Contra Costa Herald

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

Man shot in arm at Pittsburg park Thursday

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Reports of drive-by during celebration of life for Antioch teen shot, killed in attempted Brentwood robbery last month

By Pittsburg Police Department

At approximately 2:15 PM, Pittsburg Police officers responded to Highlands Ranch Park after receiving multiple 911 calls regarding a shooting. Upon arrival, officers located evidence of a shooting as well as a 24-year-old male that had sustained a gunshot wound to the arm. First aid was rendered, and he was transported to a local hospital for treatment.

A resident reported the shooting occurred during the celebration of life for the 17-year-old Antioch resident who was shot and killed while attempting to rob an Antioch resident in Brentwood on July 14, 2023. But those details have not yet been confirmed by police.  (See related article)

Officers interviewed multiple witnesses on scene and are currently collecting and reviewing surveillance video from the area in order to identify those involved. The Pittsburg Police Department is requesting the public’s assistance and asks anyone with additional information to contact dispatch at (925) 646-2441. No further information is available at this time.

Portion of a comment on Facebook on Friday, Aug. 11, 2023. Redacted by the Herald.

8/11/23 UPDATE: It was confirmed in a comment posted in the private Pittsburg Edition Rants and Raves Facebook page on on Friday, that the shooting was a drive-by and occurred during the celebration of life for the Antioch teen.

The comment reads, “We buried my 17-year-old cousin, yesterday at 11:00am, as we listened to the deep hideous sobs of his mother. We decided to celebrate the life and memory of (name withheld because he was a juvenile) at Highlands Ranch. Unfortunately, the family was victimized to a drive-by shooting.”

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

Danville murder-suicide takes lives of man, two children Wednesday

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The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office investigated a possible murder-suicide at a residence in the 100 block of Larkwood Circle in Danville on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. At about 5:20 PM, Danville police officers responded to the residence for a welfare check. Officers entered the residence and found three bodies, an adult and two juveniles.

The fire department confirmed all three to be deceased. The adult is identified as 44-year-old Nemanja Isailovic of Danville.

According to his Linkedin page, Isailovic was a hardware and software engineer and worked since September 2016 as a Content Resource Engineer for IXL Learning in San Mateo. In 2010 he earned a doctorate in Computer Engineering from U.C. Berkeley.

There is no ongoing threat to the community. The Sheriff’s Office is still actively investigating this case.

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

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

Groundbreaking maps dispel former misconception about gun homicides in California

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Source: California Gun Homicides 2014-2022 dashboard

The maps show that while urban centers are often characterized as the leading settings of gun violence, this data shows two-thirds of gun homicides occurred outside urban settings and California’s most populated cities.

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

Hope and Heal Fund in partnership with RomoGIS Enterprise today launched a groundbreaking statewide Geographical Information System (GIS) maps of gun homicides from 2014-2022. The California Gun Homicides 2014 – 2022 dashboard was collaboratively built to visualize available data of reported gun homicides and raise awareness about where gun-related homicides have occurred in California communities.

For the first time, Californians can view where gun violence happens in communities, filtered by county and showing street-level incidents. The maps reveal a compelling insight into the patterns of gun homicides in California. The maps show that approximately two-thirds of gun homicides over the past nine years occurred outside urban settings and California’s most populated cities. This finding underscores the urgent need to extend support beyond urban centers and address the rising rates of gun violence in rural, semi-rural, and suburban areas.

This research was made possible by grant funding from long-time gun violence prevention supporter Kaiser Permanente. With this support Hope and Heal Fund has also built a Northern California network of community leaders focused on gun violence data collection and mapping and to better understand when and where California gun-related deaths occur.

Cuco Rodriguez, Hope and Heal Fund’s Chief Strategist and Equity Officer led this initiative, sharing, “One important finding from the data is the need to separate and examine different types of gun homicides, particularly those related to intimate partner violence. Currently, general homicide data from law enforcement agencies often overlook the impact and frequency of intimate partner homicides, leading to misconceptions about the primary drivers of gun violence.”

Gun Homicides in Contra Costa County 2014-22.

Through further mapping and by analyzing disaggregated homicide data, we can better understand the unique challenges posed by intimate partner homicides and allocate appropriate resources to address this specific issue.

This effort initially set out to counter inaccurate assumptions regarding urban centers being drivers of gun homicides in California. With access to timely data, stakeholders should consider the implications of this information and data and how it can best be leveraged to develop opportunities that are strategic, focused, and surgical in reducing all forms of gun violence across the state.

