A woman was arrested Monday near Hemet after allegedly putting methamphetamine in her tea, which was later ingested by her 2-year-old granddaughter, authorities said.

Cynthia Ann Watson, 51, of Aloha, Oregon, was booked at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning and was being held in lieu of $35,000 bail, according to a statement issued by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. The toddler is expected to make a full recovery.

Deputies responded about 10 a.m. to the 31000 block of Pine Street, in Garner Valley (map), where the child’s mother said the girl would not fall asleep after being put to bed the previous evening.

The 2-year-old “was talking rapidly, scratching her skin, could not sit still and was very agitated,” the statement said. “Thinking there might be some medical issue with her daughter, the reporting party took her to a local hospital to be examined.”

An examination revealed the child tested positive for the drug in her system.

Deputies learned that Watson was staying at the Pine Street address with the family, and that she had “made a cup of tea the night before and placed methamphetamine in the tea to get herself high,” according to the Sheriff’s Department.

The cup containing the drug-laced drink was left unattended on a counter, after which the toddler consumed some of its contents, authorities said.

Watson was taken into custody on suspicion of felony child endangerment and possession of methamphetamine. She is expected to appear in court Wednesday morning at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta, online records showed.

Eight minutes after an on-duty Hemet police officer received an urgent call from his pregnant wife who was in labor, he helped deliver their healthy baby boy, the police department stated Monday.

Michael Joseph Anderson was born on July 13, 2014. His father, Hemet police officer Bryan Anderson delivered him in the bathroom of their home. (Credit: Hemet Police Department Facebook)

Holly called her husband, officer Bryan Anderson, Sunday around 3:45 a.m. saying she was in labor and didn’t think she could make it to the hospital.

Anderson called for medical assistance, but no one was able to arrive before he delivered Michael Joseph Anderson in his home’s bathroom at 3:53 a.m.

“I wasn’t worried, it just happened so fast,” Bryan Anderson said. “The cord was around his neck so I pulled it around his head.”

Holly and Michael Anderson were later taken to the hospital, and reported to be OK. Michael was named after his great-grandfather, and weighed 7 pounds, 11 ounces and was 18 inches long.

Police Chief Dave Brown said he was eager to meet Michael and welcome him to the department’s family.

“We are really proud of Bryan, even though I’m certain Holly did all the work,” Brown said. “We are a family oriented department, but this is taking it a little too far. I can remember the day Bryan was born, at least his dad (former Hemet PD Sergeant Jim Anderson), had the good sense to take his mom to the hospital.”

A Hemet man was found guilty Wednesday after DNA evidence taken during a theft conviction linked him to two unsolved rapes committed roughly 10 years ago.

Kevin Lawrence Saint John, 45, faces 40 years to life in state prison after a jury convicted him of two felony counts of forcible rape, which carried sentence enhancement allegations, according to the Orange County district attorney’s office.

In 2012, Saint John’s DNA was entered into a state database after he was convicted of receiving stolen property.

His DNA matched with evidence collected during an investigation into two rapes committed in 2004, the district attorney’s office said in a statement. He was ultimately arrested at his home in Rancho Cucamonga.

Click here to read the full story at LATimes.com.

A magnitude-3.7 earthquake struck near Hemet on Tuesday evening, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The epicenter of the temblor, which hit at 7:38 p.m., was located 1 mile north-northwest of San Jacinto and 5 miles northwest of Valle Vista, the Geological Survey said.

The quake’s depth was measured at 8 miles.

Almost an hour later, at 8:30 p.m., a magnitude-2.9 temblor rattled the same area, the USGS said.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

Several local residents took to social media in the aftermath of the initial seismic event.

“Our house in San Jacinto shook pretty hard,” Shelly Ciaramitaro said on Facebook. “It was loud, too.”

According to a tweet from a KTLA viewer in Hemet, “It was a good jolt but long, rolling, scary!! Felt bigger than a 3!”

Riverside County residents also reported feeling the earthquake in Moreno Valley, Temecula, Beaumont, Yucaipa and Palm Springs.

Patti Van Tine, who lives in Menifee, said she “heard it before it arrived with a kind of a sharp ‘bang,’ then a quick shake” for 1 to 2 seconds.

