Hemet Man in Alleged Cannabis Burglary in Desert Hot Springs Pleads Not Guilty

(CNS) – A 28-year-old man accused of being in possession of $2,000 worth of products that were burglarized from a Desert Hot Springs cannabis dispensary pleaded not guilty to felony charges Thursday. Aircey Demon Whitehurst of Hemet was charged with four felony counts, one each of receiving stolen property, being a convicted felon and narcotic addict in possession of a firearm, possessing ammunition and carrying a loaded stolen firearm, according to court records. He pleaded not guilty to all charges Thursday afternoon at the Larson Justice Center in Indio. Officers responded at 3 a.m. Dec. 18 to a commercial burglary alarm at a retail cannabis business in the 66200 block of Pierson Boulevard, according to Detective Sgt. Christopher Saucier from the Desert Hot Springs Police Department. When officers arrived, three men fled from the scene on foot and a pursuit ensued, according to Saucier. Following the pursuit, Ronald Lee Beverett, 20, of Perris was taken into custody, but the two other suspects evaded arrest. Beverett was booked into the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning, but released on a $25,000 bail bond the same day, according to inmate records. He was expected to make his first court appearance on Jan. 27, 2023. With two suspects at large, police department detectives identified a gray Dodge sedan as the suspect vehicle, Saucier said. Detectives pulled the vehicle over at 10:40 a.m. Monday near North Sanderson Avenue and Ramona Expressway in San Jacinto, where they detained Whitehurst and a woman from Hemet. Saucier said detectives served a search warrant on the vehicle and allegedly found a loaded handgun and about $2,000 worth of stolen product from the burglary. The handgun was allegedly reported stolen in a recent residential burglary, according to Saucier. Whitehurst was booked into the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning, where he was being held on $1 million bail, according to inmate records. The third suspect was still outstanding, Saucier said. Copyright 2022, City News Service, Inc.