Contra Costa Herald

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

San Pablo dental assistant arrested, charged with sexual acts on a child under 10

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By Ted Asregadoo, PIO, Office of the District Attorney, Contra Costa County

Martinez, Calif. – San Pablo Police have arrested, and the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office charged, a dental assistant with four counts of sexual acts with a child under 10-years-old.

The suspect is 22-year-old Bonerge Maldonado-Zaldana from Richmond. He worked at the San Pablo Towne Centre Dental Office where the action with a minor allegedly took place on April 5, 2022. Investigators collected evidence and took statements from the victim’s mother, dental office staff, and the suspect on April 6th and determined there was probable cause to arrest Maldonado-Zaldana on April 8th.

The Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office filed charged against the suspect April 8th, who is currently in the Martinez Detention Facility. His arraignment is Monday, April 11, 2022, at 1:30 pm in Martinez.

In addition to working at the San Pablo Towne Centre Dental Office Maldonado-Zaldana was formerly employed with Western Dental in El Cerrito. If anyone has further information relating to this investigation, please call Detective Ricky Vasquez at San Pablo Police Department (510) 215-3286.

Court Docket Number: 02-22-00057

Female Richmond biology teacher charged with molesting 7 boys

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By Ted Asregadoo, PIO, Office of the District Attorney, Contra Costa County

Anessa Paige Gower. Photo: Richmond PD

Martinez, Calif. – A former Richmond school teacher is facing multiple charges of child molestation. The Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office filed 29 counts against Anessa Paige Gower on April 8, 2022, in Contra Costa County Superior Court. Gower was a biology teacher at Making Waves Academy in Richmond and allegedly engaged in numerous acts of a sexual nature with minors between 2021-2022.

Richmond Police, with assistance from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, arrested Gower at Sacramento International Airport on April 6, 2022, as she was returning to California from Hawaii. She is currently in custody in Richmond.

The case involves seven minors, so their identities are being withheld.

Investigators took statements from the victims and witnesses about a number of incidents involving sex acts with minors, inappropriate touching, and sharing sexually graphic photos over online platforms.

The Richmond Police Department posted the following message on their Facebook page Friday evening:

“Today, the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office formally charged a Richmond teacher with 29 counts of sex crimes against minors. This was an excellent collaborative effort by multiple agencies, including extensive follow-up by Richmond PD officers and detectives, our allied agencies, and our prosecutors’ office.

We are grateful for our ongoing partnership, working together to prevent further victimization of our community’s most vulnerable population – our children.”

Court Docket Number: 202204080002

Mental health treatment module opens at Martinez Detention Facility

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Photos: CCCSheriff

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

A new module for inmates who have mental illnesses has opened at the Martinez Detention Facility. This follows an 18-month remodel of a module which previously held 52 inmates. Now, it will house only 24 inmates who have mental illnesses. They will be supervised 24/7 by county health staff in addition to deputy sheriffs. The cells are all single-occupancy and include 5 cells for acute cases. There are also two private medical evaluation suites in the module.

“I am proud of this new module which is part of the jail modernization we planned many years ago,” said Contra Costa County Sheriff David Livingston. “Now, inmates who have mental illnesses will have a dedicated housing unit where they will receive mental health treatment, programming, and services, in addition to healthcare.

Photos: CCCSheriff

The new module has incorporated the latest technology and best practices for detention facilities. This includes state of the art software for managing the module, furnishings that will help prevent suicides and a design that allows for greater observation of the inmates. The new module also uses a biophilic design to create a calm environment, reduce stress, and is more conducive to therapy.

“This new module sets the standard for these types of detention facilities,” said Livingston. “This reflects the commitment of the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office and Contra Costa County in serving the needs of inmates who are living with mental health issues.”

 

Antioch Mayor Thorpe admits to private meeting with DA Becton, interim city manager

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Antioch Mayor Thorpe and Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton.

