By Lieutenant Tracie Reese, Walnut Creek Police
Walnut Creek Police Department is investigating a shooting that took place on Monday, January 20, 2020, after receiving a 911 call at 5:54 p.m. regarding the sounds of gunshots in the area of Riviera Avenue and Parkside Drive. Officers arrived on scene at 5:58 p.m. and found several bullet casings on the sidewalk on Riviera Avenue near Parkside Drive. Shortly thereafter, officers learned that a victim of a gunshot wound was dropped off at a nearby hospital. Officers were able to confirm that this victim was shot earlier near the intersection of Riviera Avenue at Parkside Drive. The victim is in critical condition but is expected to survive.
This investigation is in the early stages and information is limited at this point. Additional details will be provided as they become available. Based on preliminary information, investigators believe this is an isolated incident and do not believe there is an active threat to the community.
If anyone has information regarding this incident, please call Detective Gerstner at 925-943-5878. The WCPD Case Number: 20-2269.
Read MoreBy Oakley Police Department
This afternoon, OPD Officers were dispatched to the report of an individual who had been shot at the intersection of Main Street and Hill Avenue. As officers responded to the scene, Gehringer Elementary School was placed into lockdown as a precautionary measure.
Witnesses reported the suspect fled the area in a dark-colored sedan immediately after the shooting.
Upon arrival, officers learned that two individuals had been involved in a physical fight when a third individual approached the pair, drew a firearm, and fired a single shot striking one of the individuals. OPD Officers arrived and provided first aid, along with a crew from the East Contra Costa Fire District and AMR.
According to Battalion Chief Jeffrey Burris, East Contra Costa Fire sent 10 personnel to the scene. E153 and AMR Medic 52 arrived on scene to find an eighteen year old male down in the street with a gun shot wound to the face.
Because of the severity of the injury, the victim was transported by air ambulance, CON Air-2 to the John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek.
Once the scene was safe, the elementary school was taken off of lockdown and students were released with officers present.
OPD Investigators are currently processing the crime scene and interviewing witnesses to the shooting event.
OPD Investigators are seeking assistance from members of the public regarding this incident. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact our tip line at OPD@ci.oakley.ca.us.
According to Oakley Police Sergeant Grubaugh this is the latest information they have.
Allen Payton contributed to this report.
Read MoreLong-time Clerk/Recorder Administrator gets nod for $350,000 a year post; Mitchoff withdrew application
By Daniel Borsuk
By leveraging 24 years of experience in the Contra Costa County Clerk/Recorder-Registrar of Voters Office, Deborah Cooper unanimously earned the nod of approval from the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday to become the next Clerk-Recorder/Registrar of Voters.
But it wasn’t a smooth ride to convince the five supervisors in selecting the longtime Clerk/Recorder Administrator to the top Clerk/Recorder-Registrar of Voters’ position.
Supervisors instructed County Administrator David Twa to have criminal and personal background checks conducted on the career Clerk/Recorder Office Administrator so that supervisors can put their final stamp of approval on their selection at a meeting on February 4.
Cooper, a Danville resident, outlasted four other candidates for the elected post that became vacant October 30 when former office holder Joseph Canciamilla of Pittsburg, resigned when a California Fair Practices Commission audit uncovered that the former state assemblymember had illegally spent $130,529 in campaign funds for personal expenses. Canciamilla has paid a $150,000 CFPC fine, but still faces potential criminal charges and forfeiture of his state pension.
Cooper said she is willing to run for the elected office in three years, unless the supervisors change the office from an elected to an appointed post during the interim. The longtime department administrator remarked that expanding voter outreach and relying on current department IT personnel to ensure election security and safety will be among her priorities if she is permanent Clerk/Recorder and Registrar of Voters.
“You currently have someone who has held an important position in the office for 24 years and knows how to maintain control,” said former County Clerk-Recorder/Registrar of voters Steve Weir, who endorsed Cooper for the full-time top post.
