Screenshot by ABC7 News report of the scene in Pacheco, Wednesday morning, Dec. 5, 2018.
By Jimmy Lee, Director of Public Affairs, Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff
The Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff and the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office are currently investigating an officer involved shooting per the county’s law enforcement involved fatal incident protocol.
This morning at about 9:03, two Deputy Sheriffs handled a detail on Adelaide Drive in Pacheco. They cleared the call at about 9:31 A.M. As one of the Deputies left the area, he noticed a person who had an outstanding warrant on foot in the area of Adelaide Drive and Pacheco Boulevard. The Deputy went to contact him. The person kept reaching into his waistband and ran away leading to a foot pursuit by the Deputy. The Deputy attempted to physically control the person, giving numerous verbal commands to show his hands. A struggle ensued with the suspect pulling out a firearm from his waistband. He fired one shot toward the Deputy’s head. The Deputy returned fire, shooting the suspect.
The Fire Department and an ambulance responded to the location. The male suspect was later pronounced deceased at the scene.
The 41-year-old white male from Discovery Bay is not being identified at this time. The suspect had a no bail, warrant for evading and resisting arrest from another county. The suspect also had extensive prior contacts with law enforcement that include drug possession, multiple counts of assault with a deadly weapon, possession of dangerous weapons, felon in possession of a firearm, stolen vehicle possession, obstruction, possession of burglary tools and parole violation. He was also an active member of several gangs in Contra Costa. The Deputy was unhurt.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with any information on this incident is asked to contact the Office of the Sheriff Investigation Division at (925) 313-2600. For any tips, please email: tips@so.cccounty.us or call 866-846-3592 to leave an anonymous voice message.
See more on ABC7 News here and here.
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Francisco Perez. Photo by CCCSheriff
By Jimmy Lee, Director of Public Affairs, Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff
The Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff recently received a tip regarding a person who was allegedly in possession of child pornography. Detectives started an investigation and later obtained search warrants for the suspect’s home and computers/electronic devices.
On November 20, 2018, Detectives arrested 34-year-old Francisco Perez of San Pablo. He was booked into the Martinez Detention Facility on one count of possession of child pornography. Perez has since been released pending further investigation.
Perez was previously employed by a food service company that provided food to San Domenico School in San Anselmo. At that time, he used the false name of Mario Arguetta. There is no evidence to suggest any student has been a victim.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with any information on this case is asked to call the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office or the Marin County Sheriff’s Office.
The Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office Investigation Division can be reached at (925) 313-2600. For any tips, please email: tips@so.cccounty.us or call 866-846-3592 to leave an anonymous voice message. The Marin County Sheriff’s Office can be reached at (415) 479-2311.
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Screenshot from a KTVU Fox 2 News report of Debra Bozeman and her granddaughter.
Police seek suspect
By Acting Lieutenant Powell Meads #3917, Antioch Police Field Services
On Sunday, Dec. 2, 2018 at approximately 2:56 AM, the Antioch Police Department received a call about a person and wheelchair in the middle of the road in the 3600 block of Lone Tree Way. Officers arrived on scene and located the subject, a 65-year-old resident of Discovery Bay, unresponsive and suffering from major injuries. The victim was transported to an area hospital where she remains in critical condition.
It was determined that the victim was crossing the roadway in her wheelchair when she was struck by a passing vehicle. The responsible vehicle fled the scene and has not been located.
The Antioch Police Department Traffic Unit responded to the scene and took over the investigation. Officers are currently following up on evidence left at the scene and potential surveillance footage of the collision.
This preliminary information is made available by the Field Services Division. Any further inquiries into the status of this case should be done via the Media Access Telephone Line 925-779-6874. Any further information or additional press releases will be provided by the Traffic Unit.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Officer Johnsen at (925)779-6900 ext 84265 or ejohnsen@ci.antioch.ca.us. You may also text-a-tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using the key word ANTIOCH.
According to a KTVU FOX2 news report, the woman has been identified as Debra Bozeman and is in the intensive care unit of John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek. Her family is offering a $5,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest.