“As a health care organization that is committed to improving health in our communities and addressing health equity, we are proud to support the work of the Hope and Heal fund to raise awareness and reduce gun-related homicides in California,” said Yvette Radford, Kaiser Permanente Northern California vice president for External and Community Affairs. “Far too often our clinical teams see the devastating effects of gun violence on individuals and families. Together with all health care organizations, we must do more to support evidence-based community interventions that prevent gun violence.”

To explore the GIS maps and gain insights into gun violence data, please visit our CA Gun Homicides GIS Mapping Report.

Hope and Heal Fund is the only state-based donor collaborative fund investing in a public health, racial equity, and community-based approach to decreasing firearm suicides and gun homicides, injuries, and trauma. Hope and Heal Fund partners with impacted communities on strategies to prevent and interrupt gun violence and heal from the trauma, harm, and generational iniquities exacerbated by the lethality and coercive effects of guns in homes and communities.

About RomoGIS Enterprises

RomoGIS Enterprises specializes in geospatial solutions, specifically GIS mapping and analysis. With its expertise in data visualization and interactive tools, RomoGIS empowers organizations to gain valuable insights and make informed decisions.

 

22-year-old Oakley man dies from shooting on Hwy 24 in Orinda

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By CHP – Golden Gate Division

Detectives assigned to the California Highway Patrol’s (CHP) Golden Gate Division Special Investigations Unit are investigating a freeway shooting that occurred on westbound State Route 24 (SR-24), east of St. Stephens Drive in Orinda.

On Friday, July 28, 2023, at approximately 9:30 p.m., officers assigned to the CHP’s Contra Costa Area office were notified by local police officials that an individual had been transported to a local hospital after being struck by gunfire on westbound SR-24, east of St. Stephens Drive in Orinda.

The CHP’s preliminary investigation indicates the suspect vehicle pulled in behind and then alongside the victim vehicle on westbound SR-24, when several gunshots were heard, and the driver and front passenger quickly realized the rear passenger was struck by gunfire. The injured passenger was driven to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries on Sunday morning.

The Contra Costa County Coroner’s Office identified the victim as Brandon Valencia, age 22 from Oakley.

CHP detectives are actively attempting to determine a motive and identify the suspect(s) and vehicle(s) involved. Detectives are asking anyone with information regarding this incident to call the CHP Investigations Tipline at (707) 917-4491.

The mission of the California Highway Patrol is to provide the highest level of Safety, Service, and Security.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

 

Shoplifter busted in Pleasant Hill late Friday night

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Photos by Pleasant Hill PD.

By Allen D. Payton

A post on the Pleasant Hill Police Department Twitter feed and Facebook page late Friday night provided the following information: “Shoplifter busted; working with our local loss prevention partners, we have been trying to crack down on shoplifting. Friday night, just before closing a suspect was apprehended for felony level theft at Kohl’s (in the Crossroads Shopping Center). The suspect was booked at the PD. All merchandise was returned.”

No other details were provided.

Benicia man sentenced for arranging to meet a minor for sex

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Gets one year in county jail for Dec. 2021 incident

By Ted Asregadoo, PIO, Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office

On August 1st, 2023, a Benicia man was sentenced in Contra Costa Superior Court in Martinez for several child exploitation crimes.

The Honorable Mary Ann O’Malley remanded into custody 34-year-old William Michael Gogas (DOB 3/13/89). He will serve one year in county jail and be required to register as a lifetime sex offender for his offenses.

After a one-week jury trial in May 2023, a Contra Costa County jury convicted Gogas of arranging to meet a minor for sex and unlawfully communicating with a minor. At the trial, evidence was presented that demonstrated — on or about December 9, 2021 — Gogas knowingly engaged in sexually explicit text messages with a person he believed to be a 13-year-old boy — but was an undercover detective with the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office.

The evidence further established Gogas arranged to meet the minor at a location in Martinez to engage in illegal sex acts. When Gogas arrived at the meeting location, he was taken into custody by members of the Contra Costa County Safe Streets Task Force and charged in a criminal complaint on December 13, 2021.

The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Chris Sansoe and investigated by the Contra Costa County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Detectives and investigators from the Walnut Creek, Concord, Pleasant Hill, Brentwood, Pittsburg, San Ramon, Danville, Oakley, and Moraga Police Departments, the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office, United States Secret Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and Inspectors from the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office participate on the task force.

