Contra Costa Herald

News Of By and For The People of Contra Costa County, California

Coroner’s Inquest jury finds death of San Pablo man in county jail to be of natural causes

By Leave a Comment

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

Sheriff-Coroner David O. Livingston announced on Wednesday that a Coroner’s Jury has reached a finding in the February 7, 2018 death of 46-year-old David Lamarc Hubbard of San Pablo while in custody at the county jail in Martinez. The finding of the jury is that the manner of death is natural causes.

The Coroner’s Jury reached the verdict after hearing the testimony of witnesses called by the hearing officer, Matthew Guichard.

According to the Sheriff’s Officials Hubbard was arrested on suspicion of stalking, assault with a deadly weapon, domestic violence and possession of child pornography. He bail was set at $1,655,000.

A Coroner’s Inquest, which Sheriff-Coroner Livingston convenes in fatal incidents involving police officers, is a public hearing, during which a jury rules on the manner of a person’s death. Jury members can choose from the following four options when making their finding: Accident, Suicide, Natural Causes, or At the hands of another person, other than by accident.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

Concord Police seek suspect in Sunday armed robbery

By Leave a Comment

By Lt. Sam Staten, Martinez Police Department

On Sunday, January 20, 2019, at approximately 3:41 PM, Concord Police Officers responded to the 1800 block of Monument Blvd. regarding an armed robbery that had occurred at Cricket Wireless.  The suspect came into the business, brandished a handgun at the cashier and demanded the money from the register.  The suspect took an undetermined amount of cash and fled the area. 

An extensive search was conducted but the suspect was not located. There were no injuries as a result of this incident.

The suspect is described as a Hispanic male adult in his 20’s with a thin moustache.  He wore a dark grey sweatshirt with a red and white “Reebok” logo on the front, dark colored jeans and dark colored shoes or boots.  He was armed with a black handgun.

Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call Concord Police Department Detective Sergeant Mark Robison at (925) 671-5074.

Sheriff’s Deputies investigate shooting death of Richmond man in El Sobrante Saturday afternoon

By 3 Comments

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

At about 12:22 PM today, Deputy Sheriffs were dispatched to a report of shots fired with a man down in the intersection of Jasmine Court and Jasmine Way in El Sobrante.

The caller advised that they had heard gunshots and saw a man in the street.

Deputies arrived on scene and found a man deceased at that location. He appeared to have suffered from a gunshot wound. The victim is being identified as 52-year-old Michael Bagwell of Richmond.

The Homicide Unit of the Investigation Division responded to the scene. The investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with any information on this case is asked to contact the Investigation Division via Sheriff’s Office dispatch at (925) 646-2441 or (925) 313-2600 during business hours. You can also call the anonymous tip line at (866) 846-3592. Tips can also be emailed to: tips@so.cccounty.us.

Pittsburg man steals car in Clayton arrested for shoplifting in Hercules

By Leave a Comment

Photo of suspect detained by a Hercules Police Officer on Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2018. Photos by Hercules PD.

 

The SUV stolen in Clayton.

From Hercules Police Facebook Page

On Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 15, 2019, Hercules Officers responded to a shop lifting in progress at The Home Depot, four subjects being belligerent inside the store were seen taking some gloves.

In the grand scheme of things taking some gloves seems fairly minor, but upon contacting the four suspects the Officers determined they were in a car that had been stolen out of Clayton that morning, and being driven by a suspect, Joshua Leslie Vieth (44 years old from Pittsburg) who had three outstanding warrants for prior auto thefts.

When Officers respond to a call, even something that seems minor, they do not make assumptions. A stolen pair of gloves resulted in a car thief going to jail, but more importantly a theft victim getting their car back.

While Officers never assume a shoplifting call will end in a stolen car arrest, they always assume it could and treat each call as such.

This caper is another example of how out of town thieves are targeting our town, are being arrested over and over, and are being put back out on the streets to re-victimize our community. We will continue to proactively enforce our laws and send them to jail regardless of the outcome.

D.A. charges ConFire EMS Chief with embezzlement and possession of controlled substances

By Leave a Comment

Richard P. Stephenson

Due to the investigation by the Martinez Police Department, the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office charged 50-year-old Martinez resident Richard P. Stephenson with two felonies for embezzlement and two misdemeanor charges of possessing a controlled substance. 

The embezzlement charges relate to

Stephenson stealing controlled substances belonging to the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District in order to support his personal drug addiction. 

An arrest warrant in the amount of $50,000 was issued on January 9, 2019.  Stephenson was arraigned at the Contra Costa County Superior Courthouse on January 10, 2019, the next court date is February 26th.

The charges filed against Richard Stephenson include:

  • Count 1, Embezzlement by Public or Private Officer – Felony
  • Count 2, Embezzlement by Clerk, Agent or Servant – Felony
  • Count 3, Possession of Fentanyl – Misdemeanor
  • Count 4, Possession of Midazolam – Misdemeanor

Case information: People v. Richard Paul Stephenson, Docket Number 01-188454-3

County Human Trafficking Coalition launches Awareness Month in January

By Leave a Comment

The Contra Costa Human Trafficking Coalition will be working with local agencies to raise awareness about human trafficking in Contra Costa County throughout the month of January. The FBI has identified California as one of the nation’s top destination states for trafficked persons.

