By Jimmy Lee, Director of Public Affairs, Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff
Sunday morning at about 2:18 a.m., Delta Station Deputy Sheriffs responded to Indian Slough for a missing person detail. Two men were fishing on an inflatable raft at Indian Slough when the raft apparently had a malfunction. One of the men swam to shore, but the other person was unaccounted for.
A CHP helicopter, U.S. Coast Guard and Contra Costa Fire Protection District arrived on scene with boats and aerial support, however, the missing man was not located
Sheriff’s Office Marine Patrol Unit later arrived on scene and took over the investigation and search. Anyone with any information on the incident is asked to contact Sheriff’s Office dispatch at (925) 646-2441.
Read MoreThis morning, at approximately 8:50 am, we responded to a collision on Balfour Road near American Way. Upon arrival, we located three vehicles which had been involved in a collision. Our investigation so far has revealed the following information:
The driver of a Nissan Altima was driving eastbound on Balfour, west of American Avenue behind a Mini Cooper. The driver of the Nissan attempted to pass the Mini Cooper over double solid yellow lines, but while attempting to overtake it, clipped the Mini Cooper and struck a white minivan head on, which was going westbound on Balfour.
The driver of the Nissan was pronounced deceased on scene, the driver of the Toyota minivan was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries, and the driver of the Mini Cooper was unharmed. At this time (10:30 am), Balfour remains closed as we complete our investigation and clear the scene. We do not have an estimated time to re-open the roadway. We are still investigating whether drugs and/or alcohol were a factor in this collision.
Read MoreWHAT: Join our celebration of Black Breastfeeding Week, Aug. 25-31 at the Chocolate Milk Lounge, a free health education event to help black moms and families meet each other and learn about the importance of breastfeeding their infants.
The Lounge includes certified lactation consultants and information about community resources to support breastfeeding mothers, along with prizes, gift bags, snacks and more. The lounge is sponsored by Contra Costa Health Services, Black Infant Health and First 5 Contra Costa.
For more information, call Pam Moore at 925-313-6128, Marlene Ceballo at 925-646-5200 or Lonnie Watkins at 925-313-6254.
WHO: All are welcome. Registration is required – links below.
WHEN: 12-2pm Tuesday, Aug. 27 at Antioch First 5 Center, 300 H Street – register
11am-2pm Wednesday, Aug. 28 at Pittsburg Health Center, 2311 Loveridge Road – register
10am-12pm Thursday, Aug. 29 at LifeLong Brookside San Pablo Health Center, 2023 Vale Road, San Pablo – register
8:30am-12pm Friday, Aug. 30 at West County Health Center, 501 Gateway Avenue, San Pablo – register
Read MoreCongressman Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11) will host a town hall to discuss climate change and the environment on Monday, August 26th at 6:30 p.m.
Congressman DeSaulnier will discuss the critical role the government plays in protecting our environment and the Trump Administration’s rollback of major environmental regulations that protect our air, water, wildlife, and open spaces.
This will be Congressman DeSaulnier’s 91st town hall and mobile district office hour since coming to Congress four years ago.
Climate Change & the Environment Town Hall
Monday, August 26, 2019
6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Campolindo High School Multipurpose Room
300 Moraga Road, Moraga
Doors open at 6:00 p.m.
This event is open to the public, press, and photographers.
To confirm your attendance, please RSVP online at https://desaulnier.house.gov/town-hall-rsvp or call 925-933-2660. To request ADA accommodations or for more information contact one of Congressman DeSaulnier’s offices in either Walnut Creek or Richmond.
Read MoreBy Scott Alonso, Public Information Officer, Contra Costa District Attorney
Last week, defendant Curtis Hill, a 59-year-old Concord resident, was convicted, by a Contra Costa County jury, of first degree residential burglary. On August 16, 2019, the jury returned findings that the Defendant had been convicted of three prior strike offenses – two prior residential robberies and a residential burglary. In his prior residential robbery conviction, he committed great bodily injury on a person over the age of 60.
The charges stem from the evening of August 3, 2018, when Hill entered the victim’s Concord home. He selected jewelry from a bedroom in the home and then fled the scene. Later that same evening, he was arrested by the Concord Police Department.
Hill has a long history of theft, violence, and disorderly conduct in the downtown Concord area. His behavior has made him a longstanding nuisance and danger to the residents of Concord and law enforcement in the area.
This conviction constitutes a third strike for the defendant. He is next in court on September 27, 2019, to set a sentencing before Judge Christopher Bowen.