Allen Payton contributed to this report.
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Victim identified as 60-year-old Castro Valley man
By Jimmy Lee, Director of Public Affairs, Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff
Homicide detectives from the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff have arrested two male juvenile suspects in connection with a killing that took place in North Richmond on Friday, November 30, 2018.
On that day at about 6:25 PM, Bay Station Deputy Sheriffs were dispatched to the intersection of 4th Street and Silver Avenue in North Richmond for a report of a person that had just been shot. Deputies arrived on scene and found a man in his vehicle near a home on the 300 block of Silver Avenue. He suffered from a gunshot wound. The Fire Department, an ambulance and the crime lab responded to the location. The victim was pronounced deceased at the scene. The victim is identified as 60-year-old Raymond Vasquez of Castro Valley.
Detectives say Vasquez apparently went to North Richmond for a drug transaction. An altercation occurred with the suspects and one of them shot Vasquez. The juveniles fled the scene. During the investigation, Detectives identified the juvenile suspects who were both arrested this afternoon in Richmond. They were booked into Juvenile Hall on charges that include murder, robbery, conspiracy and participating in a gang. The suspects are not being identified; they are 15 and 17 years old.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with any information on this case is asked to contact the Investigation Division at (925) 313-2600. For any tips, please email: tips@so.cccounty.us or call 866-846-3592 to leave an anonymous voice message.
Read More
By Jimmy Lee, Director of Public Affairs, Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff
On Thursday, November 29, 2018, at about 7:14 AM, a motorist reported to Sheriff’s Office Dispatch that there was a person lying on the roadway along Crockett Boulevard between Cummings Skyway and Pomona Avenue. Crockett Fire Department responded to the location and later pronounced the person deceased at the scene. It appeared the person suffered a gunshot wound.
Homicide detectives from the Office of the Sheriff launched an investigation into the killing. They later identified the victim as 30-year-old DeMichael James Gandy-Williams of Vacaville. During their follow-up, detectives contacted investigators at the Fairfield Police Department.
Sheriff’s Office detectives later went to a motel on the 4300 block of Central Place in Fairfield to interview a person about the killing. The person was later determined to be the suspect in the murder of Gandy-Williams. The suspect refused to come out of the motel room. At about 4:40 PM, the detectives requested assistance from the Fairfield Police Department, which sent patrol officers and the SWAT Team to the location. The suspect surrendered peacefully at about 9:26 PM and was arrested by Sheriff’s Office Detectives.
The suspect is identified as 46-year-old Toriano Collier of Vallejo/Napa. He was interviewed and later booked into the Martinez Detention Facility on the following charges: murder, felon in possession of a firearm, and probation violation. He is being held without bail.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with any information on this case is asked to contact the Investigation Division at (925) 313-2600. For any tips, please email: tips@so.cccounty.us or call 866-846-3592 to leave an anonymous voice message.
Read More
Artist’s rendering of a CyberTran vehicle and station with overhead solar panels generating the power to operate the system.
Dexter Vizinau, President of the Richmond, California-based CyberTran International, will be participating in a panel discussion at the innovative transportation conference, known as Infraday West on Wednesday, Dec. 5 in Los Angeles at the Intercontinental Hotel. Infraday West Agenda 12-5-18
The conference is described as “projects meet money, policy, innovation, risk in a powerful single day event uniting the leaders in the public and private infrastructure sectors in talks around funding, developing and maintaining infrastructure projects in the U.S.”
It is expected to be “a powerful one-day forum uniting over 300 senior infrastructure executives. Local, State and Federal authorities will unite with some of the top financiers, consultants, constructors, engineers and technology innovators to discuss new opportunities and challenges facing the market.”
