The deaths of two women who were found inside a burning home in Hemet over the weekend are being investigated as a murder-suicide, authorities said Monday.

The 1600 block of West Johnston Avenue in Hemet, as pictured in a Google Street View image in April of 2018.

Firefighters went to a reported house fire about 8 p.m. Saturday in the 1600 block of West Johnston Avenue, Hemet Police Department officials said in a written statement.

“Fire personnel entered the structure and located one elderly female who sustained significant burns over a majority of her body,” the statement said. She was taken to a hospital where she died from her injuries.

The body of a second woman was also discovered inside the home, officials said.

“The investigation is ongoing, but (detectives) determined the incident was murder-suicide,” according to the police statement.

No further details were released.

The identities of the women were not released Monday pending positive identification and notification of family by coroner’s officials.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Hemet police Investigator Klinzing at 951-765-2423. Tips may also be submitted to the Hemet Police Department’s anonymous tip line at 951-765-3897.

A Hemet police officer shot and injured a teenager who was in a vehicle that had been reported stolen from the San Diego area, authorities announced Saturday.

The incident happened just before 10 p.m. Wednesday in the 300 block of North San Jacinto Street in Hemet, according to police.

The agency said a records check during a traffic stop revealed that a vehicle a San Diego-area boy was in had been reported stolen.

Police said at some point, an officer shot the individual, who’s 17 years old. The teen was transported to a hospital, where he received treatment for a gunshot wound that was not life-threatening, authorities said. He has since been released to his guardian, according to police.

No officers were hurt in the incident.

Hemet police did not provide further details about the encounter, which remained under investigation.

Anyone with information can call Detective Corporal Paez at 951-765-2324.

Sheriff's officials are asking for the public's help to identify a man who was caught on surveillance video peering into a bedroom window in Hemet this week.

Deputies were called out the 29500 block of Cherrywood Drive about 5 a.m. Monday after receiving a call regarding a stranger standing outside of a home, according to a statement from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department's Media Information Bureau.

He was observed looking through the bedroom window, the statement read.

Surveillance video from outside the home showed him peering between two bushes, at one point leaning against the residence with one house in an apparent to get close look inside.

The footage also captured someone -- possibly the homeowner -- confronting the man before he took off. He was gone by the time deputies arrived at the scene.

The sheriff's Hemet Station on Tuesday released photos of the alleged assailant as the sought to identify and locate him.

Anyone with information is urged to call to the department at 951-791-3400.

Search warrants have been served at 10 inland Southern California marijuana dispensaries allegedly operating without licenses, including one business posing as an ice cream store.

The Riverside County district attorney’s cannabis regulation task force moved in Thursday after several months of investigations.

The DA’s office says by late afternoon about 90 pounds of finished cannabis product and a large amount of cannabis edibles had been seized from eight of the locations.

One person was arrested for felony possession of a stolen handgun. Another was arrested on a misdemeanor warrant for driving on a suspended license.

In Hemet, authorities came across one pot shop called “Valley Ice Cream.”

“But it wasn’t ice cream being sold there, it was cannabis at an illegally operating dispensary,” the DA’s office said in a tweet.

The DA’s office says the task force is trying to ensure fair business practices and keep criminal activity out of the legal cannabis industry.

The 10 locations targeted by the raids include:

• Hidden Gem at 125 East Stetson Avenue in Hemet
• Herbs and Essential Oils at 207 East Mayberry Avenue in Hemet
• Hemet Healing at 207 East Florida Avenue in Hemet
• Valley Ice Cream at 125 North Tahquitz Avenue in Hemet
• Green Empire at 72911 Ramon Road in Thousand Palms
• Green Garage at 19065 Grand Avenue in Lake Elsinore
• Cannabis Castle at 27645 Jefferson Avenue in Temecula
• Reefer Shop at 6058 Mission Blvd in Jurupa Valley
• The Mission Greens at 9646 Mission Boulevard in Jurupa Valley
• Supreme Cannabis Club at 4186 Ramsey Street in Banning

A preliminary magnitude 3.6 earthquake struck in Riverside County early Sunday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The temblor hit at 9:12 a.m. about 5 miles southeast of Valle Vista, 6.8 miles west southwest of Idyllwild, 8.7 miles east southeast of Hemet and 19.3 miles west southwest of Moreno Valley.

The preliminary depth of the earthquake was 10.3 miles, according to USGS.

Several people, including Facebook users in Perris, Menifee, Corona and Ontario, reported feeling some shaking.