Deputy District Attorney Chris Sansoe prosecuted the case on behalf of the People. DDA Sansoe is assigned to our Office’s Victims of Violent Crime Unit. The trial lasted 14 days in Department 40 before Judge Bowen.
Case information: People v. Curtis Lee Hill, Docket Number 05-181909-3
Read MoreBy Jimmy Lee, Director of Public Affairs, Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff
At approximately 8:30 PM yesterday evening, August 21, 2019, the Office of the Sheriff’s Dive Team located the body of missing person 53-year-old Ching “Ping” Chen submerged in the water behind a residence on the 5500 block of Beaver Lane in Discovery Bay. They recovered Chen and turned her over to the Coroner’s Division.
She was last seen at her home, also on the 5500 block of Beaver Lane at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, August 20, 2019.
Deputies launched a search using K-9s, a drone and a Search and Rescue Team, but have not been able to locate her. The search is continuing with Deputy Sheriffs and Marine Patrol Unit.
Chen was described as an Asian female, 4′,11″, 88 pounds, brown hair with blonde highlights, and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a light green tank top, green shorts and pink sandals.
The investigation is ongoing and the cause of death has yet to be determined. Anyone with any information on Chen is asked to call the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff at (925) 646-2441.
Read More![](http://contracostaherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Sara-Harris-USN-774x1024.jpg)
Constructionman Apprentice Sara Harris, U.S. Navy Seabees. Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Bradley Gee
By Alvin Plexico, Navy Office of Community Outreach
GULFPORT, Ms. – “We Build, We Fight” has been the motto of the U. S. Navy’s Construction Force, known as the “Seabees,” for more than 75 years. Constructionman Apprentice Sara Harris, a 2017 California High School graduate and native of San Ramon, California, builds and fights around the world as a member of naval construction battalion center located in Gulfport, Mississippi.
Harris is serving as a Navy builder, who is responsible for building and repairing wood structures, working with masonry and concrete, and installing interior finish work.
Harris credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned growing up in San Ramon.
“Growing up San Ramon, I learned how to build things from my dad,” said Harris.
Building in austere environments can be a challenge. Fighting in harsh conditions can also be a challenge. Building in austere environments while fighting in harsh conditions takes a special kind of person with a great deal of perseverance and determination. These are the kinds of people serving here at Gulfport, the home of the Atlantic Fleet Seabees. These are the people who provide crucial support to Seabee units deployed around the world.
The jobs of many of today’s Seabees remained unchanged since World War II, when the Seabees paved the 10,000-mile road to victory for the allies in the Pacific and in Europe, according to Lara Godbille, director of the U. S. Navy Seabee Museum.
For more than 75 years Seabees have served in all American conflicts. They have also supported humanitarian efforts using their construction skills to help communities around the world. They aid following earthquakes, hurricanes and other natural disasters.
Harris is playing an important part in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy.
A key element of the Navy the Nation needs is tied to the fact that America is a maritime nation, according to Navy officials, and that the nation’s prosperity is tied to the ability to operate freely on the world’s oceans. More than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water; 80 percent of the world’s population lives close to a coast; and 90 percent of all global trade by volume travels by sea.
“Our priorities center on people, capabilities and processes, and will be achieved by our focus on speed, value, results and partnerships,” said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer. “Readiness, lethality and modernization are the requirements driving these priorities.”
Though there are many ways for sailors to earn distinction in their command, community and career, Harris is most proud of graduating boot camp.
“It’s the most important accomplishment I’ve had so far,” said Harris.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Harris and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“It’s exciting to start this career,” added Harris. “I’m having a lot of fun!”
Read More![](http://contracostaherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Tyler-Goforth-Jesslyn-Felix-10-3-17-FB.jpg)
Tyler Goforth with his girlfriend and co-defendant, Jesslyn Felix in a photo posted on his Facebook page Oct. 3, 2017.
Girlfriend and co-defendant who also pleaded guilty, to be sentenced in September
By United States Attorneys Office, Northern District of California
Tyler Goforth was sentenced to 27 months in prison and ordered to pay restitution for his role in a conspiracy to commit wire fraud stemming from a mail theft scheme, announced United States Attorney David L. Anderson and United States Postal Inspection Service Inspector in Charge Rafael Nuñez. The Honorable Maxine M. Chesney, U.S. District Judge, handed down the sentence.