According to localcrimenews.com, Gogas was also arrested in 2015 by the Marin County Sheriff for disorderly conduct: prostitution.

Parents are encouraged to discuss online safety with their children, and can visit the website kidsmartz.org, commonsensemedia.org or the District Attorney’s website for further information.

Case No. 01001977768 | The People of the State of California v. Gogas, William Michael

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

Robbery crew’s luck runs out, charged with $1.1 million St. Patrick’s Day heist of San Ramon jewelry store

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Security camera video screenshot of the San Ramon jewelry store robbery on March 17, 2023. Source: KTVU FOX2

Rolex with GPS chip helped police arrest, charge suspects, four with history of arrests

The Office of the United States Attorney has charged five defendants—Sunia Mafileo Faavesi, Ryan Kentrell Montgomery, Paul Christopher Tonga, John Ioane Tupou, and Kyle Vehikite—with conspiracy to commit robbery affecting interstate commerce for their roles in the St. Patrick’s Day March 17, 2023, robbery of Heller Jewelers in San Ramon, Calif., announced United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey and Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Cicolani. All the defendants except Tupou made their initial federal court appearance on July 27 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Alex G. Tse to face the charges. Tupou remains at large.

According to a federal criminal complaint, filed July 21, 2023, and unsealed at the initial appearance, Faavesi, 30, Montgomery, 35, Tonga, 33, Tupou, 30, and Vehikite, 34, planned and executed the armed heist, which involved at least eleven individuals, some armed, taking approximately $1.1 million in stolen watches and jewelry from the family-owned San Ramon jewelry store. The complaint alleges that while some of the participants were inside the store or immediately outside it during the armed robbery, others acted as lookouts and get-away drivers of at least four waiting vehicles. The robbery took place at a bustling mall in San Ramon in the middle of the afternoon and resulted in multiple bystanders, including children, fleeing the masked and armed robbers.

The complaint affidavit provides details regarding how the defendants originally cased the location a week prior to the robbery and then returned on March 17, 2023, with co-conspirators to execute the robbery. The complaint alleges investigators were able to identify one of the defendants by evaluating GPS information emitted from a stolen Rolex watch. Law enforcement investigators thereafter conducted a covert investigation that ultimately enabled them to identify each of the five defendants and to piece together the movements of the defendants on the day of the robbery.

Faavesi, Montgomery, Tonga, and Vehikite all were arrested on July 26, 2023. The government has filed a motion asking that they be detained pretrial. Defendants’ next scheduled appearances are on August 1, 2023, and August 4, 2023, for their respective detention hearings.

A complaint merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum sentence of 20 years, and a fine of $250,000. As part of any sentence, the court also may order defendants to pay restitution, if appropriate, and to serve an additional period of supervised release to begin after a prison term. 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.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alethea M. Sargent is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Kay Konopaske. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the San Ramon Police Department and the ATF, with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration, the IRS, and Bureau of Customs and Border Protection.

According to localcrimenews.com, Faavesi has a history of arrests dating back to 2016, four times for burglary and once for robbery by multiple agencies. Tonga of San Mateo also has an arrest record dating to 2015 including for multiple DUI’s and receiving stolen property – motor vehicle. Topou of Oakland has a history of arrests also dating to 2015 including for burglary, robbery, battery with serious bodily injury and gun charges. Vehikite of San Ramon has at least two previous arrests in 2021 including for drug and ammunition charges.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

Juvenile survivor of human trafficking recovered, two suspects arrested

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Multi-agency Operation Cross Country conducts three efforts, investigating four other cases

By Ted Asregadoo, PIO, Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office

Law enforcement partners with the Contra Costa Human Trafficking Task Force arrested two suspected human traffickers and recovered one juvenile victim in a nationwide effort to apprehend human traffickers and provide services to victims.

As part of Operation Cross Country, task force partners and local FBI personnel jointly conducted three separate anti-human trafficking operations throughout Contra Costa County from July 19th through 30th, 2023. These joint efforts led to the arrest of a 33-year-old male resident of Sacramento and a 24-year-old male resident of Oakland, and the identification of nine survivors of human trafficking – including one juvenile. Additionally, the FBI and task force partners are still investigating four other cases in Contra Costa County. All victims identified through these operations met with specialized human trafficking victim advocates immediately upon contact and were offered a range of services and support.

