Contra Costa Herald

Charged with access device fraud in multi-district operation

California has reported loss of over $22 million due to EBT theft in first quarter of 2024, robbing low-income families of funds to buy food

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

OAKLAND – Three individuals were charged with the use of unauthorized access devices were filed this week, announced United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey and United States Secret Service (“USSS”) – San Francisco Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Shawn Bradstreet.

The three defendants—Petrica Mosneagu, 44; Ionut Sopirla, 38; and Virgil Tudorascu, 42, all of Romania—were charged with stealing Electronic Benefit Transfer (“EBT”) account information and making fraudulent cash withdrawals at ATMs using that stolen EBT information in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1029(a)(2). The defendants were arrested in a multi-district, USSS-led operation, which resulted in several arrests this week, including in the Southern District of California.

According to the public criminal complaints, law enforcement agencies have been investigating EBT theft across California for the past fourteen months. The complaints allege that the California Department of Social Services has identified that approximately $22.8 million has been stolen from victim EBT card beneficiaries from January to March 2024 in California, including in the Northern District of California. Most of these stolen funds have been obtained by unauthorized ATM withdrawals. Furthermore, the complaints allege that victims of the scheme are largely low-income families who depend on EBT benefits to buy food and other household necessities.

The complaints allege that the defendants fraudulently withdrew cash with “cloned” cards, which are debit cards, gift cards, or other devices with magnetic strips that have been encoded with information from legitimate EBT cards. The account holders’ account information was primarily “skimmed” at ATMs or point-of-sale terminals. Skimming devices recorded victim account holder account information on the magnetic strips and log their PINs through keypad overlays. Once skimmed, the victim account holders’ account information was then loaded onto blank or repurposed debit cards, which the defendants then used to withdraw cash or make purchases.

If convicted, each defendant face a maximum statutory sentence of ten years in prison on each charge. 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.

Defendants Mosneagu and Sopirla made their initial appearances Tuesday morning in Oakland and will appear for their detention hearings on April 10, 2024, before the Honorable Kandis A. Westmore. Defendant Tudorascu made his initial appearance Thursday morning and will also appear for his detention hearing on April 10, 2024.

Criminal complaints only allege that crimes have been committed, and each defendant must be presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexis James and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Glimcher are prosecuting these cases, with the help of Katie Turner and Kay Konopaske. These prosecutions are the result of an investigation by the USSS, California Department of Social Services, U.S. Department of Agriculture – Office of Inspector General, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), San Francisco Human Services Agency – Special Investigations Unit, Pleasant Hill PD, Richmond PD, Oakland PD, Berkeley PD, Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, Romanian National Police, and U.S. Secret Service Bucharest.

Award for Exemplary Community Service, East County Educator Award, Spirit Award

By Juliet V. Casey, Director of Marketing, Los Medanos College

Los Medanos College (LMC) is pleased to announce honorees of the 2024 César Chávez: Honoring a Legacy Awards Celebration. Honorees will receive recognition at 5 p.m. on Friday, April 5 in the Student Union Conference Center, 2700 E. Leland Road in Pittsburg.

This event celebrates the life of labor leader and human rights activist César Chávez and recognizes East Contra Costa County community members who follow his example of service, activism, and non-violent social change. Event details are posted at www.losmedanos.edu/chavez.

This year’s honorees:

Concepcion James, chair of United Latino Voices of Contra Costa County, earned the César Chávez Award for Exemplary Community Service forher long-standing commitment to service and for demonstrating the core values modeled by César Chávez: Service to Others, Sacrifice, Help the Most Needy, Determination, Non-Violence, Acceptance of All People, Respect for Life and the Environment, Celebrating Community, Knowledge, and Innovation.

Rosa Armendáriz, interim dean of Equity & Inclusion at LMC, and Jessica Linares Boyle, Puente counselor at LMC, earned the East County Educator Award for demonstrating the qualities of César Chávez and a commitment to student success and equity, particularly for students of color and those from low-income families.

Teyoltlahui Gonzalez, a student leader from Pittsburg High School and Gabriel Perez-Cano, a student leader from LMC, earned the César Chávez Spirit Award in recognition of their efforts over the past year to affected change through advocacy and social justice.