“I am in Hemet and it was a little jolt. I heard it more than felt it. It sounded like someone fell or a car crashed,” Dena Vrablic posted.

A couple of Moreno Valley and Menifee residents described it as a “big jolt.”

No injuries or damages were reported.

KTLA’s Steve Granado contributed to this report.

A federal grand jury indicted two men and a woman from Moreno Valley on Friday for their alleged roles in a series of armed robberies last year at AutoZone stores throughout San Bernardino and Riverside counties, authorities said.

From left: Dashon Raymond White, 24; Daeon Raishawn Cox, 19; and Jada Shardae Allen, 18, are seen in photos released by Riverside police on Dec. 14, 2018.

Daeon Raishawn Cox, 20, Dashon Raymond White, 24, and Jada Shardae William, 18, all of Moreno Valley, were named in the 13-count indictment, U.S. Department of Justice spokeman Ciaran McEvoy said in a written statement.

The indictment alleges the trio used guns including an AR-15-style rifle to carry out at least eight robberies at AutoZone stores in Riverside, San Bernardino, Fontana, Redlands, Hemet and Grand Terrace.

Detectives are looking into the suspects’ possible ties to at least five additional AutoZone robberies, Riverside Police Department officials said shortly after their arrests in December.

A rifle police say was used in a series of robberies targeting AutoZone stores throughout Riverside and San Bernardino counties is seen in this photo, released by Riverside police on Dec. 14, 2018.

The eight federally charged crimes took place over a three-month period last year, officials said.

“Typically, the robbers entered the AutoZone stores at night, wearing black hoodies, black pants, gloves and with their faces covered by bandanas,” Ciaran said. “The robbers allegedly pointed guns at AutoZone employees and forced them to hand over money from the cash register or from the store safe.”

More than $11,000 was stolen in the heists, according to McEvoy.

Cox is alleged to have been involved in all of the robberies. White, Allen and an underage boy who is not named in the indictment alternately took part in the robberies, prosecutors said.

The string of crimes came to an end on Dec. 12, when the suspects showed up at a Fontana AutoZone store, which police had been watching due to the ongoing series of robberies targeting the auto parts retailer chain, Riverside police said in written statement.

“Cox and White allegedly approached the AutoZone wearing black hooded sweatshirts and masks on their faces, while Cox carried an AR-15-type rifle and handed it to White,” Ciaran said. “After the police officer identified himself, the defendants fled the scene, driving away in White’s SUV at a high rate of speed.”

The SUV led police on a chase, with Allen seated in the back of the SUV, he added.

The suspects tossed a loaded AR-15 out of the vehicle before they abandoned their car and ran in Rancho Cucamonga, according to police and federal prosecutors. The rifle, along with a pistol, was ultimately recovered.

A handgun recovered from a group of alleged Inland Empire serial robbers following their arrest in Rancho Cucamonga on Dec. 12, 2018. (Credit: Riverside Police Department)

Police found Cox hiding in a trashcan and took him into custody immediately following the chase, McEvoy said. White, Allen and the juvenile suspect were found and arrested the next day.

All three adult defendants face a federal charge of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, officials said.

Cox faces six additional counts of interfering with commerce by robbery and six counts of using a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime.

White is charged with two robbery charges and two firearm-related charges, McEvoy said. Allen was named in one robbery count and one gun-related count.

Cox and White, who are currently housed in local jails, are expected to be remanded to federal custody on Monday, officials said. Allen was free on a $40,000 bond and scheduled to appear in court on March 13.

If convicted as charged, the suspects could each face up to 20 years in federal prison for each robbery-related count, and seven years in prison for each firearm-related count.

A Beaumont man is accused of murder in connection with the fatal stabbing of another man in Hemet on Friday night, police said Sunday.

Mark Anthony Acevedo, 22, of Beaumont, pictured in a photo released by the Hemet Police Department on March 3, 2019, following his arrest.

Mark Anthony Acevedo, 22, has been arrested in connection with the killing of 23-year-old Wilver Garcia, which took place about 9:20 p.m. Friday in the 200 block of N Western  Avenue, the Hemet Police Department said in a written statement. Garcia’s city of residence was not available.

Garcia was found suffering from stab wounds and taken to an area hospital, where he was soon pronounced dead, officials said.

“The City of Hemet Police investigation led to the arrest of Mark Acevedo for murder,” according to the statement.

Further details regarding the stabbing, as well as the arrest, were not available Sunday.

Bail for Acevedo was set at $1 million pending his initial court appearance, officials said.