Competition for the $350,000 a year post was intense, especially from former California Assemblymember Catharine Baker of Dublin, who, even though she resides in Alameda County, said she “held the keys” to a residence in Contra Costa County that would help her meet the residency requirement by the February 4th date when Supervisors are expected to officially approve the finalist.
“I’d bring a sense of transparency to the office,” said Baker, who ran into a rough patch of questions from District 1 Supervisor John Gioia concerning her interpretation of the State Voter Identification Law. “I support the policy that requires voter ID,” Baker said. But Gioia responded “There is nothing in the voter ID law that discourages people from voting.”
Also in the competition for the top post were former El Cerrito Mayor Mark Friedman, who pledged to use his philanthropic fundraising skills to bolster the Clerk/Recorder Office’s functions; Deputy Registrar of Voters Scott Kopanaseke, who leveraged his extensive elections IT and cybersecurity expertise; and Lafayette resident Kristin Connelly, President and CEO of the East Bay Leadership Council, who said she has the leadership skills to bring changes to the department where voting at polls is on the decline while voting by mail is on the rise.
On the initial vote, District 4 Supervisor Karen Mitchoff, herself a candidate for the position until she withdrew her application on January 16, citing “personal reasons” for pulling out, sided with District 5 Supervisor Federal Glover to appoint Cooper to the post for the next three years. Both Glover and Mitchoff liked Cooper’s experience and knowledge of the department and what needs to be done immediately.
Supervisors Gioia and District 3 Supervisor Diane Burgis initially voted for Friedman and Board Chair Candace Andersen called former Assemblymember Baker “my first choice,” and described Koponaseke for “doing amazing things,” wound up voting for Cooper’s appointment as did Gioia and Burgis on a second vote.
Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Bisa French, the interim Richmond Police Chief delivered a speech at the 42nd Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration in the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors chambers in Martinez on Tuesday. French, a Richmond native, spoke about her experiences growing up in Richmond, her ordeal while undergoing police cadet training, and how she rose through the ranks to where she is today. Also honored at the ceremony were Tamisha Walker, who is co-founder and executive director of the Safe Return Project, a Richmond organization invested in securing the freedom of formerly incarcerated individuals. Concord High School student Christina Mazzi, a 17-year-old Ugandan-American, founded ProjectWOC, an Instagram based community organization working to inspire the younger generation of girls of color. Christina has a 4.1 grade point average at Concord High School.
Make It Easier to Build Granny Units
In other business, supervisors adopted an overhauled ordinance to create regulations permitting procedures for accessory dwelling units and junior accessory dwelling units. The new ordinance puts the county ordinance in compliance with the state ordinance, Stanley Muraoka of the Contra Costa County Department of Conservation and Development said. The updated ADU ordinance aims to encourage residential property owners in unincorporated Contra Costa County to build ADU’s as the state undergoes an affordable housing crisis.
Among some of the changes are the elimination of requirements setting minimum lot size and maximum lot coverage. For the first time, junior ADU’s are permitted of up to 500 feet within an existing single-family dwelling and can be combined with or in addition to a regular detached ADU on the same lot.
Accept Grant for Sheriff-Coroner Forensic Unit
Supervisors also approved a Sheriff-Coroner Office’s consent item to accept a grant of $408,854 for the Sheriff’s Forensic Services Unit to buy a Liquid-Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry Instrument starting October 1. The LC-MS/MS will allow the Sheriff’s Office crime laboratory to provide more information on driving under the influence of drugs and drug facilitated sexual assault cases without the need of outside testing.
The Sheriff’s Office has seen an increase in the number of newer or “emerging drugs” inclusive of fentanyl analogs, designer benzodiazepines, synthetic cannabinoids and “bath salts.” A LC-MS/MS would aid the crime lab to increase the variety of drugs that can be tested and eventually provided the law enforcement and the District Attorney’s Office for prosecution purposes.