About Los Medanos College (LMC): LMC is one of three colleges in the Contra Costa Community College District, serving the East Contra Costa County community. Established in 1974, LMC has earned federal designations as a Minority-Serving and Hispanic-Serving institution. It offers award-winning transfer and career-technical programs support services, and diverse academic opportunities in an inclusive learning environment. With exceptional educators, innovative curriculum, growing degree and certificate offerings, and state-of-the-art facilities, the college prepares students to succeed in their educational pursuits, in the workforce, and beyond. LMC’s Pittsburg Campus is located on 120 acres bordering Antioch, with an additional education center in Brentwood.

Get free passes for donating to Maya Community Foundation

By Greg Heckman, Director of Marketing, Maya Cinemas

Maya Cinemas, known for developing movie theatres in underserved communities with state-of-the-art presentation, first-class amenities and community involvement, is offering free movies passes for donations to the Maya Community Foundation. Beginning on April 1st and running through April 15th, movie-goers can make a donation at any Maya Cinema and receive 1 free movie passes (valid 4/1/24 – 5/15/24) for every $10 they donate and 3 passes for every $25. One hundred percent of donations will be granted as college scholarships to members of the communities surrounding the theaters. Scholarship applications are live at wearemaya.org/scholarship-applications.html and will be open until May 30th.

The Maya Community Foundation is dedicated to the development and enrichment of the lives of people in the community in which Maya Cinemas’ theatres serve. The foundation is dedicated to fostering and supporting under-served, low-income communities through a variety of programs.

Donations can be made in-theatre at any of Maya’s six locations:

Pittsburg, CA – 4085 Century Boulevard

Salinas, CA – 153 Main Street

Delano, CA – 401 Woollomes Avenue

Fresno, CA – 3090 East Campus Pointe Drive

Bakersfield, CA – 1000 California Avenue

North Las Vegas, NV – 2195 North Las Vegas Blvd.

“Support of higher education is an important building block. The Maya Community Foundation and Maya Cinemas endeavors to enrich the community through several efforts with education being a primary focus.” said Heidi Garcia, Maya Community Foundation.

ABOUT MAYA CINEMAS

Maya Cinemas was chartered in 2000 with a mission to develop, build, own and operate modern, first-run, multi-plex movie theaters in underserved, family oriented, Latino-dominant communities.  Maya Cinemas offers first-run Hollywood movies and unique content through its Canal Maya program in high-end theaters focused on quality of design, state-of-the-art film presentation technology, and providing first-rate entertainment with superior customer service.  The Maya Community Foundation is dedicated to the development and enrichment of the lives of people in the community in which Maya Cinemas serve.

Sacramento, CA – March 28, 2024 – After immense pressure from California Senate Republicans, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has finally listened and is scrapping the income-based utility bill scheme proposed by California’s largest utilities, which came to fruition as a result of Assembly Bill 205 (2022). The non-elective commission released a flat fixed rate proposal, with reduced charges for low-income customers, and is expected to vote on it on May 9, 2024. (See related article)

“I’m cautiously optimistic to see that CPUC’s preliminary decision on a new fixed-rate plan for electrical billing includes a flat rate rather than one of the ludicrous income-based charges that had been proposed,” said Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones (R-San Diego). “I’m looking deeper into the proposal and studying how it will affect my constituents and ratepayers across the state. Still, I hope this may be a compromise Californians can live with. At the same time, I anticipate that electricity rates will continue to be a huge affordability issue in California, even under this new flat rate proposal.”

“As vice chair of the Senate Energy, Utility and Communications Committee, l have strongly advocated for affordable and reliable energy for Californians, but the majority party’s misguided approach has been driving up the rates for years,” said Senator Brian Dahle (R-Bieber). “This income-based utility scheme was another disastrous measure. I appreciate the CPUC heeding Republicans’ advice to pause this nonsensical bill, and I will continue to work tirelessly with my colleagues to make energy reform a reality in our state.”

The CPUC’s fixed rate proposal has a 20-day comment period and is eligible for a vote at the next CPUC public meeting on May 9, 2024.

California Senate Republicans have been leading the fight against the income-based electricity charge after Capitol Democrats rammed it through budget trailer bill AB 205 in 2022. In 2023, and as recent as January 2024, Senate Democrats thwarted Senate Republicans’ efforts to provide Californians a lifeline by repealing AB 205. Additionally, this year, Senate Minority Leader Jones and the entire Senate Republican Caucus introduced SB 1326 to repeal the income-based fixed charge mandated by AB 205. Click here to learn more about the caucus’ efforts.