Anyone with information was asked to contact Hemet police Investigator Alvarez at 951-765-2426, or the department’s anonymous tip line at 951-765-3897.

A man has been arrested after allegedly using a sledgehammer to burglarize several business on a Yucaipa street early Saturday, and authorities are seeking other possible victims throughout the Inland Empire.

Robert Abdul Coleman, 27, of Hemet, is accused forcing his way into seven business located within about 8 miles of each other on Yucaipa Boulevard: Party Pantry, an AT&T store, Abby’s Café, Las Tortas Mexican Food, La Mexicana Restaurant, Yucaipa Dance and The Fat Greek.

He smashed doors and windows with a sledgehammer to enter the businesses, according to Yucaipa police.

Officers responded to the area at about 3:30 a.m. after multiple alarms were set off. Detectives subsequently arrested Coleman, who was driving a silver BMW X5 SUV the night of the burglaries, authorities said.

Investigators later learned Coleman had committed similar crimes in Beaumont and Banning, the Police Department said. They're hoping to find other potential victims in nearby jurisdictions, the agency added. The vehicle he used has the California license plate number 7DWZ165, police said.

Coleman was booked at the Central Detention Center in San Bernardino on $100,000 bail.

Anyone with information can call Yucaipa police at 909-918-2305​. Those who wish to remain anonymous can contact WeTip at 1-800-78-CRIME.

Hemet police are asking for the public’s help in identifying a man caught on surveillance video entering a home in Hemet that was being fumigated.

The burglary suspect was seen in a surveillance photo released by the Hemet Police Department on April 24, 2019.

The burglary took place on Saturday at an unoccupied home in the 600 block of east Stetson Avenue, police said in a news release.

After noticing the doorbell camera, police said the suspect looked right into the camera and proceeded to damage it.

But despite the damage to the camera, police said the video is still viewable.

Police said the suspect entered the toxic home without any protective equipment and stole items.

Anyone with information about the suspect’s identity or whereabouts is asked to call the Hemet Police Department at (951) 765-2400.

A man was arrested Sunday on suspicion of breaking into a Hemet home while it was being fumigated and burglarizing it, the Hemet Police Department said.

Kevin Hughes, 53, was taken into custody in Los Angeles following a tip made to police, authorities said.

The suspect was caught on video as he looked directly at a doorbell camera before breaking it and entering into an unoccupied home on the 600 block of east Stetson Avenue on April 20, according to Hemet Police.

The video was saved to the cloud even after the camera was broken, and homeowners shared it in hopes to find the suspect who had gotten away with several stolen items after going into the toxic home without any protective gear, according to police.

“The media attention was beneficial and led Hemet Police Investigators to the City of Los Angeles where the suspect, Kevin Hughes, was arrested,” police said in a statement.

A majority of the stolen items were recovered, Hemet Police said.

Police initially said Hughes was released from custody after posting $15,000 bail but public arrest records show the suspect is still in custody and being held on $35,000 bail for conspiracy to commit crime, burglary and drug-related charges.

Anyone with information was asked to contact police at 951-765-2424.

A Moreno Valley woman is accused of being drunk and high when she slammed into the back of another car while driving at more than 100 mph in Hemet on Wednesday night, killing one man and leaving another hospitalized in critical condition, officials said.

Faalele Patea, 25, of Moreno Valley, pictured in a photo released by the Hemet Police Department following her arrest on May 1, 2019.

Faalele Patea, 25, was booked on suspicion of intoxicated driving, manslaughter and violating parole in connection with the crash, which took place just after 9 p.m. on Florida Avenue, near Warren Road, according to Hemet Police Department Sgt. Don Reinbolt.

She was at the wheel of a 2013 Volkswagen Jetta that was headed west on Florida Avenue just prior to the crash, he said.

“Evidence at the scene and witness statements indicate that Patea was speeding, traveling over 100 miles-per-hour,” Reinbolt said in a written statement. “Patea rear-ended a Honda Civic occupied by two men in their 20s that was slowing for a red signal at Warren Road.”

Paramedics took both injured men to a hospital, where one was  pronounced dead and the other was listed in critical condition.” The victim’s identities were not available Thursday.

Investigators determined Patea was under the influence of both alcohol and drugs, Reinbolt said. She was arrested at the scene.

It was not clear whether the suspect was injured in the crash.

Patea, who was already on parole due to a prior criminal conviction, was being held without bail pending legal proceedings, officials said.

A second man has died following a crash with a woman accused of driving while drunk and high at speeds in excess of 100 mph in Hemet, officials said.

