As per the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, on December 22, 2025, deputies responded to a burglary report in the 74000 block of Joni Drive, where several items, including firearms, were reported stolen by a victim.
The case was picked up by the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station Robbery and Burglary Suppression Team (RBST), who identified Johnnie Schoonover, 32, of Banning, and Joshua Whitis, also 32, of Beaumont, as the suspects. Fast forward to January 20, 2026, the teams joined forces—RBST alongside the Palm Desert Business District Team, Rancho Mirage Problem-Oriented Policing Team, and the Riverside Sheriff’s Office K-9 Team—to locate and arrest the duo on Legends Lane in Beaumont. A search warrant executed at the location led to the recovery of the stolen items, including the firearms.
Further investigation warranted a separate search warrant for an address on East Ramsey Street in Banning, where an unserialized firearm was found. According to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, Schoonover and Whitis now face a slew of charges, including burglary, conspiracy, grand theft of firearms, and possession of an unserialized firearm. Whitis, already sought for active felony warrants, was additionally charged with being a felon in possession of ammunition and for narcotic-related offenses.
The suspects have been booked into the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility. This is not where the story ends, however, as investigations are ongoing. The Sheriff's Department encourages anyone with more information regarding this incident to step forward and contact Deputy Pouchoulen of the Palm Desert Sheriff's Station. With communities alert and law enforcement vigilant, the hope is that justice will be served and peace can return to the streets of Palm Desert.
