Woman charged with distributing concentrated cannabis to kids

By City News Service

Aman who set fire to an inhabited home at a Desert Hot Springs mobile home park and threatened a man and his wife was free from jail on parole Wednesday after pleading guilty to three felony charges.

Michael Eric McPeters, 49, pleaded guilty to one felony count each for the attempted murder of “James G.,” making criminal threats to “Annette V.,” and arson of an inhabited structure Monday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, according to court records. He also admitted to an allegation of causing multiple structures to burn.

According to court records, McPeters was immediately sentenced to seven years and eight months in state prison, but “his credit for time served exceeded his sentence so he was released on parole,” Riverside County Superior Court public information officer Marita Ford told City News Service.

On June 3, 2016, McPeters set fire to James and Annette’s home, causing other structures within its vicinity to burn, according to court records.

The fire, which was reported at 4:52 p.m. that day at Palm Drive Mobile Estates, caused an estimated $40,000 in damage. Flames spread by strong winds prompted residents living downwind of the fire to evacuate.

More than 30 firefighters were dispatched to the scene, one of whom was evaluated at a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, according to Jody Hagemann of the Riverside County Fire Department. Crews contained the fire by 5:48 p.m. and remained on scene for several hours.

McPeters was arrested the day of the fire and had been awaiting trial for years before pleading guilty at Monday’s mandatory settlement conference. He has no prior felony convictions in Riverside County.

Ayoung woman accused with her boyfriend of dealing marijuana to students at schools throughout the Temecula Valley was charged Wednesday with multiple felony counts, including furnishing cannabis to a child under 14 years old.

Catherine Ann Hickisch was arrested Friday alongside Anthony Harry Mathisen, both 18 and of Murrieta, following a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation.

In addition to the furnishing count, Hickisch was charged with two counts each of distribution of controlled substances and possession of controlled substances for sale.

She pleaded not guilty during an arraignment before Superior Court Judge Elaine Kiefer, who, at the request of the defendant’s attorney, scheduled a bail review hearing for March 15 at the

Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta.

Hickisch is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning.

Mathisen was booked into the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta Friday, but he was able to post a $1 million bond Saturday, after which he was released from custody.

He’s charged identically to his co-defendant and is scheduled to be arraigned on April 17.

According to sheriff’s Sgt. Michael Perez, last month, deputies at the Southwest Station in French Valley initiated an investigation stemming from information that cannabis “was being sold to juveniles who attend middle and high schools throughout the city of Temecula and unincorporated French Valley.”

Investigators determined that Hickisch and Mathisen were allegedly selling “vape pens containing concentrated cannabis to minors,” Perez said.

“Furthermore, it was determined Mathisen and Hickisch distributed concentrated cannabis and psilocybin — commonly referred to as mushrooms — using a mobile delivery service, identified as ‘AtomicClouds,’” the sergeant said.

Deputies obtained and served search warrants at the defendants’ residence in the area of Madison Avenue and Murrieta Hot Springs Road, where “evidence related to the sales of marijuana and psilocybin was located and recovered,” Perez said.

The pair were taken into custody without incident. Neither has prior documented felony or misdemeanor convictions in Riverside County.

By City News Service

The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in Riverside County rose Thursday for the 34th time in 37 days, increasing a half-cent to $4.876.

The average price has increased 44.3 cents over the past 37 days, including 1.9 cents Wednesday, according to figures from the AAA and Oil Price Information Service. It is 9.8 cents more than one week ago and 34.4 cents higher than one month ago but 67.1 cents less than one year ago.

The average price has dropped $1.497 since rising to a record $6.373 on Oct. 5, 2022.

The national average price rose for the ninth consecutive day following a run of 29 decreases in 31 days totaling 15.3 cents, increasing 2.1 cents to $3.467. The national average price is 9.3 cents more than one week ago and 3 cents more than one month ago but 78.5 cents lower than one year ago.

The national average price has dropped $1.549 since rising to a record $5.016 on June 14.

“The national average rose last week as the transition to summer gasoline has now started across the entire country,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, which provides real-time gas price information from more than 150,000 stations.

“The higher cost of these various blends is being passed along to motorists, as we see every year ahead of the summer driving season. Some regions are moving to the required summer gasoline in different steps then others, and the fragmentation of required blends absolutely plays a role in these price increases.

“Logistical challenges in making the transition during a time when refiners are also doing maintenance work can create hot spots and lead to noticeable jumps in prices during the spring. While we may not see weekly increases, the overall trend will remain upward through much of the spring.

“By Memorial Day, most of the nation will have transitioned to their respective required blend of fuel, and gas prices could ease, but a $4 per gallon national average remains possible by then.”

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