The panel discussion in which Vizinau will participate, to be held from 3:00-3:45 p.m. is entitled, Delivering Mega-Rail Projects in California and Beyond – Opportunities and Challenges. It will also include the following panelists: Doug Johnson, Transportation Planning Manager, San Francisco Planning Department; Craig Covil, Chief Development Officer, Gavio+Halmar; Kevin Sheridan, Director of Capital Projects, San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission / Altamont Corridor Express; Elizabeth Lun, Interim Deputy Chief Operating Officer, Planning and Project Delivery, Metrolink; and Carl Holmes, Assistant General Manager of Planning, Development & Construction, BART.
“This is an excellent opportunity for our company to let decision-makers and others in the infrastructure industry know of our low-cost, electric, solar-powered transit system being developed, here in the eastern San Francisco Bay Area,” said Vizinau. “We look forward to sharing with them about our disruptive, American-made technology and help influence the direction of the discussion and market.”
The CyberTran system has already been built and tested and is the most advanced of all innovative transit systems being developed in the U.S., that have not yet been deployed. The company won a national contest by the Federal Highway Administration in 2015 and to date, has been granted seven patents during the final phase of system development. CyberTran’s strategic partners include the Lawrence Berkeley and Livermore Labs, U.C. Berkeley and the Partnership for Advanced Transportation & Highways (PATH).
CyberTran will be hosting a booth at the conference. To learn more, either stop by or visit www.cybertran.com.
Note: The publisher of the Contra Costa Herald has a financial interest in CyberTran International.
Read More
Pharmacist Jonathan Szkotak.
By Scott Alonso, Public Information Officer, Office of the District Attorney, Contra Costa County
The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office charged defendant Jonathan Szkotak with one felony count of second-degree robbery. On April 3, 2018, Szkotak allegedly went to a CVS pharmacy in Danville where he brandished a firearm at the pharmacy staff and demanded specific pills. Szkotak is a registered pharmacist with the California Board of Pharmacy. He works in Alameda County for the Alameda Alliance for Health.
Szkotak allegedly approached the pharmacy counter wearing a blue surgical mask and displayed a firearm. Given that he used a gun during the course of the robbery, our office charged Szkotak with a firearm enhancement.
CVS reported to the Drug Enforcement Agency a loss report of Clonazepam and Buprenorphine. In total, 17 tablets of Clonazepam were missing and 57 tablets of Buprenorphine (three different brands) as a result of the April 3rd robbery. Upon Szkotak’s arrest, the police found a quantity of crushed Buprenorphine in the defendant’s wallet.
Szkotak’s court appearance is January 14, 2019 in Martinez. He is out of custody on a $200,000 bond.
He was charged with the following: Second Degree Robbery – Enhancement 1, Personal Use of a Firearm
Case information: People v. Jonathan Szkotak, Docket Number 01-187866-9.
Read MoreArrested in Texas, awaiting extradition back to Contra Costa County
By Scott Alonso, Public Information Officer, Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office
On Wednesday, November 28, 2018, the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office charged 19-year-old Tristan Amir Curl, a resident of Oakley, California and a student living in Austin, Texas, with six felony counts of making criminal threats, one felony count of stalking and one felony count of threatening a school official.
The charges are a result of a two-month investigation by the Oakley Police Department, District Attorney’s Office and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) into a series of threats on social media. In September, several underage females were contacted by an unknown person on social media who was threatening to rape and kill them.
The same subject threatened to shoot students at Freedom High School in Oakley and then threatened to murder the school principal. Investigators subsequently identified Curl as the suspect and obtained an arrest warrant for him, which was approved by a Superior Court Judge in Contra Costa County.
On November 20, 2018, Curl was arrested in Austin, Texas where he attends college. The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office had a senior inspector in Austin to assist the Oakley Police Department with the arrest and collection of forensic evidence.
Curl remains in the custody of the Travis County, Texas Sheriff’s Department while awaiting extradition back to Contra Costa County. The Austin Police Department and FBI provided substantial assistance with the investigation.
Case information: People v. Curl, Dockett Number 01-187978-2
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Screenshot of an ABC7 News report shows the suspect’s vehicle following the collision which resulted in the driver’s death in San Pablo, Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2018.