Three days after Thorpe’s DUI arrest and while under investigation by DA’s office

Says Becton asked them to cooperate with investigation of APD, won’t say how he’s helping

By Allen D. Payton

During a press conference, Wednesday morning, April 4, 2022 on Antioch Police Department staffing, hiring incentives and the investigation of officers by the FBI and Contra Costa D.A.’s office, Mayor Lamar Thorpe confirmed what had been previously reported, of a private meeting that he had with Contra Costa District Attorney Diana Becton on Tuesday, March 22, the day before the investigation occurred. He said Interim Antioch City Manager Con Johnson was also in attendance. The meeting was held just three days following Thorpe’s arrest for DUI and while he was under investigation by her department. (See related article)

Thorpe said the meeting was held by Becton to request his and Johnson’s cooperation in the investigation and they were to “keep confidentiality as this was an ongoing investigation”. Asked if the information he had received as one of the five council members was shared with all of the other four, Thorpe replied, “no, because the district attorney said to keep this confidential between myself and the city manager, because they were soliciting our help in the investigation.” (See related article)

Asked how he as a civilian was helping the investigation, Thorpe replied, “I’m not going to get into that.” He later said, “Let me just clarify something. I was asked to be down there as the mayor of Antioch. So, beyond that I’m not going to answer how or what.”

Concord man charged with sexual abuse of child under 13, possession of child porn

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Previously the subject of a 2015 Antioch investigation, also arrested by Antioch Police in 2017 for lewd acts upon a child and sexual exploitation of a child, history of arrests in Concord, Martinez, Pleasant Hill

By Ted Asregadoo, Public Information Officer, Contra Costa County Distict Attorney

50-year-old Concord resident Patrick Steven Yelton was charged with three counts of forcible sexual abuse of a child under 13 which he allegedly committed in 2015. The charges were filed on March 28, 2022, in Contra Costa County Superior Court in Martinez. Yelton was previously charged on April 15, 2021, with one count of possession of child pornography, and is currently in custody at the Martinez Detention Facility.

In March 2020, the Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce received information that Yelton was storing images of child pornography in his Google account. Concord Police officers contacted Yelton about the alleged images. Pursuant to a search warrant, Officers seized Yelton’s smartphone and additional photos of child pornography were located on the device. A year later, in February 2021, the ICAC Task Force received another tip that Yelton had pornographic images of children on his Yahoo account which yielded further evidence of unlawful activity.

Yelton was previously the subject of a 2015 Antioch investigation concerning sexual abuse of a child under 13. While reviewing the material in Yelton’s accounts relating to child pornography, evidence was discovered relating to the 2015 investigation.  As a result, Yelton has now been charged with the 2015 forcible sexual abuse offenses, in addition to the original child pornography charge.

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, Pleasant Hill, 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 participated in the task force.

According to localcrimenews.com Yelton has a history of arrests including by Pleasant Hill Police in 2016 for driving with a license suspended for drunk driving; three  times by Antioch Police in 2017 including one for false imprisonment by violence, forcible lewd acts upon a child and sexual exploitation of a child under 18 years, and again in 2017 for inflicting corporal injury on spouse/cohabitant, threats of violence and receiving or concealing stolen property; by the  Martinez Police also in 2017 for possession of drug paraphernalia; and seven times by the Concord  Police including twice in 2018, first for possession of a controlled substance and later for battery on a spouse / cohabitant / former spouse and threats of violence

Parents are encouraged to talk to their children about online safety and can visit the website www.kidsmartz.org or the District Attorney’s website for further information.

Case information: People v. Yelton, Dockett Number 01-195896-6

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

Two North Richmond “Swerve Team” gang members found guilty of murders, other violent crimes

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Marrico Williams (left) and Torion Young. Photos by Richmond PD

Third defendant guilty of lesser crime

By Ted Asregadoo, Public Information Officer, Contra Costa County Distict Attorney

On Wednesday, March 30, 2022, a Contra Costa County jury found defendants 24-year-old Marrico Williams and 23-year-old Torion Young, guilty of multiple charges for their roles in a prolific crime spree committed by members of the North Richmond criminal street gang known as the “Swerve Team.”

Williams was found guilty of two counts of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, three attempted murders, three assaults with a firearm, nine robberies, three burglaries, two carjackings, along with various firearm and injury enhancements.

Young was found guilty of two counts of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, four attempted, one assault with a firearm, one residential burglary, along with various enhancements.