After immense pressure from California Senate Republicans, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has finally listened and is scrapping the income-based utility bill scheme, which came to fruition as a result of Assembly Bill 205 (2022). The non-elective commission released a flat fixed rate proposal and is expected to vote on it on May 9, 2024.

Daniel Garcia and one of the exploded pipebombs he tossed during the police chase on Oct. 29, 2023. Photos: SFPD & SFPOA

From SF to Martinez last October

San Francisco, CA – San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced on Thursday, March, 28, 2024, that her office secured a conviction of Daniel Garcia (42), of Concord, after a trial by jury for detonating explosive devices and leading police on a high-speed chase from San Francisco to the East Bay.  Mr. Garcia was convicted of three counts of detonating an explosive device with intent to injure, (PC 18740), four counts of possession of an explosive device (PC 18710) and one count of evading an officer with willful disregard for people or property (VC2800.2(a)).

“I would like to thank the jury for their service in this case,” said DA Jenkins. “The jury’s verdict holds Mr. Garcia accountable for his brazen lawlessness which endangered countless lives, including San Francisco police officers who bravely pursued him in the face of explosive devices being thrown at them.”

According to testimony and other evidence presented at trial, on October 29, 2023, Mr. Garcia drove from his home in Concord to San Francisco and attended the 5pm mass at St. Peter and Paul Cathedral.  During mass, he confronted a parishioner and accused him of ripping his shorts and demanded $50 from the parishioner. The parishioner, who was kneeling in prayer, tried to ignore Mr. Garica who then punched him twice on the side of head, knocking him unconscious.

Mr. Garcia then fled the church and went to his car followed by parishioners who called 911. Mr. Garcia then got in his car and drove away as Police arrived. Two police cars, with three total officers inside, tried to pull over Mr. Garcia for further investigation.  Instead of complying, Mr. Garcia slowed down and tossed a pipe bomb strapped to a 40-ounce bottle of gasoline out of his window into the path of the officers.  He then sped away and the pipe bomb exploded, engulfing a police vehicle in a fireball.

San Francisco Police chased Mr. Garcia as he sped through city streets, running stop signs, red lights, and driving on road shoulders toward the Bay Bridge. At the intersection of 8th Street and Mission Street, Mr. Garcia threw a second pipe bomb strapped to a 40-ounce bottle of gasoline which again exploded.

The pursuit continued onto the Bay Bridge and into the East Bay. The chase eventually included three SFPD vehicles, three California Highway Patrol vehicles, and a helicopter. Mr. Garcia eventually failed to navigate a turn in Martinez and blew out his tire. He continued driving until the wheel literally fell off at which point he finally pulled over and surrendered.  A third pipe bomb strapped to a 40 oz. bottle of gasoline was found in his vehicle.  Garcia said he was trying to get home to Concord to barricade himself inside with the last bomb and quipped to the officers “How many GTA stars do you think I had?” which is a reference to the video game Grand Theft Auto where you earn stars based on your threat level and how many police officers are chasing you.

Garcia’s home in Concord was subsequently searched, and all of the materials used to make the pipe bombs were located there including four additional 40-ounce bottles filled with gasoline.  Garcia admitted on the stand he had built the three bombs in his home the three days prior to using them in San Francisco.

The case against Mr. Garcia was successfully prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Edward Mario, with assistance from District Attorney Investigator Gino Guerrero, paralegals Melissa Cruz, David Ma, and Jennifer Java and Victim Advocate Tony Leung who worked closely with the victims throughout the pendency of this case. Prosecutors were able to develop a strong case against Mr. Garcia because of the outstanding investigation of the San Francisco Police Department’s Arson Task Force.

“Mr. Garcia time and again placed civilians and law enforcement in danger by choosing to construct dangerous explosive devices, transport them to San Francisco, and then explode them on city streets, not to mention assaulting an innocent man while he prayed in church,” said Assistant District Attorney Edward Mario. “Mr. Garcia has shown no remorse for his actions, but the jury’s verdict ensures that he will face accountability for his unprompted violent and reckless behavior.”