By Jimmy Lee, Director of Public Affairs, Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff
This morning at about 12:01, a Deputy Sheriff initiated a traffic enforcement stop on a gold-colored Lexus in the area of San Pablo Dam Road and Mifflin Avenue in El Sobrante. The Lexus ran a red light and went through the intersection of San Pablo Dam Road and El Portal Drive at about 50 miles per hour.
The driver did not yield and led the Deputy on a pursuit. The suspect drove in excess of 100 miles per hour on city streets. The pursuit was terminated because of speeds. The Deputy shut off his patrol car’s emergency lights and siren.
Approximately 12 seconds later and after losing sight of the suspect vehicle, the Deputy came across the Lexus overturned in the area of San Pablo Avenue and Road 20 in San Pablo. The vehicle apparently rolled over several times before landing on its roof. The driver was unresponsive. Deputies attempted to render first-aid. The Fire Department and an ambulance also responded. The driver was later pronounced deceased at the scene. He is not being identified at this time.
The officer involved fatal incident protocol was invoked. This incident is being investigated by the District Attorney’s Office, Office of the Sheriff and San Pablo Police Department. It is not immediately known why the suspect fled from the Deputy Sheriff.
Anyone who has any information on this incident is asked to contact the Office of the Sheriff Investigation Division at (925) 313-2600. For any tips, please email: tips@so.cccounty.us or call 866-846-3592 to leave an anonymous voice message.
See more from a report by ABC7 News.
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By Timothy Leong, Public Information Officer, Contra Costa Community College District
The Contra Costa Community College District (District) has decided to close all College and District operations on Tuesday, November 20th and Wednesday, November 21st. due to ongoing poor air quality. The District Office and Colleges (Contra Costa, Diablo Valley, San Ramon Campus, Los Medanos, and Brentwood Center) will resume regular operations on Monday, November 26th.
While the Bay Area Air Quality Management District is forecasting improved but fluctuating air quality over the next few days, the District has decided to err on the side of health concerns of its students and staff. The District has been closed since Thursday, November 15, 3:00 p.m., due to very unhealthy air quality in Contra Costa County.
Read More
Screenshot by ABC7 News report of the scene in Pacheco, Wednesday morning, Dec. 5, 2018.
By Jimmy Lee, Director of Public Affairs, Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff
The Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff and the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office are currently investigating an officer involved shooting per the county’s law enforcement involved fatal incident protocol.
This morning at about 9:03, two Deputy Sheriffs handled a detail on Adelaide Drive in Pacheco. They cleared the call at about 9:31 A.M. As one of the Deputies left the area, he noticed a person who had an outstanding warrant on foot in the area of Adelaide Drive and Pacheco Boulevard. The Deputy went to contact him. The person kept reaching into his waistband and ran away leading to a foot pursuit by the Deputy. The Deputy attempted to physically control the person, giving numerous verbal commands to show his hands. A struggle ensued with the suspect pulling out a firearm from his waistband. He fired one shot toward the Deputy’s head. The Deputy returned fire, shooting the suspect.
The Fire Department and an ambulance responded to the location. The male suspect was later pronounced deceased at the scene.
The 41-year-old white male from Discovery Bay is not being identified at this time. The suspect had a no bail, warrant for evading and resisting arrest from another county. The suspect also had extensive prior contacts with law enforcement that include drug possession, multiple counts of assault with a deadly weapon, possession of dangerous weapons, felon in possession of a firearm, stolen vehicle possession, obstruction, possession of burglary tools and parole violation. He was also an active member of several gangs in Contra Costa. The Deputy was unhurt.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with any information on this incident is asked to contact the Office of the Sheriff Investigation Division at (925) 313-2600. For any tips, please email: tips@so.cccounty.us or call 866-846-3592 to leave an anonymous voice message.
See more on ABC7 News here and here.
Read MoreFrancisco Perez. Photo by CCCSheriff
By Jimmy Lee, Director of Public Affairs, Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff
The Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff recently received a tip regarding a person who was allegedly in possession of child pornography. Detectives started an investigation and later obtained search warrants for the suspect’s home and computers/electronic devices.