Allocate $1.2 Million for Walnut Creek Area Park Landscaping
Supervisors also approved allocations of $1.2 million in total Park Dedication Funds for landscaping projects at two public parks in the Walnut Creek area. The Public Works Department plans to spend $800,000 to install and maintain landscaping at Walden Green along a half-mile stretch of the Iron Horse Trail Corridor. The Public Works Department plans to spend $400,000 at Fox Creek Park, 118 Anthony Way, in Walnut Creek to upgrade the park by replacing some of the landscaping with more sustainable landscaping and increasing American with Disability Act accessibility.
Read MoreLinked to two other robberies in Pleasant Hill and Martinez
By Jimmy Lee, Director of Public Affairs, Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff
On Tuesday, January 21, 2020, at about 11:07 AM, Valley Station Deputy Sheriffs were dispatched to the Union Bank on the 3100 block of Danville Boulevard in Alamo for a reported bank robbery. A woman apparently fled with some cash after threatening a bank teller.
Deputy Sheriffs, assisted by the Danville Police Department, immediately launched an investigation. The Crime Lab responded to the location.
During the investigation, 37-year-old Chelsea Michelle Smith of Fairfield, was identified as the suspect. Sheriff’s Office Detectives determined she was in the City of Fairfield and notified the Fairfield Police Department, which detained her.
Detectives later responded to Fairfield and arrested Smith who was then booked into the Martinez Detention Facility on a first degree robbery charge. She was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail. Smith has since bailed out.
Smith appears to be linked to two other robbery incidents that occurred in Contra Costa yesterday. One was in Pleasant Hill and the other was in Martinez.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with any information on this case is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office Investigation Unit at (925) 313-2600. Tips could be emailed to: tips@so.cccounty.us or call (866) 846-3592 to leave an anonymous voice message.
Read MoreBy Jimmy Lee, Director of Public Affairs, Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff
On Tuesday, January 21, 2020, at about 8:43 PM, Bay Station Deputy Sheriffs were dispatched to a report of a person with a gun at a home on the 2400 block of O’Toole Way in the Tara Hills neighborhood near San Pablo in unincorporated Contra Costa County.
A person apparently brandished a weapon and possibly fired some shots. There were no injuries.
Deputy Sheriffs attempted to make contact with the person but were not able to. At about 11:30 PM, the Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team and negotiators responded to the location. According to a KPIX CBS5 news report, the deputies surrounded the home.
Negotiators continued trying to make contact with him. The SWAT Team later this morning entered the home and detained the man.
The 30-year-old resident is not being identified. He was later taken to the hospital for evaluation.
Allen Payton contributed to this report.
Read MoreDefendant charged with creating video of sexual contact with nine-year old
OAKLAND – A federal grand jury indicted Daniel Joseph Feliciano charging him with producing and possessing child pornography, announced United States Attorney David L. Anderson and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Francisco Special Agent in Charge Ryan L. Spradlin.
According to the indictment, Feliciano, 29, of Pleasant Hill, Calif., is alleged to have coerced a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct in order to produce a visual depiction of the conduct. Feliciano is also alleged to have knowingly possessed child pornography. (See related article).
According to a criminal complaint filed December 12, 2019, in connection with this case, this investigation began with a series of tips sent in October and December 2019 to the CyberTipline maintained by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The tips, referred to as CyberTips by the NCMEC, contained reports from internet service providers to NCMEC as well as the actual files from the accounts being reported. Investigators from the Silicon Valley Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force traced the files, that included depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, to an email account and an IP address in defendant’s name.
According to the complaint, the first CyberTip came from Dropbox in October 2019. It contained a report and approximately 182 files, including three videos of prepubescent girls engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Investigators discovered that the last IP address used to access the account could be traced to Feliciano.
In December 2019, several CyberTips alerted NCMEC regarding child pornography stored in a Google account. The files included two videos of a 9- to 10-year-old child engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Investigators traced the Google account and the videos to Feliciano.
The indictment charges Feliciano with one count of production of child pornography, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2251(a), and one count of possession of child pornography, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2251(a)(4)(B) and (b)(2).
Feliciano is next scheduled to appear on February 18, 2020, at 1 p.m. before the Hon. Jeffrey S. White, U.S. District Judge.
