By Adam Lane, PIO, CHP-Contra Costa
Last night, April 8, 2023, at 8:22pm, a CHP Contra Costa Officer was conducting an enforcement stop on a Chevrolet on the right shoulder of southbound Hwy 242, south of Hwy 4. The Officer was standing near the Chevrolet when a Mercedes traveling southbound veered from the roadway and struck the rear of the Chevrolet. The force of the crash caused the Chevrolet to strike the Officer standing near it.
Our Officer was transported to the hospital where she was treated for her injuries and later released. She is expected to make a full recovery. The driver of the Chevrolet suffered potential minor injuries and was transported to the hospital. The driver of the Mercedes sustained no injuries and was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs.Traffic was blocked in all westbound lanes of Hwy 4 from the Hwy 242 interchange to east of the Port Chicago Highway offramp causing a back-up on the freeway until about 8:55 p.m.
Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.
Read MoreFollowing search in Antioch, arrest in Modesto
By Ted Asregadoo, PIO, Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office
A Pittsburg man faces a four-count felony complaint related to the murder of a convenience store clerk on March 22nd. (See related articles here, here and here)
37-year-old Gregory Rossignon of Pittsburg has been charged by the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office with the murder of 44-year-old Abdul Raouf. Rossignon also faces a charge of discharging a firearm with gross negligence, dissuading a witness by force or threats, and possession of a firearm with prior felony convictions. The murder charge comes with an enhancement for the intentional discharge of a weapon that killed Mr. Raouf and special allegations related to Rossignon’s prior felony offenses.
The incident occurred around 9:40 pm at the E-Z Stop Convenience Food shop on Power Avenue in Pittsburg. An argument between Rossignon’s girlfriend and another employee at the shop occurred. A short time after the disagreement between the clerk and Rossignon’s girlfriend, Rossignon entered the store and shot Raouf – who was not involved in the argument. He died at the scene. Police located and arrested Rossignon in Modesto on April 5th and booked him into the Martinez Detention Facility. His arraignment is set for April 10th in Martinez at 1:30 pm.
The Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office thanks the law enforcement and investigative work of the Pittsburg Police Department in this case.
Case No. 04-23-00555 | The People of the State of California vs. Rossignon, Gregory
Read MoreUnion president included; Thorpe wants review of all complaints over last 6 to 8 years
By Allen D. Payton
According to an East Bay Times article published Friday evening, April 7, 2023, Contra Costa Superior Court Judge Clare Maier, while adjudicating a felony case of suspects arrested by Antioch Police, released the names of 17 officers who are “accused of using racist slurs, jokes and memes in text messages over a period of more than two years.” In addition, Contra Costa District Attorney Diana Becton announced on Friday that the judge ruled to have the texts released to the defense in that case.
In response, Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe posted a Facebook Live video on his official page, Saturday afternoon, April 8, 2023, expressing his “profound disappointment” with the officers and called for an independent audit. He specifically called out the Antioch Police Officers Association (APOA) union president, Lt. Rick Hoffman for being included.
According to the Times’ report, the other officers named include Devon Wenger, Eric Rombough, Andrea Rodriguez, Calvin Prieto, Morteza Amiri who already have been placed on leave amid the FBI investigation. The list also includes Joshua Evans, Jonathan Adams, Scott Duggar, Robert Gerber, Thomas Smith, Brock Marcotte, Aaron Hughes, Brayton Milner, John Ramirez and Kyle Smith, as well as Tim Manly who resigned from the department.
Thorpe’s Remarks
After thanking those who offered their condolences for the recent passing of his father, reading from prepared remarks Thorpe said, “On Friday afternoon, Contra Costa Superior Court Judge Clare Maier released the names of 17 Antioch police officers who allegedly were unafraid to use racist language.
There are no words to express my profound disappointment especially given that one of the named officers serves as president of the Antioch Police Union.
While Antioch has worked hard to become one of the Bay Area’s most racially diverse cities, this will undoubtedly leave an embarrassing stain on our community.
The culture at the Antioch Police Department is a problem and has long been a huge legal and financial liability for the city, which is on full display today.
The culture at the department requires further exploration including how the hell all of this alleged misconduct could go on for so long without anyone on the command staff noticing– lieutenant and above.