Mr. Garcia is currently in custody pending sentencing. Prior to sentencing, the court will hear and rule on an outstanding allegation that Mr. Garcia committed these offenses while on bail for another felony matter in another county.  He faces up to fourteen years in state prison for his crimes. Sentencing is scheduled for April 23, 2024. Court Number: 23017823

According to the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department, Garcia was charged with the following crimes:

211 PC/F/2 SECOND DEGREE ROBBERY;

245(a)(1) PC/F ASSAULT WITH A DEADLY WEAPON-NOT A FIREARM;

three counts of 69(a) PC/F THREAT TO EXECUTIVE OFFICER;

three counts of 187(a) PC/F/1 MURDER Attempted Crime;

three counts of 12305 HS/F POSSESSION OF AN EXPLOSIVE;

2800.2(a) VC/F EVADING AN OFFICER WITH WILLFUL DISREGARD;

18715(a) PC/F POSSESSION OF A DESTRUCTIVE DEVICE IN PUBLIC PLACES;

18755(a) PC/F EXPLOSION CAUSING DEATH;

six counts of 18745 PC/F EXPLOSION OF DESTRUCTIVE DEVICE WITH INTENT TO MURDER;

21453(a) VC/I FAILURE TO STOP AT A RED LIGHT;

148(a)(1) PC/M RESISTING, OBSTRUCTING, DELAYING OF A PEACE OFFICER OR EMT;

five counts of 18740 PC/F EXPLOSION OF DESTRUCTIVE DEVICE WITH INTENT TO INJURE;

three counts of 18725(a) PC/F CARRYING AN EXPLOSIVE IN A PASSENGER VEHICLE FOR HIRE;

three counts of 18710(a) PC/F POSSESSION OF A DESTRUCTIVE DEVICE;

two counts of 18715(a) PC/F POSSESSION OF A DESTRUCTIVE DEVICE IN PUBLIC PLACES; and

453(a) PC/F POSSESSION OR MANUFACTURE OF COMBUSTIBLE MATERIAL OR INCENDIARY DEVICE.

NBC Bay Area previously reported Garcia was charged in 2011 with possession and use of explosive devices.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

Source: Kaiser Permanente

“…it’s important that people with average risk get screened starting at age 45” -Kaiser Permanente Antioch Medical Center Gastroenterologist Arun Suryaprasad, MD

By Antonia Ehlers, PR and Media Relations, Kaiser Permanente Northern California

Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men and women, and it’s the second most common cause of overall cancer deaths.

More young people are also getting diagnosed with the disease. In 2021, the recommended screening age for colorectal cancer was lowered to 45 by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

“With more young people being diagnosed with colorectal cancer, it’s important that people with average risk get screened starting at age 45,” said Kaiser Permanente Antioch Medical Center Gastroenterologist Arun Suryaprasad, MD. “Regular screening saves lives, and it can prevent cancer altogether by finding precancerous growths. At Kaiser Permanente, we encourage our members to keep up with their health screenings.”

March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness month, and a good time to remember the importance of routine screenings.

“Colon cancer rarely has symptoms,” Suryaprasad said. “Most patients with colon cancer have no symptoms at all. Early detection is key.”

Suryaprasad is a proponent of the highly effective FIT (fecal immunochemical) test. It is a simple test that is safely done in the comfort of patients’ homes.

“Since launching our Kaiser FIT outreach program, where more than 80% of Kaiser Permanente members are getting colon cancer screenings done every year, we have reduced colon cancer deaths by 52 percent and have prevented the incidence of colon cancer by 26 percent,” Suryaprasad noted.

As long as FIT tests remain negative, they can be repeated every year for screening. Another at-home stool test offered by Kaiser Permanente is Cologuard testing. This stool test can be done once every three years, as long as it remains negative. Cologuard measures various types of stool DNA.

“If a patient has a positive FIT test or a positive Cologuard test, we recommend a follow-up colonoscopy exam,” Suryaprasad explained. “Colonoscopies are usually done every 10 years, but they may be done sooner if precancerous growths called polyps are removed.”

Earlier and more frequent screening might be recommended for those with a family history of colorectal cancer, who have certain health conditions or hereditary syndromes and who are at increased risk for colorectal cancer. Suryaprasad said maintaining a healthy weight with diet and exercise is extremely important.

“Smoking increases your risk of colon cancer,” he said. “If you smoke, quit. If you don’t smoke, don’t start. In addition, high processed foods, red meat, and processed meats such as hotdogs and deli meat can also increase your risk for colon cancer. A diet high in fruits, vegetables and fiber keeps your colon healthy. Reducing alcohol also decreases your risk of colon cancer.”