On November 20, 2018, Detectives arrested 34-year-old Francisco Perez of San Pablo. He was booked into the Martinez Detention Facility on one count of possession of child pornography. Perez has since been released pending further investigation.
Perez was previously employed by a food service company that provided food to San Domenico School in San Anselmo. At that time, he used the false name of Mario Arguetta. There is no evidence to suggest any student has been a victim.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with any information on this case is asked to call the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office or the Marin County Sheriff’s Office.
The Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office Investigation Division can be reached at (925) 313-2600. For any tips, please email: tips@so.cccounty.us or call 866-846-3592 to leave an anonymous voice message. The Marin County Sheriff’s Office can be reached at (415) 479-2311.
Read MoreScreenshot from a KTVU Fox 2 News report of Debra Bozeman and her granddaughter.
Police seek suspect
By Acting Lieutenant Powell Meads #3917, Antioch Police Field Services
On Sunday, Dec. 2, 2018 at approximately 2:56 AM, the Antioch Police Department received a call about a person and wheelchair in the middle of the road in the 3600 block of Lone Tree Way. Officers arrived on scene and located the subject, a 65-year-old resident of Discovery Bay, unresponsive and suffering from major injuries. The victim was transported to an area hospital where she remains in critical condition.
It was determined that the victim was crossing the roadway in her wheelchair when she was struck by a passing vehicle. The responsible vehicle fled the scene and has not been located.
The Antioch Police Department Traffic Unit responded to the scene and took over the investigation. Officers are currently following up on evidence left at the scene and potential surveillance footage of the collision.
This preliminary information is made available by the Field Services Division. Any further inquiries into the status of this case should be done via the Media Access Telephone Line 925-779-6874. Any further information or additional press releases will be provided by the Traffic Unit.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Officer Johnsen at (925)779-6900 ext 84265 or ejohnsen@ci.antioch.ca.us. You may also text-a-tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using the key word ANTIOCH.
According to a KTVU FOX2 news report, the woman has been identified as Debra Bozeman and is in the intensive care unit of John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek. Her family is offering a $5,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest.
Allen Payton contributed to this report.
Read MoreVictim identified as 60-year-old Castro Valley man
By Jimmy Lee, Director of Public Affairs, Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff
Homicide detectives from the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff have arrested two male juvenile suspects in connection with a killing that took place in North Richmond on Friday, November 30, 2018.
On that day at about 6:25 PM, Bay Station Deputy Sheriffs were dispatched to the intersection of 4th Street and Silver Avenue in North Richmond for a report of a person that had just been shot. Deputies arrived on scene and found a man in his vehicle near a home on the 300 block of Silver Avenue. He suffered from a gunshot wound. The Fire Department, an ambulance and the crime lab responded to the location. The victim was pronounced deceased at the scene. The victim is identified as 60-year-old Raymond Vasquez of Castro Valley.
Detectives say Vasquez apparently went to North Richmond for a drug transaction. An altercation occurred with the suspects and one of them shot Vasquez. The juveniles fled the scene. During the investigation, Detectives identified the juvenile suspects who were both arrested this afternoon in Richmond. They were booked into Juvenile Hall on charges that include murder, robbery, conspiracy and participating in a gang. The suspects are not being identified; they are 15 and 17 years old.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with any information on this case is asked to contact the Investigation Division at (925) 313-2600. For any tips, please email: 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 Thursday, November 29, 2018, at about 7:14 AM, a motorist reported to Sheriff’s Office Dispatch that there was a person lying on the roadway along Crockett Boulevard between Cummings Skyway and Pomona Avenue. Crockett Fire Department responded to the location and later pronounced the person deceased at the scene. It appeared the person suffered a gunshot wound.
Homicide detectives from the Office of the Sheriff launched an investigation into the killing. They later identified the victim as 30-year-old DeMichael James Gandy-Williams of Vacaville. During their follow-up, detectives contacted investigators at the Fairfield Police Department.
