Reporting Deputy: Sergeant Tom Anderson
File # Multiple
Details:
On June 15, 2023, approximately 6:00 a.m., the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office Thermal Station’s Coachella Community Action Team, with the assistance of the Southern Coachella Valley Community Services District Team and the La Quinta Special Enforcement Team, participated in a Quality-of-Life operation within the City of Coachella. The mission was to conduct a proactive patrol of high criminal activity areas and apprehend subjects with active warrants or who were determined to have committed a criminal offense. This was a zero-tolerance event. All subjects found to be in violation of a criminal offense or wanted on an active warrant were booked at the John Benoit Detention Center. In total, 11 subjects were arrested for various offenses, including possession of drug paraphernalia, theft of a motor vehicle, possession of stolen property, negligent discharge of a firearm, child endangerment, possession of narcotics for sale, possession of an assault weapon, three felony warrants, and six misdemeanor warrants. During this operation, the Coachella Community Action Team seized 12 firearms, several hundred rounds of ammunition, and approximately 116 grams of cocaine. Persons arrested during the operations were:
- Ronald Lerma, 53 of Coachella
- Ralph Armando Cuevas, 45
- Mario Ernesto Aguirre, 53 of Coachella
- Rafael Moreno, 56 of Coachella
- Victor Manuel Dalton, 46 of Coachella
- Richard Greg Velasquez, 35 of Coachella
- Alfredo Rene Torres, 52 of Cathedral City
- Ricardo Bernal, 37 of Indio
- Clemente Emilio Valenzuela Montoya, 25 of Coachella
- Daniela Araujo, 23 of Coachella
- Arturo Jovanny Isalas, 32 of Indio
Anyone with information related to criminal activity within the City of Coachella is encouraged to contact the Thermal Station’s Coachella Community Action Team at (760) 863-8990. If you wish to remain anonymous, call Valley Crimestoppers at (760) 341-7867.
For media inquiries regarding this incident please contact the Media Information Bureau.
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