Contra Costa County is a natural corridor for human trafficking activities with its linkage to major metropolitan areas like Oakland and San Francisco via public transportation (BART) and its accessibility to Los Angeles and Sacramento via major highways such as 680, 80 and 5 (via Hwy 4). Though human trafficking is illegal, victims often do not know where to turn for help and community members may not know where to report suspicious situations.

This January, the Coalition, in partnership with Contra Costa County’s District Attorney’s Office, will run an awareness campaign with a focus on labor trafficking. Specifically, the campaign will target trafficking in the restaurant, hotel and cleaning service industries. Ads will run on County Connection, Tri-Delta Transit and WestCAT buses throughout the month.

As part of the County’s awareness-raising efforts, the Coalition announced several events throughout the month including a Community Awareness Day in Antioch on Wednesday, January 9, the Board of Supervisors Awareness Proclamation on Tuesday, January 22 and a documentary screening and discussion on Monday, January 28. For a complete list of events and details, visit www.contracostacoalition.org/calendar.

Contra Costa County’s Human Trafficking Coalition is a partnership working to raise awareness, build capacity, and increase access to services for victims of human trafficking. As a collaboration of agencies, their goals include; conducting public awareness activities; providing training, technical assistance and a forum to share best practices; establishing policies and protocols; and creating a coordinated system of care. The Coalition is a project of The Alliance of Abuse. For more information on The Contra Costa Human Trafficking Coalition visit www.contracostacoalition.org. Recently the Alliance to End Abuse, in partnership with the District Attorney’s Office, were awarded a Human Trafficking Task Force grant. For more information on the newly forming task force please visit http://www.co.contra-costa.ca.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1681.

Former school food service contractor, San Pablo man charged with possession of child porn

By Leave a Comment

Francisco Perez. Photo by CCCSheriff

The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office has charged 34-year-old San Pablo resident Francisco Perez with three felonies, including the possession of over 600 images of child pornography. 

In November 2018, the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force executed a search warrant based on a tip that law enforcement received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children via Google. The tip from Google revealed that a user was storing files that contained possible images of child pornography. (See related article).

Perez was working at the San Domenico School in San Anselmo, California in Marin County. Perez gave a false name and Social Security number to obtain employment from a company contracted to make and serve food to the children at the school. 

Perez was arraigned in Richmond at the Contra Costa County Superior Courthouse on January 4, 2019. The next court date for this case is scheduled for January 24, 2019.  The case will be prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Bryan Tierney with the Sexual Assault Unit.

The investigation was conducted by a multi-agency Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which is managed by the San Jose Police Department. In Contra Costa County, detectives and investigators from the Walnut Creek, Martinez, San Ramon, Concord and Moraga Police Departments, the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office, United States Secret Service, Homeland Security Investigations, the Contra Costa County Probation Department, and Inspectors from the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office participate in the task force.

Parents are encouraged to discuss online safety with their children, and can visit the website www.kidsmartz.org or our website for further information.

The charges filed against Perez include:

·         Count 1, Possession of Over 600 Images of Child or Youth Pornography – Felony

·         Count 2, Possession of Child or Youth Pornography – Felony

·         Count 3, Possession of Child or Youth Pornography – Felony

Case information: People v. Francisco Perez, Docket Number 02-329167-1.

County Coroner’s inquest jury determines Vallejo man’s death at Martinez jail was an accident

By Leave a Comment

James Cooper

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

Sheriff-Coroner David O. Livingston announced today that a Coroner’s Jury has reached a finding in the January 24, 2018 death of 45-year-old Jeffrey James Darryl Cooper of Vallejo. The finding of the jury is that the death is an accident.

The Coroner’s Jury reached the verdict after hearing the testimony of witnesses called by the hearing officer, Matthew Guichard.

A Coroner’s Inquest, which Sheriff-Coroner Livingston convenes in fatal incidents involving peace officers, is a public hearing, during which a jury rules on the manner of a person’s death. Jury members can choose from the following four options when making their finding: Accident, Suicide, Natural Causes, or At the hands of another person, other than by accident.

At about 12:47 AM on Jan. 24, 2018, a Deputy Sheriff was doing a room check at the Martinez Detention Facility (MDF) when he noticed Cooper was unresponsive in his bunk. The Deputy immediately called for medical assistance and started CPR.

Medical staff at MDF continued life-saving measures. An ambulance and the fire department responded to MDF. Cooper was later pronounced deceased. On January 18, 2018, he was booked into MDF on a warrant for domestic violence. He also had three arrest warrants from Solano County. His death appeared to be medically related. (See related article).