The jury convicted 26-year-old defendant Cardell Waters of conspiracy to possess an illegal firearm — but was unable to reach a verdict on the remaining counts.

In 2016, over a six-month period, members of the Swerve Team committed a string of violent crimes against rival gang members and innocent community members throughout Contra Costa County. The crime spree ended on September 30, 2016, when Williams and fellow Swerve Team gang members were arrested following a high-speed chase through multiple cities, which ended in San Pablo.

Police searched the vehicle driven by Williams and found evidence from cell phones and camera images. Williams, Young, Waters, and five other Swerve Team gang members were indicted in 2017 by a grand jury following a massive federal and state investigation centering on multiple shootings, including three homicides. The trial against the defendants was based on ballistic evidence, cellular records, and forensic evidence, along with the testimony of 185 witnesses.

The sentencing will be heard later this year before the Honorable Judge Charles “Ben” Burch in Martinez. Williams and Young face multiple 25 to life prison sentences. The remaining case against Waters is scheduled for a future court date. A determination has yet to be made as to whether Waters will be retried.

This case was investigated by numerous law enforcement agencies throughout the county including Police Departments in Richmond, Antioch, Brentwood, Pittsburg, Danville, Pinole, San Pablo, Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Department, along with several out of county agencies. The Contra Costa County FBI Safe Streets Task Force also participated in the wire investigation into the Swerve Team in September of 2016. Deputy District Attorney Chad Mahalich prosecuted this case on behalf of the People.

This extensive jury trial lasted approximately 8 months, beginning in August of 2021, and ended on March 30, 2022.

Case information: People v. B. Williams, M. Williams, T. Brown, J. Hicks Jr., T. Young, R. Fluker, T. Woods, and C. Waters: 5-181436-7.

Contra Costa Public Defender wants names of Pittsburg, Antioch officers under investigation by DA

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McDonnell issues statement about investigation, wants to conduct own review of cases; Becton hasn’t responded

By Allen D. Payton

In a letter to Contra Costa District Attorney Diana Becton on Monday, Contra Costa Public Defender Ellen McDonnell asked for the names of the Antioch and Pittsburg Police officers who are the subjects of an investigation into possible crimes of moral turpitude. The DA’s office announced last Friday the investigation which began last Wednesday and “a review of both active and closed cases involving these officers…to evaluate whether those cases are now compromised.” (See related article)

McDonnell is also asking for all the current, pending cases the involving the officers so her office can conduct a separate review. As of 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, McDonnell said she had not received a response from Becton.

“To date, I have not been provided with any information about what this investigation of the officers is about,” McDonnell later shared.

Following is the letter:

“March 28, 2022

Diana Becton

Office of the District Attorney

900 Ward Street

Martinez, CA 94553

Dear Diana,

In light of the recent media disclosures regarding conduct involving moral turpitude on the part of officers from Pittsburg and Antioch Police Departments, I am requesting that you identify all officers from those departments currently under investigation by your office. We believe that such a disclosure is mandated by the United States Constitution, XIVth Amendment, Brady v. Maryland (1963) 373 U.S. 83 & progeny, and California case law.

I am also asking that you identify all cases currently pending that include any of the involved officers, as well as all previous cases involving those officers. Please provide us with a list of such cases in which the client is or was represented by the Office of the Public Defender or the Office of the Alternate Defender.

While we understand from your press release that you intend to conduct an internal review of affected cases, we respectfully request that you identify those officers so that we can conduct our own review according to our own practices.

Thank you in advance for your assistance and cooperation with this matter. If you have any questions about this request, please let me know.

Sincerely,

Ellen McDonnell

Public Defender Contra Costa County”

————————–

According to supreme.justia.com, in the case McDonnell cited, the court found, “The government’s withholding of evidence that is material to the determination of either guilt or punishment of a criminal defendant violates the defendant’s constitutional right to due process.”

McDonnell Issues Statement About Investigation

The Public Defender issued the following statement Tuesday evening:

“I am deeply concerned about these revelations.  Our office first heard about this investigation when the District Attorney’s Office issued a press release on March 25th.  We immediately requested that the names of any involved officers be released to our office so that we could begin the process of reviewing impacted cases and determining what role these officers played in any arrests or convictions.  Timely transparency is necessary to ensure due process of law and the fair administration of justice for our community and for those impacted by our criminal legal system, some of whom may be currently incarcerated based on the word of these officers.

