Desert X Burglaries: Suspect Enters Not Guilty Plea

CATHEDRAL CITY, CA — A 38-year-old man suspected of stealing about $70,000 in property in several burglaries including from vehicles at Desert X exhibits pleaded not guilty to felony charges Wednesday.

Steven Patrick Porter of Cathedral City was charged with one felony count of vandalism and two felony counts each of burglary and grand theft over $950, according to court records. He was additionally charged with one misdemeanor count of petty theft.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges Wednesday morning at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.

In January, deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department's Palm Desert Burglary Suppression Unit started investigating several commercial, residential and Desert X vehicle burglaries, according to Sgt. Travis Mountz.

Mountz said Porter was identified as the suspect on April 19, and several search warrants were served with assistance from the Business District Team and special enforcement teams from the Palm Desert and Rancho Mirage sheriff stations.

At the conclusion of the searches, about $70,000 in stolen property was recovered, according to Mountz. Porter was subsequently arrested on April 19 but was released from jail the following day on a $35,000 bail bond, according to inmate records.

Felony charges were filed against him June 6.

It's alleged that on Dec. 20, 2022, Porter burglarized an inhabited dwelling and stole pool equipment with a value exceeding $950 at Desert Willow in Palm Desert, according to court records. He is also suspected of vandalizing property the same day.

Porter faces charges from April 18 of petty theft for allegedly stealing a scarf from a victim identified in court documents only as "Ann C." and with grand theft over $950 for stealing an iPhone, according to court records. Porter is additionally suspected of burglarizing a 2022 Lincoln Navigator on April 28.

Porter had a felony settlement conference set for July 28, when he will also be arraigned in a separate case on one felony count of grand theft over $950, according to court records. He has no documented felony convictions in Riverside County.

Desert X is a biennial outdoor art exhibition in the Coachella Valley that featured a dozen artists from Europe, North America and South Asia from March 4 to May 7.

Anyone with more information on the burglaries or the suspect was asked to call Deputy Fernandez of the Palm Desert sheriff's station at 760-836- 1600.