Therefore, I’m calling for an independent investigation of the internal affairs process specifically looking at all complaints within the last six to eight years from the nature of complaints to their dispositions.
I am also seriously concerned about complaints that have not been investigated and are now outside of the statute of limitations. I want a complete review of that as well.
Moreover, we need a complete independent audit of our hiring and promotions practices so that the Council can implement measures to better root out individuals with certain biases. This idea was part of my original police reform package that I presented to the City Council in 2020 but has yet to be examined.
Lastly, our police-reform efforts to this point are missing the forest for the trees because this is about culture. I agree with Vice Mayor Tamisha Torres-Walker on conducting some kind of police equity audit of the Antioch Police Department to measure bias in our enforcement efforts and ultimately pursue measures that help eliminate racist policies, practices, and behaviors.
We will hold anyone accountable that has allowed this culture to continue whether you’ve been here for a year or 20 years, and regardless of your rank.
In my first 30 days in office, I had to deal with two in-custody deaths; in less than a year, a failed recall effort fueled by the idea of protecting the police department; then in year two I was hauled into the DA’s office to be briefed about a very serious FBI investigation of the Antioch Police Department; and now, on year three we’re dealing with alleged racism.
Our culture of acceptance is wrong. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it.
The fact of the matter is that our goal of a strong police department will not materialize until every resident in our city regardless of race and socio-economic background can feel that they have a trusting relationship with our police officers.
If you’re a supporter of law enforcement, you should support these reforms as they help separate officers who are committed to the badge and have played by the rules and those who have no business being police officers.”
One thing the mayor said was incorrect. One of the two in-custody deaths he referred to was Angelo Quinto’s. However, he died in the hospital three days after the incident with police and was not in police custody at the time. (See related article)
Mayor Pro Tem Torres-Walker Responds
In a post on her official Facebook page Saturday afternoon, Mayor Pro Tem Tamisha Torres-Walker shared a link to the Times’ article and wrote, “We can no longer be bystanders and action must be taken to correct this culture of racism and anti-blackness in policing starting with Antioch.
I haven’t seen any of the text messages referenced in this article and to be honest I’m not sure I want to. What I will say is that my peers on the City Council and the community at large should take these miscarriages of justice seriously.
I also want to take a moment to acknowledge those in the Antioch police department who work hard every day to provide none bias policing service to our community as public safety continues to be our primary concern moving forward.”
In a previous message posted on Thursday, Torres-Walker wrote, “Antioch Police Union Attorney Rains criticized Mayor Lamar Thorpe’s press conference for allegedly violating the right to confidentially and due process for a few officers suspected of crimes against the public while entrenched in a culture of racism.
Chief Ford has taken actions addressing recruitment, assessment, hiring, retention, promotion, and agency culture since April of last year which included a hefty incentive package to bring new talent with a community policing mindset that is culturally responsive.
Willful ignorance can no longer be the order of the day. We can address the public safety needs of Antioch residents, and lift those in law enforcement who are doing their best while holding their counterparts accountable for their roles in how we got here.
I trust my peers on the council to do what is best for the public at this time and the Leadership of Chief Ford.
I ask the public for grace, your prayers, and your support.
We will get through this together.”
No Responses Yet from Chief Ford, APOA Leadership, Two Other Councilmembers
Police Chief Steve Ford, the department’s PIO Ashley Crandell, Lt. Hoffman and the other APOA leadership were asked for the timeframe the texts were sent and for any other responses. In addition, the APOA’s attorney, Mike Rains and Councilmembers Monica Wilson, Lori Ogorchock and Mike Barbanica were also asked for responses to both the Times’ article and the mayor’s remarks.
APOA Attorney Responds
In response, APOA attorney Rains wrote, “I have been asked by several local television stations for comment, and I am telling everyone that I am not in a position to comment at the moment, because I have not seen any texts, and have not participated in discussions which the DA’s office has apparently had with the court and with counsel for the defendants in the underlying case. In retrospect, I would have liked to have been involved in such discussions, and believe the individual Officers have legal rights which I do not think were adequately considered, because they did not have a voice, either individually, or through counsel in the discussion. The Chief has ordered the commencement of an investigation of the most recent allegations by an ‘outside’ investigator, and the officers and our office plan to fully cooperate with the investigator and answer all questions.”
