Contra Costa Herald

By Jimmy Lee, Director of Public Affairs, Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff

The suspect in Friday’s homicide on Pacheco Boulevard is in custody.  (See related article)

On Friday, July 5, 2019, at about 8:35 P.M. BART police contacted suspect Aaron Goode at the Concord BART station. He was detained without incident. Later Detectives and Deputies from the Office of the Sheriff took custody of Goode, a 41-year-old from Pacheco. Goode was then booked into the Martinez Detention Facility on a murder charge. He is being held in lieu of $1 million bail.

Homicide Detectives from the Investigation Division continue to investigate yesterday’s murder.

At about 12:12 PM, Sheriff’s Office dispatch was notified about a medical call with police needed on the 5900 block of Pacheco Boulevard in Pacheco. The caller stated that a man covered in blood was lying on the sidewalk.

A short while later, Pleasant Hill police officers arrived and performed CPR on the male victim. He was later pronounced deceased at the scene. The victim is identified as Erick Ousey, a 29-year-old Pacheco resident.

The Sheriff’s Office Crime Lab responded to the location. Detectives later identified Goode as the suspect. Detectives are still trying to establish the exact motive. They say suspect Goode and victim Ousey knew each other and that they appeared to have a dispute.

Anyone with any information on this case is asked to contact the Office of the Sheriff at  (925) 646-2441 or Investigation Division at  (925) 313-2600. For any tips, email:  tips@so.cccounty.us or call  (866) 846-3592 to leave an anonymous voice message.

By Jimmy Lee, Director of Public Affairs, Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff

Detectives from the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff Investigation Division continue to investigate a murder that occurred this afternoon. 

At about 12:12 PM, Sheriff’s Office dispatch was notified about a medical call with police needed on the 5900 block of Pacheco Boulevard in Pacheco. The caller stated that a man covered in blood was lying on the sidewalk.  The California Grand Casino on both sides of the street and Wendy’s are blocked off with yellow cautionary tape, according to witnesses.

A short while later, Pleasant Hill police officers arrived and performed CPR on the male victim. He was later pronounced deceased at the scene. The victim, believed to be a 29-year-old Pacheco resident, is not being identified at this time.

The Sheriff’s Office Crime Lab responded to the location. The investigation into this murder is ongoing. Detectives say this incident does not appear random and that the victim and the suspect knew each other.

Anyone with any information on this case is asked to contact the Office of the Sheriff at (925) 646-2441 or Investigation Division at (925) 313-2600. For any tips, email: tips@so.cccounty.us or call (866) 846-3592 to leave an anonymous voice message.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

By Scott Alonso, Public Information Officer, Contra Costa District Attorney

Earlier this week, the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office charged Hakeem Doeparker of Antioch with multiple felonies including a series of carjackings, attempted extortion, second degree robbery and criminal threats. The criminal complaint filed against Doeparker also alleges multiple enhancements for the defendant’s use of a firearm during the commission of these alleged crimes. Doeparker pleaded not guilty on July 2 to the charges our Office filed against him. He remains in custody and his bail is $787,000.

Doeparker allegedly used female profiles on apps such as Skout and MeetMe! to arrange meetings with unsuspecting male victims. After instructing victims to go to a particular address on Tehachapi Court in Antioch, Doeparker would approach them from behind, point a gun (often with a green laser) at the victim, and threaten to shoot or kill them if they did not hand over either money or their car keys.

The current charges relate to four known victims, with those offenses occurring throughout the month of June 2019. All victims were able to get away unharmed, though the defendant did succeed in taking money and two cars. The cars were later recovered by Antioch police officers near the defendant’s residence.

Doeparker attended Skyline High School in Oakland where he played football and was on the track team, according to his Facebook profile and Athletic.net.

The District Attorney’s office is actively working with Antioch Police Department on the case. The investigation is ongoing, and police believe there may be several additional victims in the Bay Area. Victims and anyone else with information are encouraged to contact Antioch Police Department Detective Adrian Gonzalez at 925-779-6923.

The public is also urged to exercise caution when arranging meetings with unknown persons through various phone apps, as this is increasingly becoming a strategy used to set up unsuspecting victims.