“These outcomes demonstrate the positive results that can be achieved from collaboration between law enforcement and community partners to address the harm caused by human trafficking and deliver justice to victims,” noted District Attorney Diana Becton.

The suspects were arrested or cited on one or more of the following human trafficking or human trafficking-related offenses: sex trafficking of a minor, supervising, aiding, or recruiting a prostitute, and violating a protective order [PC236.1(c), PC653.23, and PC166(a4]. The ongoing investigations in these cases center on these charges as well as pimping, pandering, and adult trafficking [PC266h, PC266i, and PC236.1(b)].

Task Force Co-chair and Executive Director of Community Violence Solutions, Cynthia Peterson, highlighted that “the partnership among Contra Costa’s task force members in combatting human trafficking ensures a coordinated, trauma-informed response focused on our shared goals of empowering and providing comprehensive services and support to victims.”

Participating agencies included, in alphabetical order:

  • Community Violence Solutions
  • Concord Police Department
  • Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office (CCCDA)
  • Contra Costa County Probation Department
  • Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Department
  • Federal Bureau of Investigations
  • Hercules Police Department
  • Homeland Security Investigations
  • International Rescue Committee
  • Northern California Regional Intelligence Center
  • Pittsburg Police Department
  • Pleasant Hill Police Department
  • Richmond Police Department

The Contra Costa Human Trafficking Task Force is co-led by the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office and Community Violence Solutions, a community-based 24-hour service provider for survivors of sexual assault and human trafficking.

Founded in 2018, the Task Force envisions a community free of human trafficking where survivors thrive. It aims to achieve this by encouraging self-sufficiency and empowerment through the provision of survivor-centered, culturally responsive advocacy and services; striving for exploiter accountability through prosecution, education, civil remedies, and restorative practices; educating task force members and the community; and harnessing data to guide these efforts.

Anyone with information on suspected human trafficking (sex or labor) or related crimes is encouraged to make a report to your local law enforcement agency or the District Attorney’s Human Trafficking Tip Line (925) 957-8658.

Unlicensed driver arrested for meth during Concord traffic stop

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Meth, cell phones and cash confiscated during arrest in Concord during the week of July 23, 2023. Photo: Concord PD

By Concord Police Department

Last week, CPD Patrol Officers made an enforcement stop on a car for vehicle code violations. During the stop, the driver was found to be unlicensed and…. had a narcotic smoking pipe on him! Additionally, he also had prior arrests for narcotic sales offenses.

Patrol Officers searched the vehicle and found nearly a quarter of a pound of methamphetamine! The evidence pointed to narcotic possession for sales.

He was arrested for possession and transportation of a controlled substance for sales, along with other offenses.

CPD is dedicated to keeping the streets safe for our community.

 

Two from Antioch arrested for shoplifting in Brentwood

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The suspects were pulled over along an onramp to Highway 4 and all the merchandise was recovered on Wed., July 26, 2023. Photos by Brentwood PD

One was on felony probation with history of arrests

By Brentwood Police Department

More stolen merchandise recovered during the arrest. Photo: Brentwood PD

On Wednesday, July 26, 2023, around 1:00 PM, Brentwood officers were dispatched to the Streets of Brentwood for a theft from The Children’s Place in The Streets of Brentwood that just occurred.

On their way to the call, a Brentwood officer located the vehicle as it was attempting to flee and contacted the two suspects, identified as 30-year-old Paulosha Glasper (DOB 08-17-92) and 25-year-old Amoni Ponnellfontain both of Antioch.

Interestingly enough, the officer who pulled them over recognized one of them from a previous theft report he took at the Streets of Brentwood.

Officers recovered approximately $2,200 worth of stolen merchandise. Glasper who is on felony probation for theft, also had a warrant for burglary.

All of the property was returned to the stores, and Glasper and Ponnellfountain were placed under arrest for organized retail theft, and other charges. They were both transported to the Martinez Detention Facility for booking.

According to the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office, Glasper was still in custody on July 31 at the West County Detention Center and expected to be released on Aug. 2. According to localcrimenews.com she has a history of arrests dating back to 2017 by multiple agencies for crimes including grand theft, DUI and shoplifting.

A special thank you to the Streets of Brentwood employee who provided the description and license plate of the suspect’s vehicle, which led to officers locating them.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.