Palm Desert Burglary Suspect Arrest Causes School Lockdowns

A 38-year-old Palm Desert man was arrested Tuesday for allegedly breaking into a neighboring house in Palm Desert. Deputies with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department responded to a residential burglary call at 5:22 a.m. in the 74-400 block of Santolina Drive in Palm Desert. The homeowners told investigators the man forced his way into the home and when they confronted him he ran off. The suspect, identified as 38-year-old Steven Cunningham, was found at his home nearby, and barricaded himself inside of the home. As a precaution Palm Desert Charter Middle and Abraham Lincoln Elementary schools were placed on lockdown as negotiators with the RCSD Special Enforcement Bureau responded to the area. Cunningham was arrested Tuesday morning after leaving his home without any incident. He is accused of burglary and violated a restraining order. School administrators lifted the lockdown around 10 a.m. He was booked into the John Benoit Detention Center with bail set at $25,000.