Case information: People v. Hakeem Zimikael Doeparker, Docket Number 04-197157-1

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

Son of Oakland Council President and Vice Mayor. Partner, a former California Department of Veterans Affairs Assistant Deputy Secretary, pleaded guilty in 2017, to be sentenced in November.

Taj Reid from his Facebook profile.

By U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of California, Department of Justice

SAN FRANCISCO – Taj Armon Reid was sentenced to 12 months in prison for conspiracy and receiving bribes, announced United States Attorney David L. Anderson; Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge John F. Bennett; and Department of Energy Office of the Inspector General, Inspector General Teri L. Donaldson.  The sentence was handed down today by the Honorable Charles R. Breyer, U.S. District Court Judge.

After a four-day jury trial, a federal jury found Reid, 48, of Oakland, guilty of the crimes on May 24, 2018.  (See related East Bay Express article). Reid, the son of Oakland Vice Mayor and Council President Larry Reid, was a construction consultant and business partner with Eric Worthen, 46, of Pleasant Hill, who, at the time, was also an Assistant Deputy Secretary for the California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet).  The evidence at trial demonstrated Reid received bribes on two occasions in connection with business being offered by CalVet.  The jury also concluded Reid conspired with Worthen to receive the bribes.  (See related KPIX5 report)

The evidence at trial showed that Reid accepted cash from a source on April 18, and again on May 8.  In April, Reid offered a developer an inside advantage on two CalVet construction projects in exchange for $10,000 cash.  Specifically, Reid offered to use Worthen’s position at CalVet to circumvent the normal bidding process for a residential home project in Ventura, Calif.  The May transaction involved a kitchen remodel project at the veterans’ home in West Los Angeles.  On this occasion, Reid and Worthen accepted $2,000 cash in exchange for providing to the developer inside information that the co-conspirator took from the CalVet office.  Unbeknownst to Reid and Worthen, the “developer” to whom they were providing an inside track on the CalVet contracts was a source working under the direction of the FBI and posing as a developer willing to pay bribes in order to obtain contracts with public agencies.  At the conclusion of the trial, the jury found Reid guilty of conspiracy, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371, and two counts of receiving a bribe or reward, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 666(a)(1)(B).

Eric Worthen from his LinkedIn profile.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Breyer ordered Reid to serve three years of supervised release.

Worthen pleaded guilty in August of 2017 to his part in the conspiracy and for taking bribes.  Judge Breyer scheduled his sentencing for November 6, 2019.

The case is being prosecuted by the Special Prosecutions and National Security Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI, with assistance from the Department of Energy, Office of Inspector General.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

Photo by Richmond PD.

By Richmond Police

Auto Burglary

An auto burglary took place on June 26th around 10:40PM. Officers responded to Railroad Ave and E. Richmond Street and discovered broken glass. The victim’s car window was shattered, and the following equipment was stolen:

+ (2) Drones: DJI Mavic 2 Zoom + Mavic 2 Pro

+Nikon D800

+Lenses: 24-70, 70-200, 60, 85, 10.5, SB-800 Speedlight

+Light meter

+Apple Macbook Pro

+Apple Macbook Air

+Black Pelican case

Officers are currently looking for a potential suspect(s). If you have any information, please contact Dt. Martin at (510) 672-0611.

As a friendly reminder, be sure to remove all visible valuables from your vehicle.

By CHP-Contra Costa

Wednesday afternoon, June 26, 2019 around 4:30pm, we responded to a collision on Mount Diablo Scenic Blvd near Diablo Ranch Drive. Upon arrival, we located a bicyclist down on the roadway and a Chevy SUV. Emergency medical aid was given to the bicyclist, and the adult male rider was driven by ambulance to the Athenian School where he was life flighted to a local hospital. Unfortunately, he succumbed to his injuries later that night.

The driver of the Chevy remained on scene and is cooperating with our investigation. The location where this collision occurred is a narrow winding roadway and it appears the bicyclist and vehicle hit head on. The rider was wearing a helmet.

If you have any information about this collision, please call the Contra Costa CHP Office at 925-646-4980.

Taylor Blvd. vicinity map. From CCC Public Works.

Lafayette, CA – Contra Costa County Public Works will perform roadwork on Taylor Boulevard approximately 0.6 miles north of its intersection with Rancho View Drive starting July 1 through July 11, weather permitting. The Public Works Department’s contractor will repair and replace a disconnected concrete storm drainpipe and repair damage to the road pavement.