According to Suryaprasad, the death rate from colorectal cancer has been dropping for several decades. A statistic he credits to people doing their routine screenings.

“Colorectal polyps are now being found more often by screening and removed before they can develop into cancers,” he said. “By encouraging colon cancer screening, we will continue to see this reduction in colon cancer. Colorectal cancer screening saves lives.”

The total number of layoffs won’t be finalized by the school board until May

WCCUSD says preliminary layoffs due to county Office of Education directive for “fiscal solvency”

By Monica Velez, EdSource.org

Dozens of educators in the West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) will be laid off in the upcoming school year, including grant-funded positions the district can’t afford to absorb.

The district plans to eliminate 104 positions, nearly 40 of those grant-funded, according to district officials. Assistant principals, instructional specialists, psychologists, bilingual paraprofessionals, academic support providers, special education and general education teachers are among the positions being eliminated.

Although some educators received preliminary layoff notices on March 15, the board won’t finalize the total number of eliminations until May, officials said. Some of the eliminated positions were already vacant.

“We understand the community’s concerns about the impact of these layoffs on classroom staffing,” district spokesperson Raechelle Forrest said in an email. “It is important to note that the district is committed to hiring and maintaining qualified and credentialed individuals and that classroom teachers have not received preliminary notices.”

The school board approved layoffs at a meeting earlier this month. Dozens of parents, educators and students spoke during the public comment period, pleading with the board to vote against the layoffs. In particular, many people spoke about the importance of school community outreach worker positions that will be eliminated.

School community outreach workers serve as liaisons between schools and families. Many of those workers are bilingual and can help with translations and teaching non-English speaking parents and students how to navigate the school system. Outreach workers also connect families with resources and can help facilitate meetings when there are language barriers.

Outreach workers were among the grant-funded positions district officials said they couldn’t afford to keep without the extra money. The district would need about $9.4 million to keep the nearly 40 positions that are being axed, district data showed. Many of the positions relying on grant money provided extra support for students: bilingual instructional aides, graduate tutors, coordinators, academic support providers and bilingual paraprofessionals.

In the 2022-23 school year, nearly 32% of students in West Contra Costa Unified were English learners, according to data from the California Department of Education. The percentage of English learners in the district who became fluent in English has dropped significantly since 2018, data shows, dropping from nearly 13% to about 3% in the 2020-21 school year, the most recent data available.

The majority of English learners speak Spanish, about 27% or nearly 8,000 students in the 2022-23 school year. About 30,000 students are enrolled in West Contra Costa Unified.

During public comment, parents and teachers spoke about the vital role outreach workers have for schools and the community. Without them, people contemplated how some families would continue to stay engaged in school communities.

Educators were also outspoken about how the lack of staffing in schools has been affecting learning. Because of larger classes, there are fewer one-on-one opportunities; there’s an uptick in behavioral issues in classes with consistent substitutes, and teachers are losing prep periods in order to fill in for other classes. One student said he hasn’t had permanent teachers in core classes in recent years and, as a result, he hasn’t learned much.

Three complaints were filed with West Contra Costa Unified earlier this year alleging some schools failed to provide students with qualified teachers. The complaints also allege there’s been a pattern of filling vacancies with long-term substitutes, which attorneys at Public Advocates, a nonprofit civil rights law firm, say is illegal.

WCCUSD Says Preliminary Layoffs Due to County Office of Education Directive for “Fiscal Solvency”

Dr. Kenneth Chris Hurst, WCCUSD Superintendent and all five board trustees were asked via email for their perspective.

In response, Forrest, the district’s Interim Communications Director, wrote, “It’s important to clarify that the recent preliminary staff layoff notices are not due to declining enrollment or a shift in priorities, but rather a response to the directive from the Contra Costa County Office of Education to improve our fiscal solvency. We are making difficult decisions with complete transparency and integrity, striving to reduce the impact on classrooms.”

“While it’s true that positions are being eliminated, we are working to retain as many positions as possible, such as SCOWS (School Community Outreach Workers) and music teachers, by making cuts in other areas of the budget,” she continued. “We also want to clarify that while 104 employees received layoff notices, it is inaccurate to state that 104 positions were affected. Of the positions, 58.9 positions were vacant.”