This investigation into the conduct of officers from both the Pittsburg and Antioch Police Departments will potentially impact many hundreds of cases.  This includes not only current cases where these officers are witnesses, but also previous arrests and convictions involving these officers.  It is important to determine whether these officers were under investigation and suspected of committing crimes of moral turpitude while they continued to remain on the force and continued to arrest individuals, to author police reports, and to testify as witnesses in criminal court.”

FBI, Contra Costa DA’s Office investigating possible “crimes of moral turpitude” in Pittsburg, Antioch Police Departments

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“conduct that shocks the public conscience, or which does not fall within the moral standards held by the community” – LegalDictionary.com

Will evaluate if cases involving officers are now compromised

UPDATE: Pittsburg PD issues statement, 3 officers placed on paid leave

By Allen D. Payton

Late Friday afternoon, the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office announced that on Wednesday, March 23, 2022, the FBI and the DA’s Office conducted court-authorized law enforcement activity at multiple locations. The criminal investigation pertains to 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. A review of both active and closed cases involving these officers will be necessary to evaluate whether those cases are now compromised. Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, no additional details will be released at this time.

The involved police departments and cities have cooperated with the investigation to ensure minimal disruption to their respective communities. The District Attorney’s Office will continue to work in conjunction with federal authorities along with the cities of Antioch and Pittsburg to ensure public trust and public safety.

According to LegalDictionary.com moral turpitude means, “Conduct that is believed to be contrary to community standards of honesty, good morals, or justice.” In addition, that website reads, “Moral turpitude is a legal concept that refers to any conduct that is believed to be contrary to the community standards of honesty, justice, or good moral values. While there is no one exact definition of acts that are considered under moral turpitude, they are typically described as any acts of vileness or depravity, or of sexual immorality, whether in a private or social context.  The word turpitude is defined as a shameful, vile, or corrupt character or acts. Moral turpitude refers to conduct that shocks the public conscience, or which does not fall within the moral standards held by the community. The law concerning moral turpitude is constantly changing and evolving, as the moral standards of society in general change.”

UPDATE: Pittsburg PD Places 3 Officers on Paid Leave

The Pittsburg PD issued the following statement on their social media accounts early Friday evening:

“The Pittsburg Police Department is aware of a joint criminal investigation being conducted by the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office along with the FBI. The investigation involves several local police officers, including three current Pittsburg Police Officers. Anytime there is any allegation of criminal misconduct, that is something our organization takes extremely seriously.

In September of 2021, the department received information that a Pittsburg Officer was involved in illegal activity. The tip also indicated that other law enforcement officers were involved, but did not go into further details. When we learned of the allegations, we immediately contacted the District Attorney’s Office and asked them to conduct an independent criminal investigation.

This past Wednesday, the FBI and the District Attorney’s Office met with three current Pittsburg Police Officers as part of this investigation. After the meetings, all three Pittsburg Police Officers were placed on paid administrative leave. This is still an active criminal investigation being conducted by two outside law enforcement agencies, so we do not have further details into the alleged misconduct. The Pittsburg Police Department will continue to cooperate with the DA’s Office and the FBI. We will also be conducting our own internal investigation that will be completed by an independent, outside investigator.

Please know that the women and men at our Department remain committed to serving our community. Any officer who has violated their oath of office by engaging in illegal or unethical conduct will be held accountable.”

No Response from City of Antioch, Yet

A copy of the DA’s release was sent, Friday at 4:36 p.m., to Interim Antioch Police Chief Tony Morefield, copying Captain Trevor Schnitzius asking if they can provide any information about the investigation. Morefield said any inquiries about the matter must be made to the City of Antioch public information officer (PIO).

An email was then sent to Antioch’s PIO Rolando Bonilla after business hours on Friday asking for the response from the city.

A question was also sent to Assistant DA Simon O’Connell after hours Friday asking for his office’s legal definition of “crimes of moral turpitude”.

Please check back later for any updates to this report.