UPDATE: Barbanica Says There Must Be Accountability But Premature to Assume Anything Before Investigation is Complete
“Racist statements, racist comments at any level are wrong,” Barbanica stated. “However, I don’t know the content of these text messages. What we should be looking at here is, everyone is entitled to due process. It is premature to assume anything at this point until the investigation is complete. Let’s don’t lose sight that there are many hard-working men and women in the Antioch Police Department who are serving every day to protect this community and I don’t want to assume those under investigation are guilty of anything. If racist statements were made there must be accountability. Let’s wait and see what these texts actually say.”
None of the others responded prior to publication time.
Please check back later for any updates to this report.
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By Renée Saldaña, SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW)
Starting the week of April 10, healthcare workers at medical facilities across California, including Walnut Creek and Antioch, will hold events to speak out against the dangers of short staffing and the effects on patients and caregivers.
On Tuesday, a protest will be held at Kaiser Permanente in Walnut Creek from 11 am to 1 pm and on Wednesday, another protest will be held at Kaiser Permanent on Sand Creek Road in Antioch, also from 11 am to 1 pm.
“After years of understaffing and dealing with the pandemic, we are stretched thin and burnt out. Healthcare workers are leaving the field, and those of us who have stayed are doing the work of two or three people. We can’t give our patients the care they deserve without enough staff,” said Datosha Williams, a service representative at Kaiser Permanente. “We are calling on Kaiser to do what it takes to hire more caregivers so that we can deliver the best care possible for our patients.”
After three years of the COVID pandemic and chronic understaffing, healthcare workers are calling on management to provide safe staffing levels and additional support. Caregivers say that short-staffed hospitals can lead to long wait times, mistaken diagnoses, and neglect, making it harder to give patients quality care.
Even before the pandemic, California faced a massive shortage of allied healthcare workers to care for its aging population — as many as 65,000 workers annually, according to conservative estimates. The stress and the toil of fighting the pandemic has led many to leave the industry, creating a full-blown healthcare staffing and patient care crisis.
A survey of over 30,000 SEIU-UHW members, Crisis in Care, highlighted the short-staffing crisis in California, with 83% of responding healthcare workers saying their facility is understaffed. At the same time, healthcare corporations are reporting record profits.
Read More$45,000 Rolex watch stolen outside
By San Pablo Police Department
On March 3rd, 2023 at 4:19 p.m., officers responded to an armed robbery of a customer in front of the H Bee Jewelry store located in San Pablo Towne Center in San Pablo. The suspects fled the scene prior to officer’s arrival. San Pablo Detectives assumed the investigation and utilized surveillance cameras within San Pablo Towne Center and public safety cameras in the surrounding areas to identify Timothy Harvey, 19-year-old Vallejo resident, and Christopher Salmeron, 26-year-old San Francisco resident, as suspects in the crime. (See video)
Through the investigation it was learned the victim was inside H Bee Jewelry in possession of a Rolex wristwatch valued at $45,000. Salmeron was also inside the store and observed the victim wearing the Rolex. Salmeron subsequently contacted Harvey and planned the armed robbery as the victim left the store. Harvey arrived at the store with an unknown associate to confront the victim outside with an AR-15 style pistol. The suspects took the Rolex from the victim and fled the scene.
SPPD Detectives conducted weeks of surveillance to identify and locate Harvey and Salmeron. On the morning of April 5, 2023, Detectives with the assistance of the Contra Costa Safe Streets Task Force served search warrants at Harvey’s residence located in Rockwood Court, Vallejo, and Salmeron’s residence located in the 600 block of China Basin Street, San Francisco.
SPPD Detectives arrested Harvey at his home and was found in possession of the AR-15 style pistol inside which was believed to have been used in the robbery. Salmeron was arrested at his home wearing the victim’s Rolex and also in possession of a Glock-23 firearm. Both suspects were booked into Contra Costa County Jail on charges of robbery and conspiracy.
Detectives were able to return the Rolex to the victim who expressed appreciation for the exceptional police work conducted in this investigation.
