At approximately 10:15 a.m. on Friday, April 27 Sheriff's Department Hemet deputies arrested suspect Ron Kimmerle on suspicion of felony burglary.

Deputies cordon off the home in Pine Cove while conducting warrant search. Photo by Marshall Smith
Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Hemet Station deputies conducted a warrant search of several cabins in the 25000 block of Laurel Drive in Pine Cove. A team of deputies in two marked and two unmarked cars arrived shortly before noon on Thursday, April 26 to conduct the search. Around 12:15 p.m. having surrounded one residence, deputies announced they were law enforcement and ordered occupants to open the door.

The home was unoccupied. Deputies then secured entry and began an investigation of the residence interior, searching for stolen items. Deputies’s search of the cabins revealed property stolen recently from a Pine Cove home in the 52000 block of Sugar Pine Drive as well as additional property stolen from other recent Idyllwild burglaries. Deputies remained on scene until late afternoon identifying, inventorying and removing stolen property.

Sgt. Wallace Clear, Hemet Station Special Investigations Supervisor, said investigators are now trying to locate the rightful owners of the recovered property.

Clear said Thursday investigators were attempting to locate Pine Cove resident Ronald Dee Kimmerle as a person of interest in connection with the recovered stolen property. Kimmerle is described as a 49 -year-old Caucasian male, 5’ 5”, 160 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. According to the Sheriff’s Department press release, Kimmerle is believed to be staying somewhere in the greater Idyllwild area. He was arrested this morning.

In heavy fog, deputies arrive on Laurel Drive in Pine Cove to conduct search for stolen property. Photo by Marshall Smith

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Riverside County Sheriff’s Dispatch at (951) 776-1099. Anyone with any information regarding this investigation is encouraged to contact Investigator Robertson of the Hemet Station at (951) 791-3400.

In a recent community meeting organized by Hemet Station Commander Capt. Scot Collins, he addressed community concern over a dramatic uptick in residential burglaries, often of unoccupied residences. He promised then to begin unannounced sweeps and operations that would help identify responsible lawbreakers and put the Department’s “foot on their necks.”

37 COMMENTS

  1. This is the BEST news I have read in a long time! This person has been a "boil" on the behind of Idyllwild and it's law abiding citizens for far too long. Watching him abuse his horse, his public intoxication, and harrasment of the people in this town and getting away with it hopefully will be put to an END with this arrest. Now if they can get the rest of the "trash" that runs in that circle, we all might be able to rest easier!

    • Ditto the above! Long suspected by many in PC for being up to no good, finally he may be gone for a while so our children that walk by this guy's cabin every day to/from the PC bus stop can be a little safer! Thank you RSO for taking a badly needed first step with ridding our community of this kind of human trash, but please don't stop!

      NOW, let's get Code Enforcement, County Health, etc. to get this guy's trash, cars, motor homes, camper, and boats hauled off. One truck is gone, several more to go!!!!

  2. Thumbs up to reporter Marshall Smith. Thumbs up to the Sherriff and team. You guys rock. I hope the Sherriff dept team read the appreciations posted here.

    On a separate silly note, I'm about 5' 5" and 160 lbs, matching the description, glad I wasn't around at the wrong place, the wrong time. Story of my life. 😉

  3. As anyone who has been robbed knows, thieves are so vexing. Glad they caught him w/ the stolen property. Hope they can get it back to the rightful owners. No telling how much this person has sold already, and gotten away with stealing.

    That's the thing about thieves, for every item they get caught for, there is at least 100 they got away with. They should throw the book at him. Hope the D.A. maximizes, and charges several differently named counts for each stolen item recovered.

  4. Apparently the bail for this CRIMINAL and ANIMAL ABUSER is set at only $500.00, this is an absolute SLAP in the FACE to this community. He will be out and back…and I want to know why ANIMAL CONTROL has not come up and picked up that horse? He apparently was stressed enough last night to break away from his tie…and now is in a different location. This is appauling.

