolen about 2:30 a.m. during a home invasion robbery on Third Street in Mecca. Two men armed with handguns entered the home and robbed the residents before fleeing in the Honda. Deputies located the suspect vehicle around 5:40 a.m. in La Quinta and gave chase when the driver refused to pull over. The pursuit ended at Avenue 66 and Middleton Street in Thermal, and both suspects were arrested.

A fire that broke out behind Flooring Innovations in Cathedral City Wednesday night is being treated as suspicious. The blaze was reported at about 10 p.m. Crews were able to keep the fire from spreading to the actual building itself. Officials say the fire was fueled by wooden pallets, carpeting and padding being stored behind the business. Owner Bill Nicholson said there was some smoke damage, but he was glad flames didn’t spread inside the building. The incident remains under investigation.

Police arrested a fourth person Wednesday suspected of trying to rob a Palm Desert apartment last month. On February 16th at least four people armed with a gun tried to gain entry into an apartment in the 45-Thousand-Block of Ocotillo Drive, but the resident shut the door before they got in. No one was injured and nothing was taken. Wednesday morning police served a search warrant in the 81-Thousand Block of Sirocco Avenue and arrested 19-year-old Luis Enrique Reyes. He was booked into the Riverside County jail in Indio on several charges, including attempted robbery. He’s being held in lieu of 250-Thousand-Dollars bail. Three juveniles were arrested the day after the incident. Another suspect is still at large.

Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputies have arrested a 17-year-old boy in connection with a pepper spray attack at the Westfield Palm Desert mall. Three men, ranging in age from 17 to 20, approached a kiosk near the mall’s food court Monday afternoon. After a conversation, one of the men sprayed two employees with pepper spray. The unidentified teen was booked into juvenile hall in Indio.

Pro Football Hall of Famer, former television actor and part-time Coachella Valley resident Merlin Olsen has died at age 69. Olsen died early Thursday morning after battling mesothelioma, a cancer of the lung lining. He was an All-American at Utah State and a first-round draft pick of the L.A. Rams in 1962. Well-known in the valley, he was a founding member of the board of directors for El Paseo Bank, and appeared in the bank’s television commercials. He rode in the Palm Desert golf Cart Parade in 2006 as the parade’s chairman and chaired a charity golf tournament for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of the Desert.

Homeowners in one Coachella Valley neighborhood say they're paying for something they're not getting. Dead landscaping around the perimeter of the Desert Trace Community, also called The Sandstone Collection at Shadow Hills in Indio, has many residents upset. They say landscaping issues haven't been resolved for at least two years. Residents are paying nearly One-Hundred-Dollars a month in association dues which is typically used for maintenance. Nicol Herris, President of the Desert Trace Homeowners Association, says 80% of homeowners have complained about landscaping and although they are valid concerns, the perimeter landscaping is not the HOA's responsibility. She adds that the exterior landscaping is under the developer’s jurisdiction, which is Century Vintage. Century Vintage says they were working with the HOA to resolve the issue.

Hemet Police announced the arrest of two teenage fugitives yesterday, who are suspected in the shooting death of a boy whose body was burned in a bonfire last November. Jose Manuel Campos and his girlfriend Felicia Sharp, who were both 17 at the time of the murder, were picked up in Mexico and brought back to Riverside County last night. They are being sought in connection with the death of 17-Year-Old Adrian Rios. Campos, who was named in a Two-Million-Dollar warrant, disappeared the night after.

The Palm Springs Police Department announced its participation in an online program that allows residents to view the locations of reported crimes in their neighborhoods. The department joined Crimereports.com, which is used by more than 700 law enforcement agencies to help track crime trends. Subscribers will be able to view the locations of assaults, thefts, sex crimes, burglaries, vehicle thefts and traffic crashes throughout the city. Police Chief David Dominguez says the services will promote awareness in the community by encouraging residents, business owners and visitors to be conscious of problem areas and take steps to reduce their chances of becoming a victim.

Riverside County firefighters contained a fire in detached garages or carports at an Indio apartment complex Tuesday night. CAL fire crews were called to Los Arboles Apartments in Shadow-Palm-Avenue just after eight P.M. Within a half hour, the fire had been contained but caused about 80-Thousand-Dollars in damage to eight garages and three vehicles. No injuries were reported and no residents were evacuated. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

California Attorney General Jerry Brown filed a lawsuit yesterday, alleging that a farm labor contractor violated wage and safety laws when he put field hands to work in “potentially deadly” conditions in the Coachella Valley and other areas. The lawsuit seeks an injunction and penalties against Juan Munoz and his associates, who allegedly underpaid workers, scheduled them for continuous shifts and failed to train them on how to avoid heat exhaustion. Farmers often worked split shifts of 70-Hours or more a week but did not get premium pay. No records were kept stating the type of work done and by whom, and that constitutes a violation of the state Labor Code. The civil suit seeks a permanent injunction barring Munoz from operating as a farm labor contractor and restitution in the amount of 500-Thousand-Dollars for “wages lost through his violations,” as well as civil penalties up to 500-Thousand-Dollars.

Wolff Waters Place Apartments, an affordable housing community in La Quinta, is officially accepting new tenants. The community is located at the Northwest corner of Avenue-48 and Dune Palms Road. There are 218 units, swimming pool, two tot lots, a sports court, a community room, and day care center. Coachella Valley Housing Coalition Project Manager, MaryAnn Ybarra, says their mission was to provide affordable housing. A ribbon cutting ceremony and grand opening was held yesterday, where Mayor Don Adolph spoke. The project cost nearly $90,000,000 and is a joint project by the City of La Quinta and the CVHC.

An Inland Empire man serving a Five-Year prison sentence for animal cruelty pleaded not guilty to similar charges in a Riverside court. Timothy Kooyman pleaded not guilty to three felony counts of animal cruelty. Prosecutors allege that Kooyman lured neighborhood cats to the motel room in which he was living where he tortured and killed them.

Despite recent forecasts of brighter days to come, a new report from the California Employment Development Department finds Inland Empire unemployment at an all-time record high of 15-Percent. Over the past year 74-Thousand jobs have been lost in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, with the greatest losses in white collar administrative positions. At the same time the EDD reports a drop in the overall job base of Six-Point-Two-Percent. Health care was the only industry showing a slight increase in employment opportunities.

Life could become far simpler for diabetes sufferers this week. California based Amylin Pharmaceuticals is hoping the FDA will approve a drug, that they developed along with Alkermes, that will allow those with diabetes to inject themselves once a week to control blood sugar. Clinical trials for Exenatide show the drug can control blood sugar more effectively with a single shot a week than with existing drugs that require two shots a day. It means an end to constant blood sugar monitoring with pinpricks.

California-based Google is launching a new map for eco-friendly travelers. The search engine giant is unveiling bicycling directions on their maps feature. The bike map technology will allow cyclists to plan out their commute to work or explore biking trails in 149 U.S. cities. Like the driving maps feature, cyclists will learn the distance, alternate routes and estimated travel times.

California-based Chevron plans to cut Two-thousand jobs this year. Company officials say the job cuts will occur worldwide. The company based in San Ramon posted a 10-Billion-Dollar gain last year, but profits were down over 50-Percent from the year before. The company plans to take a hit of between 150-To-200-Million-Dollars for severance packages in the first quarter.