Contra Costa Herald

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

Sheriff’s Detectives investigate attempted rape near Pittsburg-Bay Point BART Station on Thursday

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Attempted rape suspect sought by County Sheriff’s Detectives. Photos by CCCSheriff.

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

Thursday afternoon at about 1:04 PM, Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to an alleged rape. A woman told Deputies she got on a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) train in San Francisco and was approached by a man. The two started a conversation. They got off the BART train at the Pittsburg/Bay Point station and exited the station. They walked north on Bailey Road.

Sometime during their walk while in a vacant field near Mims Avenue and Canal Road, the man exposed himself to the woman and told her to perform a sexual act on him. The suspect then physically assaulted the victim and tried to remove her clothing, but the victim fought him off and was able to get away. The victim was taken to the hospital as a precaution.

The suspect in this case was described as a black male adult, possibly in his 20’s, approximately 5’8” to 5’9”, medium build, with some facial hair. The suspect was last seen wearing black athletic shoes, blue jeans, and a white or gray hooded sweater under a hooded black jacket with fur trim on the hood. He was also carrying a red and black colored messenger style bag. Several photos of the suspect are attached.

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

Concord man found guilty of attempted murder

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

On January 30, a Contra Costa County jury found defendant Guido Ginochio of Concord guilty of two felonies, including the attempted murder of the victim. Ginochio used a firearm to fire two shots into the back of the victim in the evening of February 7, 2017. Hours later, Ginochio used his firearm to fire seven rounds into the Adaptive Learning Center on Clayton Road in Concord. During the shooting into the business, Ginochio was wearing a ballistic proof body vest.

Ginochio now faces a maximum sentence of 34 years to life in state prison. Sentencing will occur on May 3, 2019 in front of the Honorable Laurel Brady – Department 31 of the Contra Costa County Superior Court in Martinez. Contra Costa County Deputy District Attorney Adam McConney prosecuted the case on behalf of the People. The case originated in the Office’s Community Violence Reduction Unit.

“The defendant’s senseless and unprovoked acts of gun violence not only nearly ended the victim’s life, but also endangered the lives of other members of our community,” said McConney. “All credit should be given to the victim, who bravely stood up to the defendant by testifying in court, and the jury for being attentive throughout the trial and ultimately delivering justice.”

Just after 10:00 p.m. on February 7, Ginochio approached the victim outside of the victim’s residence asking if Ginochio could buy marijuana. The victim refused the request and attempted to enter the residence to get away from Ginochio. When the victim attempted to gain access to the residence, Ginochio opened fire and hit the victim twice in the back, nearly killing him.

The felony counts against Ginochio are:

  • Count 1, Attempted Murder

o    Enhancement 1, Personal and Intentional Discharge of a Firearm, Great Bodily Injury

  • Count 2, Discharge of Firearm with Gross Negligence

Case information: People v. Guido Vela Ginochio, Docket Number 05-171306-4.

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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).