Sheriff’s Office detectives later went to a motel on the 4300 block of Central Place in Fairfield to interview a person about the killing. The person was later determined to be the suspect in the murder of Gandy-Williams. The suspect refused to come out of the motel room. At about 4:40 PM, the detectives requested assistance from the Fairfield Police Department, which sent patrol officers and the SWAT Team to the location. The suspect surrendered peacefully at about 9:26 PM and was arrested by Sheriff’s Office Detectives.
The suspect is identified as 46-year-old Toriano Collier of Vallejo/Napa. He was interviewed and later booked into the Martinez Detention Facility on the following charges: murder, felon in possession of a firearm, and probation violation. He is being held without bail.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with any information on this case is asked to contact the Investigation Division at (925) 313-2600. For any tips, please email: tips@so.cccounty.us or call 866-846-3592 to leave an anonymous voice message.
Read MoreArtist’s rendering of a CyberTran vehicle and station with overhead solar panels generating the power to operate the system.
Dexter Vizinau, President of the Richmond, California-based CyberTran International, will be participating in a panel discussion at the innovative transportation conference, known as Infraday West on Wednesday, Dec. 5 in Los Angeles at the Intercontinental Hotel. Infraday West Agenda 12-5-18
The conference is described as “projects meet money, policy, innovation, risk in a powerful single day event uniting the leaders in the public and private infrastructure sectors in talks around funding, developing and maintaining infrastructure projects in the U.S.”
It is expected to be “a powerful one-day forum uniting over 300 senior infrastructure executives. Local, State and Federal authorities will unite with some of the top financiers, consultants, constructors, engineers and technology innovators to discuss new opportunities and challenges facing the market.”
The panel discussion in which Vizinau will participate, to be held from 3:00-3:45 p.m. is entitled, Delivering Mega-Rail Projects in California and Beyond – Opportunities and Challenges. It will also include the following panelists: Doug Johnson, Transportation Planning Manager, San Francisco Planning Department; Craig Covil, Chief Development Officer, Gavio+Halmar; Kevin Sheridan, Director of Capital Projects, San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission / Altamont Corridor Express; Elizabeth Lun, Interim Deputy Chief Operating Officer, Planning and Project Delivery, Metrolink; and Carl Holmes, Assistant General Manager of Planning, Development & Construction, BART.
“This is an excellent opportunity for our company to let decision-makers and others in the infrastructure industry know of our low-cost, electric, solar-powered transit system being developed, here in the eastern San Francisco Bay Area,” said Vizinau. “We look forward to sharing with them about our disruptive, American-made technology and help influence the direction of the discussion and market.”
The CyberTran system has already been built and tested and is the most advanced of all innovative transit systems being developed in the U.S., that have not yet been deployed. The company won a national contest by the Federal Highway Administration in 2015 and to date, has been granted seven patents during the final phase of system development. CyberTran’s strategic partners include the Lawrence Berkeley and Livermore Labs, U.C. Berkeley and the Partnership for Advanced Transportation & Highways (PATH).
CyberTran will be hosting a booth at the conference. To learn more, either stop by or visit www.cybertran.com.
Note: The publisher of the Contra Costa Herald has a financial interest in CyberTran International.
Read MorePharmacist Jonathan Szkotak.
By Scott Alonso, Public Information Officer, Office of the District Attorney, Contra Costa County
The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office charged defendant Jonathan Szkotak with one felony count of second-degree robbery. On April 3, 2018, Szkotak allegedly went to a CVS pharmacy in Danville where he brandished a firearm at the pharmacy staff and demanded specific pills. Szkotak is a registered pharmacist with the California Board of Pharmacy. He works in Alameda County for the Alameda Alliance for Health.
Szkotak allegedly approached the pharmacy counter wearing a blue surgical mask and displayed a firearm. Given that he used a gun during the course of the robbery, our office charged Szkotak with a firearm enhancement.