Kyle Towai, 22, of Beaumont, was left in critical condition after the collision last Wednesday night but succumbed to his injuries two days later at the Riverside University Health System Medical Center, according to Riverside County coroner’s officials.

The other occupant of the Honda Civic Towai was in, Joshua Serquina, another 22-year-old from Beaumont, died hours after the crash.

Faalele Patea, 25, was arrested for alleged DUI driving involving both drugs and alcohol in the crash. Witnesses testimony indicates she was driving over 100 mph when her 2013 Volkswagen Jetta collided with the Civic on Florida Avenue, near Warren Road, Hemet police said.

Faalele Patea, 25, of Moreno Valley, pictured in a photo released by the Hemet Police Department following her arrest on May 1, 2019.

Patea was booked on suspicion of intoxicated driving, manslaughter and violating parole. Authorities have not said what the prior criminal conviction she was on parole for involved.

A GoFundMe campaign to raise money for the victims’ families says the victims were best friends who were traveling home from school when they were killed.

Serquina is survived by his mother and two brothers, while Towai is survived by his parents and brother, the page states.

Patea was being held on $1.12 million bail and scheduled to appear in court May 21, inmate records show.

The victims’ fundraising campaign had raised more than half of its $10,000 goal as of Monday.

The pilot of a small plane was killed after crashing at Hemet-Ryan Airport on Saturday morning, officials told The Press-Enterprise.

The home-built, twin-engine AirCam crashed soon after taking off from the airport at around 9:30 a.m., Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said.

The pilot was taken to the hospital, where the county coroner was called, The Press-Enterprise reported.

The plane—painted red, gold and silver—appeared upside-down on the runway. Police responded to the scene.

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash, Gregor said.

A 61-year-old woman was killed Sunday in a suspected DUI crash after a driver blew past a stop sign at a Hemet intersection, police said.

A Ford pickup truck collided with a Nissan Rogue at the intersection of Lyon and Commonwealth avenues at about 6:40 p.m., the Hemet Police Department said.

The Nissan’s driver, Victoria Fleming, was seriously injured and was unconscious when paramedics arrived at the scene to treat her, police said.

Fleming was later pronounced dead at the scene.

Police in Hemet are looking for an armed man with a mask who robbed a liquor store this week.

A man is seen in surveillance video released by the Hemet Police Department robbing a liquor store on June 19, 2019.

The incident occurred about 8:40 p.m. along the 2000 block of East Florida Avenue, Hemet police said in a news release.

The man is seen on surveillance video forcing a customer on the ground then robbing the cashier at gunpoint. He got away with an undisclosed amount of cash. He had left the area by the time authorities arrived and he has not been found, police said.

No injuries were reported during the incident.

The man was described as being between 20 and 25 years old with a thin build. He was seen wearing a red hoodie, a ski mask and Franklin brand batting gloves.

Anyone with information can call the Hemet Police Department at 951-765-2400.

A boxer was sentenced to 10 years in prison for a DUI crash that killed a pregnant mother of three in Hemet last year, officials said.

Marcos Forestal is seen in a booking photo released by the Hemet Police Department on Sept. 11, 2018.

In March, Marcos A. Forestal, 29, of Burbank, pleaded guilty to gross vehicular manslaughter while driving under the influence. He had previously pleading not guilty.

The charges stemmed from a Sept. 9 head-on crash that killed Krystil Kincaid, 29, of San Jacinto. She was driving her Chrysler minivan northbound on Warren Road when a BMW driven by Forestal veered into her lane and hit her, Hemet police said at the time. Forestal was traveling at a high-rate of speed and he livestreamed video of the deadly crash scene shortly after it happened, authorities said.

Kincaid, who was eight months pregnant, was talking to her husband on speakerphone when the crash occurred.

Forestal, who was the reigning World Boxing Federation International Super Bantamweight champion, received the maximum sentence, according to the Riverside County District Attorney's Office.

Seven of Kincaid's family members spoke during the sentencing hearing Thursday.

Krystil Kincaid is seen in a photo posted to her Facebook page on Nov. 23, 2016.

Two homeowners shot and killed intruders during two separate break-ins this week in Lucerne Valley and Hemet, authorities said.

The first shooting took place about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday in the 35000 block of Harvest Moon Street in Lucerne Valley, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said in a written statement.

A woman was asleep in her home when she was awakened by the sound of her dog barking, officials said. She went to look around and found a man, later identified as 32-year-old Shea Eon Manigault, hiding in a bedroom.