Local leader encourages watching Lifetime Channel premiere of powerful anti-sex trafficking film Saturday, March 26

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LIFETIME CHANNEL PREMIERE

Film Title: The Lost Girls

Date: Saturday, March 26, 2022

Time: 8pm EST / 5pm PST (Check your local listing for times)

Movie trailer for “The Lost Girls” – https://play.mylifetime.com/movies/the-lost-girls/preview-the-lost-girls

HOLLYWOOD, CA, March 25, 2022 – Veteran movie Producer Julia Verdin announced today that the Lifetime Channel premiere of her film “The Lost Girls” will be on Saturday, March 26, 2022 at 8pm EST. The film shows the harrowing story of 17-year-old Angie who was befriended by a good looking teen new to her area promising to help her music career and lured into a sex trafficked ring.

Verdin, owner of www.RoughDiamondProductions.net is known for successful films such as “The Merchant Of Venice”, “Stander”, and “2 Jacks”, studded with Academy Award Winning actors as well as producing a host of other great films, directed and wrote “The Lost Girls”.

After volunteering at a runaway children’s shelter and meeting many teenage survivors of trafficking, Verdin became emotionally connected to the cause of fighting for justice for them. This drove her passion to produce, direct and write the film in hopes of making a difference.

“Church groups do a lot to help survivors of trafficking,” stated Verdin.  “When I was doing my research and talking to trafficking survivors, many of them told me that a big turning point in their recovery was reconnecting with their faith.”

Verdin, who is also the President and founder of www.ArtistsForChange.org, says that her hope is that if teenagers, parents and those working with youth can start to understand the signs of a teen being groomed by a trafficker, that teens could be saved from years of hell and trauma. To Verdin, education and awareness is everything. These traffickers prey on innocence and vulnerability. Verdin says they must be stopped.

For more information, please contact Julia Verdin at Julia.Verdin@Artists4Change.org or by phone at (323)848-2900.

About Julia Verdin

Long time filmmaker Julia Verdin is known as an accomplished producer, award-winning Director and screenwriter. Having been in the film business for over 30 years, Julia has established herself as one of Hollywood’s leading independent producers. She has over 36 critically acclaimed feature films under her belt with several currently in the pipeline. She is the founder and owner of Rough Diamond Productions since 1995 and president and founder of Artists For Change plus many other resume accolades. For more information you can visit: www.RoughDiamondProductions.net/julia-verdin or www.imdb.com/name/nm0893845.

Local Organization Works to End Trafficking in Contra Costa County

Pillars of Hope based in Contra Costa County, has been helping trafficking victims since the organization was founded on Sept. 17, 2010.

“We just helped, last night, paying for a room for a victim who was testifying against her trafficker,” said Debra Brown, Executive Director. “The DA reached out to us. We’ll continue to do that until we get our house. There are several we help out, each month, with victim assistance and street outreach.

About the movie she said, “it’s typical of what happens.” She encouraged everyone to watch to see what’s happening in our county and across the country.

“We help women everywhere. We get calls directly from victims, from the Contra Costa and Alameda DA’s offices,” Brown shared. “We had one victim get a tattoo of her trafficker’s name on her chest removed. We do whatever they need. Sometimes it’s a ticket home. Sometimes it’s dental work, or even transportation to and from doctor’s appointments.”

“We have a lot of resources on our website and online training, too for those who want to get involved help end what’s happening in our own community,” she stated. “It’s happening in every community across America and that’s what’s sad.”

“They need to go after the demand side and that’s how they’ll end it,” said Brown. “If you get caught buying a kid, your face and name should be on a billboard and in newspapers in your town. There should also be astronomical fines.”

“They’re already doing heavier prison terms for traffickers. But until they deal with the ‘Johns’ on the demand side, it’s not going to stop,” she added.

To learn more and to help in Contra Costa County visit www.pillarsofhope.us.

 

Contra Costa Sheriff identifies victim in Wednesday homicide as young Lafayette man

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March 24, 2022 – The victim in Wednesday’s shooting death in an unincorporated area between Pleasant Hill and Lafayette has been identified as 20-year-old Basel Jilani of Lafayette. (See related article)

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office 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.