Accused murderer, domestic violence assailant extradited from Mexico to Riverside

By City News Service

Two alleged domestic violence perpetrators — one of whom is accused of murdering his girlfriend — were apprehended in Mexico and returned to the United States on the same day, with court hearings set for later this month.

Lorenzo Castellanos, 72, was apprehended in recent weeks by U.S. Marshals and the Mexican Fugitive Task Force, as was 56-year-old Jose Luis Barron, according to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. Both Mexican nationals were extradited and turned over to county sheriff’s deputies on Feb. 8.

Castellanos is charged with murder and child endangerment. He’s being held on $1 million bail at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning and is slated to be arraigned at the Riverside Hall of Justice on Feb. 24.

Barron is charged with attempted murder, aggravated mayhem, assault, domestic violence and sentence-enhancing weapon and great bodily injury allegations. He’s being held on $1 million bail at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta and is set to appear for a preliminary hearing on Feb. 27 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.

According to the D.A.’s office, Castellanos allegedly attacked and killed his live-in girlfriend and mother of his child, Maria Robles, on Jan. 1, 2001, in Jurupa Valley.

Prosecutors allege that he inflicted numerous stab wounds during the domestic assault, the reasons for which were unknown.

On Sept. 9, 2014, Barron allegedly attacked a woman with whom he was involved in Riverside. According to a D.A.’s office statement, the defendant allegedly used a machete on the victim, whose identity was not disclosed, inflicting “substantial injuries.”

Like Castellanos,

Barron fled south of the border immediately after the near-deadly assault, according to prosecutors.

He’s slated to appear for a preliminary hearing at the Riverside Hall of Justice on Feb. 27.

The D.A.’s Bureau of Investigation coordinated with the U.S. Marshals and other agencies to track down the men over the years.

Castellanos has a misdemeanor domestic violence conviction from 1999, according to court records. Barron has prior misdemeanor convictions for assault and battery during an act of domestic abuse, records show.

Young man accused of killing Desert Hot Springs man re-enters not guilty plea

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HAZMAT: Diesel spill in Jurupa Valley, unknown substance at Beaumont Amazon facility prompts response

By City News Service

Atractor-trailer sprang a leak Wednesday on the Pomona (60) Freeway in Jurupa Valley, spilling nearly 50 gallons of diesel fuel, requiring a hazardous materials response but no lane closures.

The spill was reported about 8:30 a.m. on the westbound 60 at Pyrite Street, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The agency said the semi was in the slow lane when one of the saddle tanks began seeping diesel, prompting the trucker to pull to the shoulder.

Riverside County Fire Department crews reached the location a short time later and determined that roughly 45 gallons had spilled onto the freeway, but none of the diesel went into storm channels or aqueducts, according to officials at the scene.

Firefighters spent about an hour mopping up along the shoulder, the CHP said.

See HAZMAT Page 27

Woman accused of selling fentanyl misses court; arrest warrant issued

By City News Service

A31-year-old woman accused with her boyfriend of selling large quantities of fentanyl in Norco and surrounding locations missed a scheduled preliminary hearing in Riverside on Thursday, prompting a judge to sign a warrant for her arrest.

Amanda Brooke Listoe of Ontario is charged with two counts of possession of controlled substances for sale.

Listoe was slated to appear before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Gail O’Rane at the Riverside Hall of Justice for the preliminary hearing, which would have determined whether she should be bound over for trial. However, When her and co-defendant Gustavo Adolfo Chavez’s case was called at the Riverside Hall of

Justice, Listoe was nowhere to be found, according to the court.

O’Rane signed a bench warrant and revoked Listoe’s $100,000 bail bond.

Chavez remains free on a $100,000 bond. He’s facing the same charges as Listoe.