A magnitude-3.1 earthquake struck near San Jacinto in Riverside County on Sunday afternoon, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The shallow temblor, which hit at 3:16 p.m., was centered 3 miles north of Hemet and 5 miles northwest of Valle Vista, according to the Geological Survey. Its depth was measured at 8 miles.

KTLA viewers reported feeling the quake in Moreno Valley, Menifee, Winchester and Perris.

In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, several residents posted their reactions on social media.

“I felt it in Murrieta. It was more like a vibration,” Anel Q. Munoz said on Facebook.

“I felt it and just thought it was a huge gust of wind that hit the house, as I live on a golf course and it’s like a wind tunnel there,” said Michael D. Cain, a resident of the Sun City.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

A magnitude-3.7 temblor struck the same area, at a similar depth, on Sept 2.

A 61-year-old woman was hospitalized Monday after being attacked by a dog while she was taking a walk in her neighborhood east of Hemet.

The attacked happened around 6:45 p.m. in the 25500 block of Minorca Street in the unincorporated Riverside County community of Valle Vista, according to John Welsh of the Riverside County Department of Animal Services.

The dog was identified as a 1-year-old neutered male pit bull.

The animal managed to break free of its tether and escaped its yard before attacking the woman, according to a witness.

The woman suffered a severe wound to her head, as well as injuries to her arms and stomach, Welsh said.

She was transported to a hospital in unknown condition.

The dog was transported to the San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus.

His owner signed the dog over to be euthanized, Welsh said.

A homicide investigation was underway Thursday after the bodies of a 12-year-old boy and his 44-year-old father were found in a home in Hemet, and the killer was believe to live at the home.

Authorities began to receive 911 calls at 11:28 p.m. Wednesday about two people who appeared to be dead inside a home in the 400 block of Winthrop Drive (map), according to a news release from the Hemet Police Department.

Officers responded and found the bodies of a boy and a man in the home, the news release stated, calling the case a double homicide.

The victims were later identified as Deon Boyd and Deon Boyd Jr., and the attacker was believed to live in the same house as them, according to Lt. Dean Evans with the Hemet Police Department.

The suspect was identified as Quilik Lamont Walton, 23.

He was taken into custody in the 28500 block of Shady Tree Lane in the Winchester area, according to a news release from police.

The attack did not appear to be random, investigators had said.

KTLA’s Scott Williams contributed to this article.

An off-duty U.S. Border Patrol agent was arrested on suspicion of homicide early Saturday after a shooting in East Hemet that left a 27-year-old man dead, officials said.

U.S. Border Patrol Agent John Demery is seen in a booking photo. (Credit: Riverside County Sheriff’s Department)

John Demery, 40, of Hemet, was booked at the Southwest Detention Center in Murrieta, according to a news release from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

He has been suspended from duty and placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into the shooting, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement.

Deputies responded about 12:47 a.m. to a call reporting an assault with a deadly weapon in the 41100 block of Toledo Drive (map). They arrived to find a man, later identified as Adam Thomas, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, the news release said.

Thomas, a resident of Moreno Valley, was transported to a hospital where he died, officials said.

The suspect had confronted the victim at a nearby home, where an argument ensued between the two men before Demery opened fire, according to investigators from the sheriff’s Central Homicide Unit.

Demery is assigned to the San Diego Sector Newton-Azrak Station in Murrieta.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Internal Affairs and the Border Patrol’s San Diego Sector are cooperating with the Sheriff’s Department, which is leading the investigation.

A K9 with the San Jacinto Police Department was shot and killed Wednesday during a search for a wanted felon near Hemet.

Officers received a call around 2:30 p.m. involving the search for an armed suspect in the area of Mayberry Avenue and San Jacinto Street in the county area of Hemet, according to Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputy Albert Martinez.

The SWAT team responded to the call, Martinez said.

During one of their searches, 3-year-old “Sultan,” was shot by the suspect, according to Martinez. Sultan later died of his injuries.

The suspect was still believed to be barricaded in a home nearby.

Just before 10 p.m. a flash-bang grenade was heard outside the house.

Authorities had not revealed the name of the suspect or the reason he was being sought.

A police K-9 officer was mourned Thursday after being fatally shot during a police standoff in the Hemet area that ended in deputies killing the gunman.

A gunman was fatally shot by sheriff`s deputies Wednesday after a K-9 was fatally wounded in a standoff at a Riverside County home, authorities said.