An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted on the production of child pornography charge, the defendant faces a maximum sentence of 30 years imprisonment, a minimum sentence of 15 years, five years to a life term supervised release, a fine of $250,000, a special assessment of $5,100, criminal forfeiture, and restitution. If convicted on the possession of child pornography charge, the defendant faces a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment, five years to a life term supervised release, a fine of $250,000, a special assessment of $5,100, criminal forfeiture, and restitution. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Suspected child sexual exploitation may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-843-5678. Indeed, a NCMEC tip led to the investigation in this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Lee is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Kay Konopaske and Kathleen Turner. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the HSI, the Silicon Valley Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the Pleasant Hill Police Department.
Read MoreLied about medical condition
SAN FRANCISCO – Nicholas King Beyer was convicted in United States District Court today of making false statements to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on pilot medical certification forms, announced United States Attorney David L. Anderson; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, Criminal Investigations Division, Special Agent in Charge James Wahleithner; and U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General Regional Acting Special Agent in Charge Susan Ocampo. The verdict was handed down today following a half-day bench trial before the Honorable Charles R. Breyer, U.S. District Judge.
Judge Breyer found Beyer, 34, of Discovery Bay, Calif., guilty on two counts of making false statements to the FAA, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2), and two counts of falsifying, concealing, or covering up material facts by trick, scheme, or device, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(1).
According to his Facebook page, Beyer is a flight instructor at SkyView Aviation, LLC, worked at USS Harry S. Truman, is a former ABH at United States Navy and former Navy firefighter at NALF Fentress, studies at ATP Flight School and at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and attended Liberty High School in Brentwood, CA.
Evidence at trial showed that Beyer made false statements on applications for an airman medical certificate, FAA Form 8500-8, which he submitted to the FAA in 2016, and again in 2018. The FAA’s airman medical certificate process is the mechanism by which the FAA evaluates whether pilots are mentally and physically fit to fly. The evidence showed that Beyer falsely stated on both of his Form 8500-8s that he had never been diagnosed with, did not have, and had never had a mental disorder of any sort; when in fact Beyer had been diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in 2016. The evidence also showed that Beyer falsely stated on the forms that he was only receiving disability benefits for knee and back injuries from the VA, when he was also receiving disability benefits for Major Depressive Disorder.
A federal grand jury indicted Beyer on August 23, 2018, charging him with two counts of making false statements to the FAA, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2), and two counts of falsifying, concealing, or covering up material facts by trick, scheme, or device, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(1). Judge Breyer convicted Beyer on all four counts.
Judge Breyer scheduled the defendant’s sentencing hearing for April 22, 2020.
Beyer faces maximum statutory penalties of five (5) years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000, plus restitution for each violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2) and each violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(1). However, any sentence will be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra Shepard and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Ward are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Hector Lopez. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General and the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General.
Allen Payton contributed to this report.
Read MoreContra Costa County voters can watch local “Election Preview” forums on CCTV and the Contra Costa Television YouTube Channel beginning Tuesday, January 21, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. through Election Day. This programming offers Contra Costa voters a chance to be informed on candidates and issues before casting their ballots.
Bob Butler, KCBS reporter, is the moderator for the Measure J, State Assembly District 14 and County Supervisorial District 5 forums.
KTVU’s Claudine Wong will serve as moderator for races including State Assembly Districts 15 and 16, State Senate District 7, and County Supervisorial District 3.
The broadcasts will air on Contra Costa Television (CCTV), Comcast Channel 27, Astound Channel 32, and AT&T U-verse Channel 99. They will also live stream on the County website at www.contracosta.ca.gov. Contra Costa County Elections Division partners with the County’s Office of Communications & Media and Contra Costa Television (CCTV), the League of Women Voters of Diablo Valley, and the League of Women Voters of West Contra Costa.
More information about “Election Preview” is available on the Elections Division website at www.cocovote.us/Election-Preview and the County’s website at www.contracosta.ca.gov/7097.
Read More