CVS reported to the Drug Enforcement Agency a loss report of Clonazepam and Buprenorphine. In total, 17 tablets of Clonazepam were missing and 57 tablets of Buprenorphine (three different brands) as a result of the April 3rd robbery. Upon Szkotak’s arrest, the police found a quantity of crushed Buprenorphine in the defendant’s wallet.
Szkotak’s court appearance is January 14, 2019 in Martinez. He is out of custody on a $200,000 bond.
He was charged with the following: Second Degree Robbery – Enhancement 1, Personal Use of a Firearm
Case information: People v. Jonathan Szkotak, Docket Number 01-187866-9.
Read MoreArrested in Texas, awaiting extradition back to Contra Costa County
By Scott Alonso, Public Information Officer, Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office
On Wednesday, November 28, 2018, the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office charged 19-year-old Tristan Amir Curl, a resident of Oakley, California and a student living in Austin, Texas, with six felony counts of making criminal threats, one felony count of stalking and one felony count of threatening a school official.
The charges are a result of a two-month investigation by the Oakley Police Department, District Attorney’s Office and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) into a series of threats on social media. In September, several underage females were contacted by an unknown person on social media who was threatening to rape and kill them.
The same subject threatened to shoot students at Freedom High School in Oakley and then threatened to murder the school principal. Investigators subsequently identified Curl as the suspect and obtained an arrest warrant for him, which was approved by a Superior Court Judge in Contra Costa County.
On November 20, 2018, Curl was arrested in Austin, Texas where he attends college. The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office had a senior inspector in Austin to assist the Oakley Police Department with the arrest and collection of forensic evidence.
Curl remains in the custody of the Travis County, Texas Sheriff’s Department while awaiting extradition back to Contra Costa County. The Austin Police Department and FBI provided substantial assistance with the investigation.
Case information: People v. Curl, Dockett Number 01-187978-2
Read MoreScreenshot of an ABC7 News report shows the suspect’s vehicle following the collision which resulted in the driver’s death in San Pablo, Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2018.
By Jimmy Lee, Director of Public Affairs, Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff
This morning at about 12:01, a Deputy Sheriff initiated a traffic enforcement stop on a gold-colored Lexus in the area of San Pablo Dam Road and Mifflin Avenue in El Sobrante. The Lexus ran a red light and went through the intersection of San Pablo Dam Road and El Portal Drive at about 50 miles per hour.
The driver did not yield and led the Deputy on a pursuit. The suspect drove in excess of 100 miles per hour on city streets. The pursuit was terminated because of speeds. The Deputy shut off his patrol car’s emergency lights and siren.
Approximately 12 seconds later and after losing sight of the suspect vehicle, the Deputy came across the Lexus overturned in the area of San Pablo Avenue and Road 20 in San Pablo. The vehicle apparently rolled over several times before landing on its roof. The driver was unresponsive. Deputies attempted to render first-aid. The Fire Department and an ambulance also responded. The driver was later pronounced deceased at the scene. He is not being identified at this time.
The officer involved fatal incident protocol was invoked. This incident is being investigated by the District Attorney’s Office, Office of the Sheriff and San Pablo Police Department. It is not immediately known why the suspect fled from the Deputy Sheriff.
Anyone who has any information on this incident is asked to contact the Office of the Sheriff Investigation Division at (925) 313-2600. For any tips, please email: tips@so.cccounty.us or call 866-846-3592 to leave an anonymous voice message.
See more from a report by ABC7 News.
Read MoreBy Timothy Leong, Public Information Officer, Contra Costa Community College District
The Contra Costa Community College District (District) has decided to close all College and District operations on Tuesday, November 20th and Wednesday, November 21st. due to ongoing poor air quality. The District Office and Colleges (Contra Costa, Diablo Valley, San Ramon Campus, Los Medanos, and Brentwood Center) will resume regular operations on Monday, November 26th.
While the Bay Area Air Quality Management District is forecasting improved but fluctuating air quality over the next few days, the District has decided to err on the side of health concerns of its students and staff. The District has been closed since Thursday, November 15, 3:00 p.m., due to very unhealthy air quality in Contra Costa County.
Read More