  5. Loud, Obnoxious Town Drunk…yes.
    Animal Abuser..possibly.

    But I find it VERY hard to believe he is behind all or even ANY of the breaking and enterings in our community. Almost 40 breaking and enterings reported since October and not ONE person can say they seen Ronald and his getaway driver "the horse" at any of the scenes of crime.
    Almost 40 breaking and enterings without a trail for a loud drunk on a horse? I highly doubt that. The last 3 breaking and enterings were within a block of his home as no others had been that close to his home prior to those last 3.

    Looks likes someone setting him up to take the fall. The search warrant was for several cabins on the property that are abandoned but was any of the stolen property in the actual cabin that he primarily lives in or was the stolen property in the unoccupied cabins?

    Also another thought, Can we look at the fact that Ronald is 5'5" and about 150 lbs (and not to mention a careless, distasteful, loud, drunk) and that the Mountain Top Liquor robber and the American Legion thief both were reported to have had "very large feet". The video on the liquor store robbery clearly shows a man almost 6 feet tall, not 5'5".

    I understand we are all scared and vigilant of whats been going on in our usually safe and secure community. But let's not be so quick to label Ronald as the criminal of these crimes just to put our minds at ease.

  6. That's it? $500? How about they should have added a couple zeros.

    Hopefully there is a court date soon and he goes away.

    Yes, he's not likely responsible for for the bulk of robberies, and we need to stay vigilant.

    There will be a site announced by the TC soon where you will be able to make reports of suspicious activity too.

    Whittle down the bad guys out of Idyllwild.

  7. Set up? Are you kidding me? No one said that he is responsible for all the robberies, or crime. However, over $100,000. of stolen property was found in HIS house. It couldn't be him because he could not carry the stolen property on his horse? Really? He has vehicles, and friends with vehicles, like the white van that has been parked at his house. He filed the serial numbers off of the stolen guns. He was trying to turn in the $2. bills he took from the last house Robbery for $20.'s. He has threatened to kill several people! He just showed up at the home of one of the Arf Volunteers, sat on his horse at the base of her stairs, and stared her down. Not to mention, he was selling drugs in town over the summer. Ace must be a friend of his.

    • Sarah, I agree with you. Keep in mind, that while he was selling drugs, multiple others in town are buying his drugs.

      Neighborhood Watch program is the main deterrence, combined with a fast response from the police.

  8. Ditto!!!!

    Sooo "Ace", for your benefit, I hope the DA proceeds with Ron's Constitutional Right for a swift and speedy trial before a jury of his peers and he IS presumed innocent until proven guilty. If found guilty, he will be sentenced accordingly to ensure there is no cruel nor unusual punishment for his crime.

    Also "Ace", if this guy is found innocent, I'm sure you'll have no problem having this fine and outstanding citizen along with his "pals" live with you and have long discussions about legal rights, private property protection, environmental policy, the justice system, ethics, moral responsibility, and animal husbandry!

  9. IS this guy (or girl) for REAL? (ACE VENTURA) do YOU ever venture out with your eyes WIDE open? (obviously not for you to question the ABUSE that that idiot subjects to that horse?) or to question that the amount of STOLEN items on the SAME property that he lives on..along with the scum that he is seen in town with…to question the amount of evidence that I assume the police had to have to not only obtain a search warrant, but to ARREST your buddy Ronnie? If you are attempting to be the DEVILS adovacate…..you are doing a fine job. Next time your Buddie Ronnie get's a big bag of dope, and is in need of creeping and stealing, I hope he finds your house, disrupts your life, peace and safety …then we'll see what kind of comment you put on here.

    • WARNING…Asshole got arrested AGAIN! This time he pushed this town too FAR. If he thought he could get away with his harrassment, intimidation, ANIMAL ABUSE and drinking and drug usage right out in the open, HE WAS WRONG!! Let this be a warning to Ronnie, you and anyone else that thinks that we the townspeople, tax payers, homeowners and renters alike are going to let anyone RUIN our peace….don't think we are going to sit back and allow our HAMLET to be ruined by anyone!