The incident began about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, when deputies responded to San Jacinto Street and Clark Drive (map) following a report that a wanted felon had been seen in the area, according to a Thursday news release from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

Upon arrival, the deputies were informed that the suspect was last seen in a property in the 40200 block of Clark Drive (map), the release said. A San Jacinto police officer and his K-9 partner, a 2-year-old Belgian Malinois named Sultan, responded to the location and assisted in the search.

The dog alerted authorities to a crawl space underneath a home and was sent in to determine if the suspect was hiding there. Moments later, an “indistinguishable” noise was heard and the K-9 returned with a gunshot wound to his neck, the Sheriff’s Department said.

He was transported to a veterinarian hospital, where he died.

K-9 Sultan is shown in a still from a May 2014 YouTube video from the San Jacinto Police Department.

“Even though he is a dog, he’s a peace officer. It hits home because it could have been one of the deputies,” said San Jacinto resident Maritza San Nicolas. “He took a bullet for one of the deputies.”

The sheriff’s SWAT team was called to the scene. During the hourslong standoff, the SWAT personnel made numerous announcements in an attempt to convince the suspect to surrender, according to the release.

The SWAT team later deployed tear gas. Shortly afterward, the man emerged from underneath the residence armed with a handgun and was shot by deputies, the Sheriff’s Department said. He was pronounced dead at the scene. No deputies were injured.

The deceased man’s name was being withheld pending positive identification and notification of family, authorities said.

Steve Fish was among the local residents who were told to remain indoors while the barricade situation was ongoing.

“This is crazy. I’ve lived here since ’83 and this is the first thing I’ve seen anywhere near like this,” Fish told reporters.

In accordance with Sheriff’s Department policy, the deputies involved in the shooting will be placed on administrative leave, the statement said.

Sultan, who was born in Slovakia, joined the San Jacinto Police Department in November 2013, according to a city website. He was partnered with Deputy Mark Wallace.

San Jacinto Mayor Crystal Ruiz said the dog’s death was a “tragic loss for our citizens, for our family.”

“He was one of us,” Ruiz said.

KTLA’s Melissa Pamer contributed to this article. 

More video:

A 36-year-old Hemet man was identified Friday as the person who deputies fatally gunned down after he allegedly shot and killed a police K-9 two days prior, according to Riverside County Sheriff’s Department officials.

Riverside County Sheriff’s Department officials provided this photo of Todd Allen Hodge, a 36-year-old Hemet man who allegedly shot and killed a police K-9 on Jan. 21, 2015.

Deputies searched a property Wednesday in the 40200 block of Clark Drive in Hemet (map) after receiving reports that a wanted felon was in the area when Sultan, a 2-year-old Belgian Malinois-German shepherd mix, led them to a crawl space underneath a home.

Once Sultan entered the crawl space an “indistinguishable” noise was heard and the dog returned with a gunshot wound to his neck, Sheriff’s Department officials said at the time.

The K-9 later died at a veterinarian hospital.

After an hourslong standoff, SWAT personnel deployed tear gas and 36-year-old Todd Allen Hodge allegedly emerged from underneath the home with a handgun.

Hodge was then shot and killed by deputies, the Sheriff’s Department stated at the time.

More information regarding his possible criminal record was not immediately available.

Following the K-9’s death, authorities and local residents shared their distress.

“Even though he is a dog, he’s a peace officer. It hits home because it could have been one of the deputies,” said San Jacinto resident Maritza San Nicolas. “He took a bullet for one of the deputies.”

A gunman was fatally shot by sheriff`s deputies Wednesday after a K-9 was fatally wounded in a standoff at a Riverside County home, authorities said.

The Sheriff’s Department stated on Facebook Thursday that they were mourning Sultan’s death and thanked “everyone for the overwhelming support during this time.”

“To us, it’s not just a dog. They are a partner. They are somebody who is with us for 10 hours a day, and up to 50 hours a week,” Sheriff’s Department Chief Jeff Raya said.

Mayor pro-tem Scott Miller echoed their sentiments.

“This has been a huge loss for us, our city and our people,” he said.

Sultan joined the San Jacinto Police Department in November 2013 and was partnered with Deputy Mark Wallace, according to a San Jacinto city website.

He was originally from Slovakia and later “trained to locate hidden articles of evidence and to apprehend dangerous suspects,” the website stated.