Traffic may be affected by temporary lane closures between the hours of 9:00 am – 3:00 pm, Mondays through Thursdays. A changeable message sign and other construction signs will be placed in advance of the construction activities.

By Scott Alonso, Public Information Officer, Contra Costa County District Attorney

Earlier this month, the Board of State and Community Corrections awarded the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office $1 million to establish a county-wide juvenile diversion pre-filing program. This diversion program will be the first county-wide program for Contra Costa County and comes on the announcement earlier this spring that our Office was starting a pilot program in Richmond for the fall of 2019. The BSCC grant will enable the pilot program in Richmond to be expanded and eventually taken county-wide.

The District Attorney’s Office joins the Contra Costa County Department of Probation, the RYSE Youth center, and Impact Justice to initiate a restorative justice program that will redirect youth from the juvenile and criminal justice system over a period of four years. The program will work with young people who have committed crimes and bring them together with those they have impacted in the community in order to atone for damages made and rebuild relationships.

“I am proud to have this program for the first-time ever in our county’s history. Our Office has a crucial role to play in reducing the pipeline into the juvenile justice system while at the same time reducing disparities in the entire criminal justice system. We have to invest in our youth to ensure they have other opportunities in their lives,” said District Attorney Diana Becton.

With the help of RYSE, the program hopes to lower recidivism rates, increase victim satisfaction, improve the youths’ relationships with their families, and lower incarceration and probation costs. Youth will learn about accountability and healing, as well as, how to establish trusting relationships with adults and authority figures. During the restorative justice process, RYSE will provide the victim and the youth offender with wrap-around services along with a facilitator for each person involved in the case.

By providing troubled youths with more resources and opportunities, Contra Costa hopes to divert up to 230 youths away from the juvenile justice system. A similar program in the Bay Area proved to be successful. Alameda County’s restorative justice program was remarkably successful as recidivism rates decreased; youths who participated in the program were 44 percent less likely to recidivate compared to similarly situated probation youth. The program carries a one-time cost of $4,500 per case while probation costs $23,000 per year and incarceration costs nearly $500,000 annually.

San Pablo Dam Road Construction Vicinity Map. Courtesy CCC Public Works.

El Sobrante, CA – Contra Costa County Public Works Department plans to repair a landslide along the western embankment of San Pablo Dam Road approximately 0.5 miles south of the Tri Lane intersection. The work will begin on July 1 with anticipated completion by October 3, weather permitting.

Traffic may be affected between the hours of 9:00 am – 3:00 pm, Mondays through Thursdays. Changeable message signs and other construction signs will be placed in advance of the construction activities.

Suspect Jessica Tomsky and the RV she drove headed the wrong way on Hwy 242. Photos by Concord PD.

By Concord Police Department

Not on our Watch! Patrol officers from the Graves 1 team of the Concord PD responded to a silent alarm/probable burglary in-progress in the 1300 block of Galaxy Way on Wed., June 26 at 4:07 AM. Officers arrived in less than one minute and saw two vehicles fleeing. Officers tried to stop both vehicles and dual pursuits were initiated when both vehicles fled from pursuing officers onto Commerce Ave, across Concord Ave, then proceeding the wrong way up the southbound HYW 242 on-ramp. Officers stopped their pursuit(s) for safety reasons. A few moments later officers located one of the vehicles, a large RV, driving south on s/b HWY 242.

Officers pursued the RV for approximately 8-10 miles until the RV once again drove the wrong way up the southbound HWY 242 off-ramp at Solano Way, where CPD Officers terminated their pursuit. With help from citizen callers, the RV was located again, this time travelling west on the shoulder of eastbound HWY 4.

The driver, 34-year-old Jessica Tomsky (born 3/26/1985), was arrested for several counts of fleeing police officers, commercial burglary and possession of stolen property. There was stolen property from the commercial burglary she just fled from and stolen property from other commercial burglaries from Concord and other jurisdictions.

The Graves 1 team would like to thank the caller(s) who took the time to call 9-1-1 and update us on the location of the RV. Without help from our citizen’s our job would be much more difficult.