  10. READ BEFORE POSTING: The Town Crier reserves the right to remove comments that are potential slanderous or libelous and/or outright nasty. this town and all of the people that hide behind screen names while you talk trash. his animals love him and are feed. he might be a drunk or he might just be tired of all the fake click rmru dicks that live in this town

    • Feeding a horse from the dumpster behind Fairway rotten fruit IS NOT feeding a horse properly…..It maybe adequate for HIM to eat out of the dumpster, but not for that animal. His horse FEARS him…big difference between love and fear. Someone that claims to "love" their horse does NOT run it down the highway till the animal is so exhaused it can't pick up it's head. Runs the horse so hard down PAVEMENT, that it falls, then makes the animal get up, and runs it again without checking to see if he is injured. The only misfortune from that fall is that that IDIOT was able to ride off and continue his tirade on this town and that poor horse. If your idea of a proper animal owner is Ron, then I hope to GOD that you are not an owner of an animal yourself, and using him as a role model.

  11. Someone seems to have a high opinion of themselves, to be calling their neighbors trash and assuming they have the right to dictate who is worthy of living on OUR mountain. Not to mention the slandering of someone's name. Accusing someone of being a drug dealer without any proof. People should really not be spreading gossip & hearsay without checking their facts. If a decent sense of community truly existed in our little Hamlet we might not be plagued with the negative image that unjustly prevades our community. I happen to love living up here, despite all of the judgemental self serving types that are prevalant here. I think the real scum on the mountain are the people who think that they are better than.

  12. UNREAL! If it is a FELONY arrest, then why was bail only 5K? Article states 100K worth of stolen property, unreal! It is a shame that our mountain community tolerates the lack of RSO presence and these criminals in our backyards! What will it take to get these folks under control…a tragedy? Anyone that knows anything about this case should call the Hemet Office and report. There were many vandalized home contents in this area. What a tragedy to this lovely community….no one our property values suck!

  13. WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO GET RK AND HIS POSSEE OFF OF OUR STREETS? EVERYONE IN PC KNOWS OF HIS ACTIONS, DRUG USE, ALCOHOLISM, ANIMAL ABUSE, THEFT AND BULLYING – WHAT A THUG! IT IS A TRAGEDY! THERE ISNT A RESIDENT IN THE AREA THAT ISNT THRILLED OF HIS ARREST! TOO BAD HE WAS OUT IN UNDER 24 HOURS!

  14. to every body in this town let me explain the issue with my animals. i have four dogs one of my dogs went missing about a month ago. i have been trying to locate my missing family member. since the time my dog has gone missing i have been told that my dog has been spade which is fine and thank you. but i have not been told the where abouts of my animal. ARF has been no help in fact they seen to be part of the problem and other so called friends telling me for the right amount of money they would tell me where my dog is located. yes my yard is trashy. big deal. i am on a small fixed income that does not come from selling or manufacturing of drugs or from selling stolen properties. all i want at this point is to get my dogs back. the one that has been missing and the three that are now in the pound thanks to the police letting then out twice.

    • Your small fixed income has nothing to do with the way your yard looks. That has to do with character, not money. You can have a small amount of money and things can still look as if you had a million bucks. And, by the way, you rent there. You are not the "king" of the hill. Feel sorry for your dogs and horse, but that's about it.

  15. Anyone who sees him abusing or riding his horse to town should call the sheriff's dept. and give them the following penal code:
    http://www.animallaw.info/statutes/stuscacalpenco

    The only way they'll be able to do anything is if we call every them every time we see this happening. The ASPCA is not anywhere locally, so we have to go thru our local law enforcement agencies. Read this penal code, it's exactly what he does to the poor horse.

  16. Luckily Ron the scumbag has been arrested and his horse taken by animal control. I've never seen a dumber person in my life. He causes trouble for himself and leads a trashy life. Hopefully he'll get what he deserves in jail.

  17. I really hope that he gets what he deserves. My cabin got broken into and i feel so violated. Then I walk through his 6 “storage” cabins to find a lot of my items in all of the cabins as well as naked pictured of Ronald all posing, crack pipes and just a reeking smell of dirt. He does not deserve to be anywhere near us. He packed every space including the oven and refrigerator with stolen items. What kind of person can do these things?