After his watch was returned to him by Detective Perino, the owner, Michael Stropes, said, “I was blown away. It brought tears to my eyes. I never thought I’d see it again and I’m just overwhelmed.”
“Can’t thank you enough. Just phenomenal work,” he added.
“These investigations are difficult to investigate,” Perino said. “But with the support of our business community we had a successful outcome.”
“It’s so great to be able to return an item back to the victim,” the detective continued. “As a whole the Investigations Division did an excellent job, and we were able to get the item back to him.”
This is considered an active investigation and anyone with information in this case is encouraged to contact the San Pablo Police Investigations Unit at 510-215-3150.
Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.
Read MoreBy Oakley Police Department
On March 26, 2023 at 11:35PM Oakley Police Officer Hernandez saw a White 2008 Chrysler PT Cruiser driving with a false paper plate. Officer Hernandez attempted a traffic enforcement stop of the vehicle and it continued driving eastbound on E Cypress Road toward Rubens Way. The suspect stopped and started several times and Officer Hernandez engaged in a pursuit of that vehicle. The vehicle was pursued southbound on Rubens Way, and then turned eastbound onto Michelangelo Drive. The vehicle continued on Michelangelo Drive and turned around at the dead end of Michelangelo Drive where it intersects with Donatello Way. At this point Officer Hernandez saw a gun get thrown out of the passenger side window of the vehicle. The suspect vehicle continued and turned onto Matisse Court. At the end of Matisse Court a black male passenger jumped out of the vehicle and jumped a fence. The suspect vehicle turned back towards Michelangelo and continued to flee.
At this point we had additional officers in the area, and we minimally had two separate persons attempting to elude police officers. At least one firearm was known to be part of this situation and the threat to public safety was believed to be significant. Our officers were able to pursue after the fleeing male and the fleeing vehicle at the same time. In fairly short order we lost the fleeing male. Our officers momentarily lost the fleeing vehicle as it made a series of quick turns in the immediate area. One of our officers relocated the vehicle as he turned a corner, the vehicle was parked in front of a residence on Renoir Court, and it was unoccupied. We now had two suspects fleeing us in the neighborhood while on foot.
Our officers found Shante Kelley, age 34 from Oakley/Oakland, hiding behind trashcans on the side of a residence on Renoir Court. Our officers took Kelley into custody, without incident, after she balked and refused to initially comply with orders to come out from behind the trashcans. Our officers quickly developed information that Antonio Harris, age 35 from Hayward, was the passenger who had fled the vehicle earlier and focused their efforts on finding him. Our officers also focused on locating the firearm that was thrown from the vehicle and they found it in the area they had seen it tossed in. The firearm was determined to be another 9mm “ghost-gun” loaded with a standard capacity magazine and a full complement of live ammunition. A ghost gun is a firearm lacking manufacturer markings or serial numbers. As a reminder our officers last recovered a ghost gun on March 20, 2023.
Our officers continued their search for Harris throughout the night and at 4:55AM Officer Hernandez, again, saw Harris at the AM/PM at Cypress Road and Main Street. Officer Hernandez safely took Harris into custody. With Harris in custody it was determined he and Kelley were married. Further investigation revealed Harris has been previously convicted of crimes involving violence with firearms.
Kelley and Harris were arrested and booked for various crimes, including: failing to obey a traffic officer, resisting and obstructing officers, possession of a loaded firearm and possession of a firearm without serial numbers.
“Once again, I am finding myself in the position of being very proud of the members of the Oakley Police Department. My officers are consistently discharging their duties by seeking out people who are committing crimes to keep Oakley safe,” said Police Chief Paul Beard. “It is unknown what the end goal was for the suspects in this investigation but, given the fact one of them has a violent criminal past, and a ghost gun was in their possession, it is very clear they were a threat to the community. I appreciate the diligence that was exerted during this investigation, my officers were not content to give up until they did everything they could do to capture everybody involved in this incident and I applaud them.”