In accordance with Sheriff’s Department policy, the deputies involved in the shooting were expected to be placed on administrative leave, authorities said at the time.

Two earthquakes shook the San Jacinto area of Riverside County early Wednesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The first — and larger of the two — was a magnitude-3.9 temblor that struck at approximately 12:39 a.m., the USGS’s incident page stated. It was centered two miles north northwest of San Jacinto and 4 miles north of Hemet.

Light shaking was felt throughout Riverside and San Bernardino counties, and as far away as Long Beach and San Diego County, according to USGS.

Another earthquake with a magnitude of 3.0 rattled the area less than two hours later, at about 2:19 a.m.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damages.

Police in Hemet released graphic video Monday of a man being run over by his own car during an apparent road-rage confrontation, in the hope it might lead to the arrests of two men involved in the hit-and-run.

On Friday, officers responding to a call of a verbal disturbance in the 1400 block of S. Gilbert Street discovered a 53-year-old man lying in the street, according to a post on the Hemet Police Department’s Facebook page.

A photo from the family’s GoFundMe page shows Tracy Leavitt.

The victim was suffering from injuries consistent with being hit with a vehicle, the post stated.  He was transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Video of the event showed the victim, identified as Tracy Leavitt, involved in an apparent road-rage confrontation with two men, all of whom were standing next to their vehicles in the street.

During the confrontation, one of the suspects stole Leavitt’s car and struck him with it at a high rate of speed, police said.

“I can’t understand it,” wife Sabine Leavitt said. “I cannot understand why they would want to do that.”

Leavitt’s vehicle was abandoned at the scene after the collision.

Video of the hit-and-run incident shows victim Tracy Leavitt talking to one of his attackers. (Credit: Hemet police Department)

Both suspects fled in a white 2006 to 2011 body style, standard cab Ford Ranger pick-up truck. The vehicle was believed to have a broken rear cab window, in addition to a broken driver’s side window, the post stated.

The assailants were described as White or light-skinned Hispanic men, between the ages of 18 and 25, about 5 foot 10 inches tall, with thin builds and brown hair.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family with Leavitt’s medical bills.

“Yesterday, he had the hip replacement surgery — today he had leg and knee surgery,” Sabine Leavitt said.

Anyone with information was asked to call Cpl. Gabe Gomez at 951-765-2324.

More video:

Two teenagers sought in road-rage confrontation on a Hemet street that culminated with a motorist being run over with his own car were arrested after police released graphic video of the incident, authorities said Thursday.

A photo from the family’s GoFundMe page shows Tracy Leavitt.

The incident occurred last Friday in the 1400 block of S. Gilbert Street, according to a post on the Hemet Police Department’s Facebook page.

Officers responding to a call of a verbal altercation found 53-year-old Tracy Leavitt lying in the street.

Video of the event showed Leavitt involved in an apparent confrontation with two men, all of whom were standing next to their vehicles in the street.

During the confrontation, one of the suspects stole Leavitt’s car and struck him with it at a high rate of speed, police said.

On Tuesday, officers located and arrested a 17-year-old male who had been positively identified in connection with incident.

An undated photo of Michael “James” Williams, 18, was released by the Hemet Police Department.

Investigators were later able to identify a second suspect — 18-year-old Michael “James” Williams. Williams was arrested Thursday evening after he surrendered to Hemet police.

Leavitt suffered multiple serious injuries in the crash, according to his family.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family with Leavitt’s medical bills.

More video:

A tiger cub that was found recently wandering near homes in Hemet has been taken to an animal sanctuary in the San Diego area.

The approximately 3-month-old male cub was turned in to the Ramona Humane Society on Thursday and transferred by the California Fish and Wildlife Department to the Forever Wild Exotic Animal Sanctuary in Phelan.

From there, he was taken on Saturday to the Lions, Tigers & Bears animal sanctuary in Alpine, which is located in the foothills east of San Diego.

"He's resting, eating well, and exploring his new environment. Monday morning he'll be making his media debut and checking in with the veterinarian," the organization stated in a Facebook post on Saturday.

It was still not known where exactly the baby tiger came from, and whether anyone had owned him.

Two women were found dead inside a home in Hemet Wednesday morning, and police were trying to find a person of interest in what investigators called a double homicide.

