Second Man Arrested in Desert Hot Springs Kidnapping, Robbery

DESERT HOT SPRINGS (CNS) – A second man was behind bars today on
accusations of assisting in the kidnapping and robbing of a group of people in
Desert Hot Springs.

Thomas Nieto, 29, was arrested Monday on suspicion of assisting 20-
year-old Taquan Charles Ray Doss in robbing a group of people that Doss had
kidnapped, according to Doria Wilms, a spokesperson for the Desert Hot Springs
Police Department.

Nieto and Doss are both from Desert Hot Springs.

Doss was arrested Feb. 1 amid an investigation into the Jan. 31
incident in the 12700 block of Palm Drive.

According Wilms, Doss approached several people inside a vehicle near
the location and pulled a handgun on them. He allegedly forced himself into the
vehicle and ordered the group to drive to an unspecified location. Once they
arrived, Doss, alongside Nieto, allegedly stole a number of items from the
victims before leaving the scene.

The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office charged Doss with four
felony counts of robbery, three felony counts of kidnapping to commit a
robbery, two felony counts of being a convicted felon in possession of a
firearm and one felony count of resisting arrest. He also faces sentence-
enhancing allegations of using a firearm in commitment of a felony.

Doss pleaded not guilty to the charges when he was arraigned at the
Larson Justice Center on Feb. 3 and remains held on $1 million bail at the
Smith Correctional Facility in Banning.

Nieto was booked into the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio on
suspicion of kidnapping and robbery and armed robbery. He remains held on $1.1
million bail and is scheduled to make his initial appearance at the Larson
Justice Center on Wednesday, according to jail records.

Copyright 2022, City News Service, Inc.

CNS-03-01-2022 09:08