“The victim became frightened and yelled at the suspect that he did not belong in her home, then returned to the living room and armed herself with a gun,” the statement said. “The suspect approached the victim and, fearing for her safety, she fired once at the suspect, striking him.”

Paramedics pronounced Manigault dead at the scene.

“Through investigation, detectives determined that the suspect had forced entry into the home prior to the victim locating him in the bedroom,” according to the statement.

Another homeowner shot and killed an intruder just after midnight on Wednesday in the 26000 block of Plymouth Street in Hemet, according to Sgt. Rick Espinoza of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department’s Central Homicide Unit.

Deputies had been called to a report of a “burglary in progress,” the sergeant said. By the time they arrived, the suspect had been mortally wounded.

“A suspect broke into the residence, which was occupied by a family,” Espinoza said in a written statement. “The suspect was confronted by an armed home owner and a shooting occurred, which resulted in the death of the suspect.”
The suspect’s identity was not available Friday.

No arrests were made in either shooting, officials said. The investigative findings were to be turned over to the respective county district attorney’s offices for review.

Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly identified Sgt. Espinoza. This story has been updated.

Robert Whitecloud Trujillo, 29, of San Jacinto, pictured in a photo released by the Hemet Police Department following his arrest on July 12, 2019.

Police arrested a man Friday night in connection with a Hemet shooting that left a man dead and a 10-year-old boy wounded earlier this week, authorities said.

Robert Whitecloud Trujillo, 29, of San Jacinto, was arrested after he rammed two police vehicles  and was subdued with “less than lethal munitions” while attempting to escape officers who cornered him about 10:15 p.m. Friday in the 22700 block of Soboba Road in San Jacinto, according Hemet Police Department Lt. Jeff Davis.

The deadly shooting took place about 5:45 p.m. Thursday at a home in the 400 block of South Carmalita Street, officials said.

Police responded to a report of gunfire heard in the area when they found Michael Lujan, 30, of Hemet, wounded at Harvard Street and Mayberry Avenue, Davis said in a written statement. First responders took Lujan to a hospital, where he soon died.

The second victim, a 10-year-old boy, was brought to a hospital by a family member, police said. He was listed in stable condition.

“The investigation led to a residence in the 400 block of South Carmalita Street, where Lujan and the juvenile victim were shot,” Davis said.

“Further investigation revealed the second victim was visiting relatives at a residence when he sustained a gunshot wound,” the lieutenant said. It was not clear Saturday whether the two victims were related. It was also not clear what the relationships were between the suspect and the victims.

Detectives identified Trujillo as a suspect in the attack, according to Davis. Trujillo was already on Post-Release Community Supervision, or felony probation, for a prior criminal conviction.

Investigators then tracked Trujillo down in San Jacinto, where he was taken into custody.

No information regarding a motive in the shooting was available.

Trujillo was expected to face charges of murder and attempted murder.

A Moreno Valley man who masterminded at least 15 armed robberies of AutoZone stores across the Inland Empire — stealing about $11,000 in cash — pleaded guilty to federal charges Monday, authorities said.

Daeon Raishawn Cox, 19 is seen in a photo released by Riverside police on Dec. 14, 2018.

Daeon Raishawn Cox is being held in federal custody and faces up to 27 years in prison when he is sentenced on Oct. 7, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. He will spend at least seven years in prison since that’s the mandatory minimum sentence.

Cox, 21, struck a plea deal with prosecutors in which he admitted to robbing several retail stores at gunpoint spanning a time last year between Sept. 5 and Dec. 13. Federal officials have described him as a ringleader in the series of heists.

Authorities said he was caught when an attempted robbery at one store was disrupted by Fontana police late last year.

According to federal prosecutors, police had been conducting surveillance on the Fontana store on Dec. 12, 2018, when Cox and his co-defendants — Dashon Raymond White, 25, and Jada Shardae Allen, 19, — tried robbing the business.

They later led officers on a high-speed freeway chase before crashing and trying to run from the scene.

Police have said the chase ended in Rancho Cucamonga and investigators later recovered a loaded AR-15 style rifle that was thrown from the vehicle during the pursuit.

Before the three were taken into custody, authorities said they led a crime spree across the I.E. that started on March 21, 2018. They were indicted by a federal grand jury on March 1.

Dashon Raymond White, 24, is seen in a photo released by Riverside police on Dec. 14, 2018.

Two of them were masked when they entered an AutoZone store in San Jacinto that day and held an employee at gunpoint using an AR-15 style assault rifle while stealing cash from the store, police said shortly after they were arrested in December 2018.