Officer went to a home in the 1200 block of South Buena Vista Street to conduct a welfare check just before 5 a.m., when they found two dead adult women inside. It was not clear how they died.

The two women were believed to be mother and daughter, one in her 60s and the other in her 90s, said neighbors, who described the victims as keeping to themselves.

Investigators following leads in the case were looking for 37-year-old Elisha Samson Chiles, according to a Facebook post from the Hemet Police Department. Police initially said Chiles was 27, but that information was updated in an email to news media.

Neighbors said the person of interest is a male relative of the victims.

Chiles has a long criminal history, including a 2013 conviction in Oklahoma for assault and battery on a police officer, court records showed.

He was also arrested twice in the Los Angeles area for felony crimes in 2007, records indicated.

Chiles was believed to be driving a charcoal gray Dodge Caravan with Oklahoma license No. 471 LIV.

Anyone with information on Chiles’ whereabouts was asked to call Investigator Doug Klinzing at 951-765-2423.

More video:

Elisha Samson Chiles is seen in a photo provided by the Hemet Police Department.

The suspect sought in what investigators described as a double homicide in Hemet was arrested in Mexico, police said Thursday.

Elisha Samson Chiles, 37, was detained by Tijuana police before being turned over to Hemet police investigators at the border Wednesday, the Hemet Police Department posted on their Facebook page.

Samson was named a person of interest following the deaths of two women found inside a home in the 1200 block of South Buena Vista Street on Wednesday.

The two women were believed to be mother and daughter, one in her 60s and the other in her 90s, according to neighbors, who described Chiles as being a relative of the victims.

Chiles has a long criminal history, including a 2013 conviction in Oklahoma for assault and battery on a police officer, court records showed.

He was also arrested twice in the Los Angeles area for felony crimes in 2007, records indicated.

Following his arrest, Chiles was described by police as a suspect in the killings and booked on two counts of murder.

He was being held on $1 million bail, the Police Department stated.

Anyone with information about the case was asked to contact Investigator Doug Klinzing at 951-765-2423.

Elisha Samson Chiles is seen in an undated mugshot distributed by the Oklahoma City Police Department. (Credit: KFMB)

A 26-year-old man was arrested Friday in connection with the death of his sister, who was shot in Hemet, authorities said.

Alfredo Esqueda is shown in a booking photo released Jan. 13, 2017, by the Hemet Police Department.

Police became aware of the incident around 5:45 p.m. on Jan. 6 when a woman, later identified as 26-year-old Hemet resident Josefina Esqueda, was dropped off at Hemet Valley Medical Center unresponsive and suffering from gunshot wounds, according to a statement from Hemet Police. The individuals who had transported her there left the hospital before officers arrived, officials said.

Josefina had been shot in the head and was immediately transferred to the Riverside University Health System Medical Center, where she was placed on life support, authorities said. She reportedly died three days later on Jan. 9.

After investigating, police determined the shooting had occurred at a home in the 300 block of north Franklin Street, according to the release. After responding to the location and securing the scene, officers identified Josefina’s brother Alfredo Esqueda as the suspect, police said.

Detectives took Alfredo into custody Friday just after 10 a.m. after locating him in the 16000 block of Maplegrove Street in La Puente, officials said. He was being held at the Hemet Police Department.

Another search warrant related to the case was subsequently at a home in the 16000 block of Holton Street in La Puente, authorities said, but they did not say what they were searching for or whether anything had been found.

No further details were immediately available.

Hemet police have arrested a 33-year-old man after a family member reported he had killed his 32-year-old girlfriend, authorities said Wednesday.

Vincent Marples is shown in a booking photo released Jan. 25, 2017, by the Hemet Police Department.

Hemet resident Vincent Marples was found in his vehicle Tuesday with the deceased body of his girlfriend, Cassandra Taylor, around 2:47 p.m. in a hilly area southeast of State Street and Gibble Road, according to a statement from the Hemet Police Department. Officers were able to locate the couple with aerial support from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department based on a vehicle description and general area provided by a relative of Marples’, police said.

Upon further investigation, detectives determined an altercation had taken place between Taylor and Marples, who were at the location for some time within the past 24 hours, officers said. The argument resulted in Taylor’s death, authorities said, declining to provide further details.

Marples was taken into custody and his bail has been set at $1 million.

Anyone with further information regarding the incident can contact Hemet police at 951-765-2421.