“We want to clarify that SCOWS and music teachers were not included in the RIFs (Reductions in Force) approved by the WCCUSD School Board,” Forrest added.

Monica Velez covers West Contra Costa Unified school district, student well-being and math.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

U.S. Marshals and Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Deputies on the scene of the arrest on Almondwood Drive in Antioch on Wed., March 27, 2024. Photo by Allen D. Payton

Wanted by Pittsburg Police, has history of arrests

By Allen D. Payton

On Wednesday morning, March 27, 2024, the U.S. Marshals Service with the help of Contra Costa Sheriff’s Deputies arrested a wanted fugitive, Timothy Demetrius Jeffrey of Antioch, on Almondwood Drive in Antioch for escaping federal custody. According to a resident who lives in the neighborhood officers could be heard yelling through a loudspeaker, “You are surrounded. Come out with your hands up.”

According to Abigail Meyer of the United States Marshals Service Office of Public Affairs, “The Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force (PSWRFTF) arrested Timothy Jeffrey, 43, on both his federal Supervised Release Violation warrant and Pittsburg PD Failure to Appear (FTA) warrant, the original charges for both were distribution of dangerous drugs. In addition, his FTA included charges for felon in possession of a firearm, possession of large capacity magazine, and resisting arrest.

The PSWRFTF requested assistance from local law enforcement and a Contra Costa Sheriff’s K9 officer assisted with the rear perimeter.”

According to localcrimenews.com, Jeffrey was arrested by Pittsburg Police on April 25, 2023 for the aforementioned charges. He had previously been arrested on Feb. 29, 2016, by the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department for federal (21 U.S. Code Section 846) attempt  and conspiracy charges. Jeffrey was also arrested in Jan. 2010 by the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Department for vehicle theft.

According to the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, the five-foot, 11-inch, 200-pound suspect who is Black, (born 4/24/80) is being held in Santa Rita County Jail in Dublin on no bail.

Max Hayworth and Danielle Kumerow in a Facebook post on May 24, 2022. Source: Kumerow’s Facebook page. (No photo could be located of the suspect arrested)

Maxwell Michael Hayworth, Danielle Kumerow are wanted for burglary, narcotics violations, possession of an explosive device, child endangerment.

By Jimmy Lee, Director of Public Affairs, Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office

On Tuesday, March 26, 2024, at about 9:52AM, detectives from the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office served a search warrant at a residence on the 800 block of Shasta Daisy Drive in Brentwood.

During the search, they found a DMT (Dimethyltryptamine) manufacturing laboratory. While processing the lab, a team from the Contra Costa Hazardous Materials Program found a possible explosive compound stored in three containers.

The Walnut Creek Police Department Bomb Squad responded to the location. Officers suspected the compound was TATP (Triacetone Triperoxide), which is a highly volatile explosive compound. It was determined that two of the containers could be moved to another location for detonation, while one needed to be detonated in place. Nearby residents were evacuated.

The three containers were later detonated without incident. One person was arrested: 29-year-old Jonathan Thomas McCarthy (born 2/18/95) of either Oakley or San Jose. He was booked into the Martinez Detention Facility for an outstanding arrest warrant for parolee at large. The Sheriff’s Office is still looking for two suspects:

-44-year-old Maxwell Michael Hayworth of Brentwood

-42-year-old Danielle Kumerow of Brentwood

Both are wanted for burglary, narcotics violations, possession of an explosive device, and child endangerment.

The six-foot, two-inch, 230-pound McCarthy is currently at the West County Detention Facility and his next court appearance is scheduled for May 14, 2024, at 8:00 a.m. at an out of county court. According to recentlybooked.com, he was also arrested in Napa County on Sept. 19, 2023 for a probation violation.

According to localcrimenews.com, Hayworth was arrested by the CCC Sheriff’s Department on Jan. 10, 2024, for multiple weapons drug charges. He was arrested again on March 13, 2024, by Martinez Police for drug possession and burglary. But he bonded out of custody the next day.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with any information on this incident or the location of the suspects is asked to contact the 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.

The Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the following agencies for their assistance: Walnut Creek Police Department Bomb Squad, Brentwood Police Department, FBI, JTTF (Joint Terrorism Task Force), Con Fire, AMR, and Contra Costa Hazardous Materials Program.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

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