While the charges against Cox related to at least 15 robberies, Riverside Police Sgt. Trinidad Lomeli has told KTLA investigators believe more than 30 AutoZones across San Bernardino and Riverside counties were robbed the same way.

“Typically, the robbers entered the AutoZone stores at night, wearing black hoodies, black pants, gloves and with their faces covered by bandanas,” federal prosecutors said when announcing the three being indicted in March.

Prosecutors said the thieves would then hold employees at gunpoint — an approach they used in several heists including one on Dec. 5, 2018, just days before they were arrested.

Cox went inside an AutoZone store in Redlands armed with an AR-style assault rifle that day and pointed the gun at employees while forcing one of them to give him about $1,500 of the store’s money. One of his co-conspirators had scouted the store hours earlier to find its safe and waited in the getaway vehicle while Cox robbed the store.

Jada Shardae Allen, 18, is seen in a photo released by Riverside police on Dec. 14, 2018.

Cox admitted to this account of the December robbery in the plea agreement he reached with prosecutors, according to the DOJ.

He has entered guilty pleas for charges of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

White pleaded guilty to the same charges on July 1 and also faces a statutory maximum sentence of 27 years in federal prison when he is sentenced on Sept. 23, according to prosecutors. Meanwhile, Allen’s trial is scheduled for Oct. 8.

A fourth juvenile suspect was also believed to have been involved, police said last year.

Authorities have said the robberies also targeted stores in the cities of Grand Terrace, Riverside, Menifee, Jurupa Valley, Perris, Hemet, San Bernardino and Redlands.

The FBI was assisted in its investigation by agencies including the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office and police departments in Fontana, Riverside, Hemet, Redlands and Moreno Valley.

Deon Austin Welch is seen in a booking photo released by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

A Hemet man was sentenced Friday to 230 years to life in prison for years of sex abuse and rape against the underage daughter of his girlfriend, resulting in the victim giving birth to his child at 13, officials said.

Deon Austin Welch, 30, was convicted in June of 15 counts of child rape for the abuse that began when the girl was 11, according to Riverside County court documents.

It was an aggravated case in which the girl’s mother and county social workers failed to protect her, the documents show.

The victim became pregnant in early 2016 and delivered a child with DNA matching the defendant’s that November. But prosecutors say she told her mother’s coworker Welch had been coming into her bed and touching her sexually years before, in March 2014.

At that point, the case was referred to county’s Department of Public Social Services, and Hemet police began investigating.

That June, the victim told investigators Welch raped her multiple times in their apartment. But her mother insisted on being present for the ensuing forensic medical exam and made it difficult for staff to establish facts in the case, resulting in the test being marked inconclusive, according to a trial brief.

Weeks later, the mother had a restraining order against Welch dismissed, lying that he was living in Mexico and couldn’t return. The defendant returned to the apartment a short time later, and the rapes continued, officials said.

Prosecutors say the victim told a social worker that Welch had returned to the home in October 2014, but neither social worker nor mother did anything about it.

“The only option left for the victim was to learn to accept the situation and survive,” the trial brief states. “There was no way out, and no place left to run.”

The social worker allegedly continued regular contact with the victim through 2016 — including after she became pregnant.

Police were called about the case again in September 2016, when the girl’s mother took her to the Hemet Valley Medical Hospital and inquired about getting an abortion.

When officers interviewed the girl again, she told them she’d been raped at least 90 times.

Welch was arrested months later, on March 17, 2017.

In an initial post-arrest interview, he at first denied any inappropriate sexual contact with the victim. He later claimed he woke up at 2 a.m. after passing out on the couch and that she got on top of him, but he wasn’t sure if they had sex, court documents show.

In a subsequent interview, Welch allegedly admitted to having sex with her multiple times but said he was “kind of blackmailed into it.” He stated that the victim had threatened him by saying, “If you don’t do this, I’m going to tell my mom,” according to the brief.

Welch showed no emotion as the judge announced his life sentence Friday, the Desert Sun reported.

In February 2018, the victim’s mother was charged with three felonies: child endangerment, perjury and being an accessory to repeated child molestation. She was sentenced to formal probation and a one-year jail term with a five year, eight months suspended sentence.

Last August, the girl was awarded $10 million in a settlement with DPSS after suing the agency for alleged violation of the state’s Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and breach of duties.

The case is one of several that drew ire against DPSS for its failure to report and investigate child abuse claims, resulting in the agency’s director, Susan von Zabern, leaving her post in September 2018.