Goforth, 35, of Walnut Creek, Calif., pleaded guilty to the charge on May 29, 2019. According to his plea agreement, Goforth admitted that he and his co-defendant, Jesslyn Felix, 35, also of Walnut Creek, traveled repeatedly to the Beacon Apartment Complex, a large apartment building in San Francisco, to steal mail from Beacon residents. The defendants visited the Beacon more than a dozen times between August 2017 and February 2018. Goforth and Felix entered one of the mailrooms at the Beacon, forced open mailboxes, and then stole mail. They then used personal information and documents found in the stolen mail to steal money from Beacon residents, which they spent for personal gain. Specifically, Goforth and Felix activated credit and debit cards in the victims’ names, stole checks and gift cards, accessed bank accounts belonging to Beacon residents, and stole photo identifications which they then used to carry out their scheme to steal money. In total, Goforth and Felix stole mail from more than 80 residents of the Beacon and stole more than $40,000 from them.
A federal grand jury indicted Goforth and Felix on January 15, 2019. The 14-count indictment charged each defendant with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349; five counts of wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §1343; six counts of theft of mail, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §1708; one count of aggravated identity theft, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §1028A; and one count of possession with intent to use or transfer five or more documents or authentication features, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §1028(a)(3). Goforth and Felix both pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge on May 29, 2019.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Chesney ordered Goforth to serve a three-year period of supervised release to begin at the completion of the prison term. Goforth has been in custody since May 6, 2019.
Judge Chesney scheduled Felix’s sentencing for September 18, 2019. Like Goforth, if Felix complies with the plea agreement, the remaining counts pending against her will be dismissed at sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ross Weingarten is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Marina Ponomarchuk. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the United States Postal Inspection Service.
Read MoreBy Jimmy Lee, Director of Public Affairs, Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff
Earlier this month, the CASE Team started an investigation into a person who allegedly possessed a handgun through an illegal transfer. The CASE Team later obtained a search warrant for the suspect and his home.
On August 16, 2019, the CASE Team executed the search warrant at a residence on the 300 block of California Street in Rodeo. The suspect was detained and later arrested without incident at this home. He is identified as 32-year-old James Runkle of Rodeo. The following were recovered at his residence: 9mm semi-automatic pistol, approximately two pounds of methamphetamine, approximately three pounds of marijuana, heroin and U.S. currency.
Runkle was later booked at the Martinez Detention Facility on the following charges: illegal transfer of a firearm, possession of a controlled substance while armed, possession of methamphetamine for sales, possession of heroin for sales, possession of marijuana for sales, and child endangerment. Runkle remains in custody in lieu of $385,000 bail. The investigation will be forwarded to the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
CASE (Contra Costa County Anti-Violence Support Effort) is a joint effort by the Office of the Sheriff, California Department of Justice, California Highway Patrol, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Pittsburg Police Department, and Probation Officers from the Contra Costa County Probation Department. CASE was created in November 2011 as a collaborative effort to reduce violent crimes in Contra Costa, especially those related to illegal firearms.
Read MoreBy Scott Alonso, Public Information Officer, Contra Costa District Attorney
Last Friday, Contra Costa County Superior Court Judge Lewis Davis sentenced defendant John Benny Gomez of Concord to 70 years to life in state prison. Last year, a jury found defendant Gomez guilty of nine felonies, including the molestation of a female victim, Jane Doe, under the age of 10.
The criminal conduct by Gomez also included forcible oral copulation against Jane Doe and showing the victim pornographic images on his phone. The District Attorney’s Office does not disclose the age or victim’s name in a sexual assault case to protect the confidentiality of the victim.
The criminal conduct occurred in January 2018 at a residence in Concord. The defendant was in a position of trust with the victim. He committed the attack in a remote location at the residence and used force multiple times against Jane Doe. Fortunately, a mandated reporter at the victim’s school conveyed the attack to authorities, which promoted a criminal investigation.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Diana Weiss with the Office’s Sexual Assault Unit. Concord Police Department was the lead law enforcement agency during the investigation. The trial lasted 24 days in June and July of 2018.
“The victim in this case is an innocent young girl. She did not ask for this. She was incredibly brave during this entire process. The defendant continues to this very day to not show any remorse or admit any responsibility for the horrific crimes he committed. I also want to express my deep appreciation for the jury in this case. The jurors heard ample evidence that the defendant was the sole person responsible for his criminal conduct,” said DDA Weiss.
Case information: People v. John Benny Gomez, Docket Number 05-180331-1
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