Richmond teen arrested for July murder of one, shooting of two other teens in Antioch

By Leave a Comment

Suspect arrested: Angel Leoncio Bautista. Photo by APD

By Sergeant John Fortner, Antioch Police Department, Investigations Bureau, Violent Crimes Unit

During the course of this investigation, evidence was obtained that led to the identification of one of the suspects involved in the shooting homicide of the victim, and the injury of two others.

On Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018 at approximately 12:00 pm, detectives from the Antioch Police Department’s Investigations Bureau, with the assistance of Richmond Police Department officers, arrested Angel Leoncio Bautista (19 years old) at his residence in the City of Richmond. Bautista was peacefully taken into custody and later booked into the Martinez Detention Facility.

On July 30, 2018 at 1:17 a.m., Antioch Police dispatch received several calls reporting multiple gunshots at a business complex located in the 2700 block of Hillcrest Avenue. (See related article)

When officers arrived at the complex, they located two males down on the ground in the parking lot. One male victim sustained multiple gunshot wounds and succumbed to his injuries at the scene. The second male (16 years-old) was located a short distance away and he was also suffering from gunshot wounds. Officers began first aid as fire department paramedics were called to the scene. The surviving victim was stabilized and transported to a local area hospital where he was taken into surgery.

While officers were still at the scene, they were advised that a shooting victim arrived at a local emergency room for treatment. Officers responded to the hospital and determined that this was an additional victim who was related to the shooting in the parking lot. No additional victims have come forward or have been identified at this time.

At this time, evidence suggests that the victims were involved in a confrontation with another group of unknown subjects in the parking lot when gunshots were fired.

The area was designated a crime scene and cordoned off. The Antioch Police Department’s Investigations Bureau was notified and responded to the scene. This incident is currently under investigation, and evidence is being collected.

The investigation into this incident remains ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to call the Antioch Police Department non-emergency line at (925)778-2441 or Detective Colley at (925)779-6922. You may also text-a-tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using the key word ANTIOCH.

Contra Costa County launches Human Trafficking Task Force with $1.2 million federal grant

By Leave a Comment

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

Contra Costa County recently received $1.2 million under the Federal Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) to establish a new Human Trafficking Task Force. Under the three-year grant from OVC, $500,000 is going to the Employment and Human Services Department (EHSD) for victim services and $700,000 goes to the District Attorney’s Office. This federal grant will assist both departments in developing this multidisciplinary task force that will implement victim-centered and coordinated approaches to identify victims of sex and labor trafficking through services and investigating and prosecuting these trafficking cases.

The Task Force will be an enhancement of the Contra Costa County Rescue and Restore Coalition (commonly referred to as the Human Trafficking Coalition) that was jointly formed with the Office of the District Attorney, EHSD and other partners in 2009 to address human trafficking in our county and the greater Bay Area. The Task Force’s “core team” will be co-chaired by Assistant District Attorney Venus D. Johnson and the Director of the Alliance to End Abuse Devorah Levine to ensure effective and efficient collaboration between investigation and prosecution and victim support and services.

To further combat trafficking in the county, District Attorney Diana Becton recently created a Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit within the District Attorney’s Office, which will be staffed by a dedicated sex trafficking prosecutor, Deputy District Attorney Dana Filkowski.

“Our law enforcement partners will be able to focus on the growing problems associated with human trafficking in our community with this task force,” Becton stated. “We know that sharing confidential information and conducting complex investigations is challenging and resource intensive. However, with this new framework, we can prosecute those perpetrators who often times go unnoticed and provide comprehensive services to victims of trafficking. We have to keep raising awareness with the public and our law enforcement partners about the real threats that human trafficking poses to Contra Costa County.”

The Human Trafficking Task Force of Contra Costa County will be a collaboration of local, state and federal law enforcement agencies working together with victim service organizations to; 1) better identify all types of human trafficking victims; 2) enhance investigation and prosecution of all types of human trafficking; 3) address the individualized needs of all identified human trafficking victims by linking them to comprehensive services; 4) enhance awareness of human trafficking among law enforcement and service providers, as well as within the broader Contra Costa community; and 5) improve trauma-informed practices for human trafficking victims within law enforcement and victim service providers.

Task Force partners on the law enforcement side, headed by the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s office, will include agencies such as the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the F.B.I. and local law enforcement agencies. Task Force partners on the victim service side, headed by Contra Costa County’s Alliance to End Abuse, include Calli House Youth Shelter (Contra Costa Behavioral Health Services), Community Violence Solutions, Bay Area Legal Aid, International Rescue Committee, and STAND! For Families Free of Violence.

Contra Costa County is a natural corridor for human trafficking activities with its linkage to major metropolitan areas like Oakland and San Francisco via public transportation (BART) and its accessibility to Los Angeles and Sacramento via major highways such as 680, 80 and 5 (via Hwy 4). Though human trafficking is illegal, victims often do not know where to turn for help and community members may not know where to report suspicious situations.

The Contra Costa Human Trafficking Task Force, in partnership with the Contra Costa Human Trafficking Coalition will be working with local agencies to raise awareness about human trafficking in Contra Costa County throughout the month of January. The FBI has identified California as one of the nation’s top destination states for trafficked persons.