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“contain unambiguously and historically racist speech directed toward the suspects the officers were investigating.” – DA Diana Becton
By Allen D. Payton
Following a Friday, April 7th ruling by Contra Costa Superior Court Judge Clare M. Maier during a felony court case involving Antioch Police officers, racist texts exchanged by the officers and directed toward the suspects will be disclosed to the defense, District Attorney Diana Becton announced. Several Antioch officers are currently on paid leave and under investigation for alleged racist and other offensive texts, in addition to the remaining seven out of eight officers that have been under investigation by the FBI and DA’s Office since March 2022. One Antioch officer resigned, recently. (See related articles here and here)
According to Contra Costa DA’s Office PIO Ted Asregadoo, Judge Maier “oversaw the court procedure to balance the integrity of the Antioch Police Department and Pittsburg Police Department criminal investigation with the constitutional requirement of the disclosure of exculpatory information (i.e., info that is beneficial to a defendant) in criminally charged cases.”
Judge David E. Goldstein is the presiding judge in the felony case against Terryonn Pugh, 20; Eric Windom, 21; Keyshawn McGee, 22, Trent Allen, 20, et al, #01oo1976380.
Statement By DA Diana Becton on Disclosure of Racist Texts in Felony Case
“Today, Contra Costa Superior Court Judge Clare Maier ruled on the disclosure of information that centers on racist text messages exchanged by Antioch Police officers.
For over a year, the FBI and the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office have engaged in a joint federal and state criminal investigation of sworn law enforcement officers from the Antioch Police Department and Pittsburg Police Department. The broad range of offenses under investigation involve crimes of moral turpitude.
Due to the sensitivity and scope of the investigation, a court procedure was established to balance the integrity of the criminal investigation with the disclosure of exculpatory information (i.e., evidence that is beneficial to a defendant).
In accordance with legal precedent, the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office has been scrupulous in maintaining the balance as the court constructed.
Recently, additional information has come to light in which police misconduct directly overlaps and impacts a charged felony case.
The joint investigation with the FBI has revealed that Antioch Police officers exchanged text messages which contain unambiguously and historically racist speech directed toward the suspects the officers were investigating.
The racial animus expressed by officers in the recovered text messages trigger additional statutory concerns under the Racial Justice Act.
In seeking further direction from the court, the DA’s Office and the defense appeared in front of Judge Maier on April 4th to present information detailing the overlap of the officers’ misconduct and a charged felony case.
In her ruling today, Judge Maier said that the offensive texts in the two investigative reports shall be disclosed to the defense in the charged felony case. She added, the reports will be redacted to shield cell phone numbers and urged caution in the distribution of the language and images contained in the texts as they can spark more hatred toward Blacks and Latinos.
The integrity of the joint investigation and legal requirements for the disclosure of exculpatory evidence is of paramount importance to the District Attorney’s Office. Our office will continue to work tirelessly to ensure public trust and public safety for the residents of Contra Costa County.
Diana Becton
District Attorney, Contra Costa County”
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Fourth try for Season Opener
By Candice Martin, DCRR Racing Media
Antioch, CA…It seems like it’s been a broken record. It’s happened a total of six times this year, including the two practices that were scheduled before the original season opener on March 11th. Antioch Speedway has been rained out six times this year, including four races in a row.
As the rain let up after Wednesday last week, there might have been a chance to hustle to get the races in over the next couple of days, but the grounds were very saturated on Thursday. It didn’t start looking good out there until Saturday. The decision to cancel last week was a good move. It gives the crew and the staff time to make things right for this Saturday night’s races and Kid’s Easter Egg Hunt.
The Pacific Coast General Engineering Hobby Stocks will take center stage, joined by the Delta Dwarf Cars, BCRA Midgets and Lightning Sprints and the always fun to watch Hardtops. As if that’s not enough, the season will now open with an exciting Figure 8 race. There’s lots of excitement on the card for fans looking for their racing adrenaline rush.
Danny Wagner of Bay Point has competed in all sorts of divisions and been a winner in everything. The three-time Delta Dwarf Car champion has also won feature races in the Mini Trucks, IMCA Modifieds and Winged 360 Sprint Cars. During the off-season, Wagner built a Hobby Stock, and he debuted it at Merced Speedway last week with results you might expect from him. He picked up the feature win in his first start.
Whether Wagner goes for points or not, he is sure to be a force in Hobby Stocks anytime he’s there. There are some good Hobby Stock drivers looking to take it up a notch after last season, led by Jared Baugh of Pittsburg, Michaela Taylor of Oakley, Jewell Crandall of Antioch and Grayson Baca of Brentwood. The Hobby Stocks were averaging car counts in the mid-20s last season, and expectations are that they will remain on that level this year.
Hobby Stocks are the car of choice for the exciting Figure 8 race. Antioch featured this race from 1987 to 1990 and briefly in the early 2000s. Last season, the crowd approved of the return of this race, which came back with a $1,000 to win event, won by two-time Spec Sprint champion Dan Gonderman of Antioch. Longtime Figure 8 supporter Jimmy Robbins of Concord, Mike Conley Jr of Antioch and Newman’s DJ Keldsen and Cody Keldsen are among the drivers anticipated when the cars take the track this Saturday night.
Dwarf Cars are the third longest tenured class at the speedway, following IMCA Modifieds and Hobby Stocks. The king of the mountain these days may be Danny Wagner, but he’ll get stiff competition from last year’s Most Improved Driver, Devan Kammermann of Dublin, who won two races. Throw in great competition from the likes of Ellie Russo of Bay Point, Sean Catucci of Brentwood, Travis Day of Concord and five-time champion Ricardo Rivera of Hollister, and the Dwarf Cars will definitely entertain.
There isn’t an older sanctioning body based out of California than the Bay City’s Racing Association. The BCRA Lightning Sprints have been making periodic visits to the track every year, but it’s been a couple of seasons since we’ve seen the BCRA Midgets. The popular Open Wheel class ruled the roost in California throughout the 1940s, ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. Through the ups and downs, BCRA has remained to sanction these racers, and they still have drivers committed to bringing exciting Midget racing.
The Lightning Sprints made two appearances last season. Unlike the Midgets, they run with wings and they turn some of the fastest laps at the speedway. This division has been under the BCRA banner for over two decades now and always puts on a good show. There’s another division that was once sanctioned by the BCRA throughout the 1950s into the early 1960s, and they are on the card on Saturday night.
The popular Hardtops return, likely to be joined by some of the Valley Sportsman racers from Merced Speedway. Unlike the Hardtops, the Sportsman division runs a wing and is a class that was featured at Antioch Speedway throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
Last year, the Hardtops held the Butch Althar Memorial race, won by two-time Merced Speedway champion Rick Elliott. It was Joel Hannagan piloting Doug Braudrick’s Junkyard Dog to his third-consecutive Chet Thomson Memorial win last season.
The diverse lineup of cars scheduled this Saturday night offers a little something for every fan. If you want fast, and open wheel, look no further than Midgets and Lightning Sprints. If you want slam-bang, fendered Stock Car racing, Hobby Stocks and Figure 8 will fill the bill. If you like a little bit of nostalgia in your program, look no further than the Hardtops. It’s sure to be a good show.
The evening will also have an Easter Egg Hunt and bike giveaway for the kids. This has become a happy tradition at the speedway in recent years and another reason families come to the speedway.
The gates will open at 4:00 with the first race starting at 6:00.
Adult tickets are $20, Senior/Military $15, Kids (5-12) $15 and kids five and under free.
For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com or check out the Antioch Speedway by PROmotions Facebook page.
Read MorePolice seek suspect
By Lt. Jason Kleven #392, Pleasant Hill Police Department
On April 3, 2023, at about 1:12 AM, the Pleasant Hill Police Department received 911 calls of a shooting with a victim down in the parking lot of Farrington’s Bar at 1938 Contra Costa Blvd. Upon police arrival a single victim was found deceased in the parking lot. The suspect was not on scene and is believed to have fled in a vehicle prior to police arrival. The investigation determined the shooting occurred after a dispute started between two groups of people. The victim has been identified as a 37-year-old male residing in Concord.
The Contra Costa County Coroner’s Office identified the man as Oscar Laredo-Arellano.
Pleasant Hill Police Detectives are actively working on this case. Any witnesses to the incident or anyone with information is asked to contact the Pleasant Hill Police Department, 925-288-4600.
Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.
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