Contra Costa Herald

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

Coroner’s Inquest jury finds Oakley man’s death a suicide during San Pablo traffic stop

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

Sheriff-Coroner David O. Livingston announced that a Coroner’s Jury has reached a finding in the September 28, 2018 death of 41-year-old Marcus Lamont Bray of Oakley. The finding of the jury is that the death is a suicide.

The Coroner’s Jury reached a 12-0 verdict after hearing the testimony of witnesses called by the hearing officer, Matthew Guichard.

Bray shot himself during a traffic stop by a San Pablo police officer.

A Coroner’s Inquest, which Sheriff-Coroner Livingston convenes in all 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.

Stand Down on the Delta to help homeless and at-risk veterans needs volunteers at fairgounds in Antioch Sept. 20-23

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Volunteers assist veterans during the 2017 Stand Down on the Delta. Herald file photo.

By Sandee Wiedemann

The biennial effort known as Stand Down on the Delta to support homeless and at-risk veterans returns to Antioch at the Contra Costa Event Park (fairgrounds) September 20-23. This is a great opportunity for the community to show appreciation for their service to our country and to receive the reward of helping others.

Veterans will be given dental, medical, and counseling services, plus legal and VA claims assistance. They will also receive clothes, haircuts, shaves, meals, and sleeping accommodations. Real estate and banking leaders will be available to help the veterans possibly   purchase a home.

Delta Veterans Group needs the community’s help to provide the most possibilities for our veterans. There are opportunities for professional services in the fields of medical, dental, legal, and more. See volunteer options under categories of general volunteer and/or professional services at https://www.deltaveteransgroup.org/stand-down-on-the-delta. There is a place for every person or service club to make a difference in the lives of our Veterans.

The Contra Costa Event Park is located at 1201 W. 10th Street in Antioch.

Veterans relax on their bunks at Stand Down. Herald file photo.

 

 

Pittsburg man indicted for 11 felonies including possession of machine gun, ammunition and illegal guns

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Found with over $16,000 in cash

By Scott Alonso, Public Information Officer, Contra Costa District Attorney

Yesterday, Monday, Sept. 9, 2019, a Contra Costa County grand jury indictment was unsealed with 11 felonies against defendant Victor Martinez, Jr., a 36-year-old resident of Pittsburg. The allegations include possession of a controlled substance with a firearm, possession for sale of methamphetamine and cocaine, possession of 650 rounds of ammunition, and a machine gun. He also had multiple firearms in his possession and police recovered $16,244 in cash from his residence.

Martinez, Jr. was initially charged in a criminal complaint on May 9, 2019. Martinez Jr. is also a convicted felon whom is not legally able to own or possess a firearm or ammunition. In 2010, he was convicted for carrying a loaded firearm as the non-registered owner.

Earlier this year, members of the Pittsburg Police Department served a search warrant at Martinez Jr.’s residence. Officers found multiple firearms in the defendant’s possession. The firearms recovered at the scene were a Smith and Wesson .38 handgun, Colt MK IV pistol, Taurus pistol, Glock .40 pistol, PWA rifle 5.56mm caliber, and a Berretta pistol.

The money recovered from the scene was forfeited in a civil asset forfeiture procedure under state law. No valid claim was made for the money.

Martinez, Jr. appeared for an arraignment in Department 3 of the Contra Costa County Superior Court before the Honorable Patricia Scanlon. Martinez Jr. pleaded not guilty to the charges alleged in the indictment. Deputy District Attorney Nichelle Holmes is the prosecutor assigned to the case on behalf of the People. DDA Holmes is with our Community Violence Reduction Unit.

Case information: People v. Victor Martinez Jr., Docket Number 05-191613-9

Be Ready to Vote! Voter registration training at Pittsburg Library Sept. 21

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Want to take meaningful action for the 2020 elections? Learn how to register others to vote.

A half-hour voter registration training will be just one of many voter services featured on Saturday, September 21 from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. at the Pittsburg Library, 80 Power Avenue in Pittsburg.

The League of Women Voters of Diablo Valley will present ways for those interested in improving our election process and educating voters to get involved. Meet Joe Canciamilla, Contra Costa County Clerk and Registrar of Voters, who will explain the County’s push for voting by mail to make it easier for commuters and others to cast their ballots. Learn about Voters Edge to view online information about candidates and ballot issues. The League trains volunteers to describe the pros and cons of ballot measures to community groups and to act as timers and moderators for TV taped candidate roundtables.

The meeting coincides with the National Day of Registration on September 24. The event is free to the public and parking is available at the Pittsburg Library. The Library is also three-tenths of a mile from the Pittsburg Center BART Station.

For more information contact the League of Women Voters of Diablo Valley at info@lwvdv.org.

Pittsburg Police arrest security guard for stealing $4,000 from employer

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Cash confiscated from security guard stolen from his employer. Photo by Pittsburg PD.

By Pittsburg Police Department

He was supposed to protect and secure the place, not loot it.

Last week, Officer Vasquez took a grand theft report from the Pittsburg Transfer Station, where the night shift security guard for the business was caught on camera stealing $4000 cash from the cash box. The following night when the security guard returned to work, officers contacted him and arrested him. The suspect admitted to stealing the cash and stated he still had $3,200 hidden in his vehicle, which officers located and recovered.

Pittsburg woman guilty of embezzlement of nearly $250,000, identity theft from local employers

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

Yesterday, Sept. 5, 2019, 44-year-old Pittsburg resident Jenelle Renee Silva was convicted by a Contra Costa County jury of six felonies, including the embezzlement of $247,456.08 from her former employer Bay Area Washout Systems located in Pittsburg. In addition, the jury found Ms. Silva committed the aggravated, white collar crime enhancements of two or more felonies involving a loss of over $100,000.

The Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office previously prosecuted Ms. Silva for embezzling $80,000 from the insurance company where she worked before Bay Area Washout Systems. Accordingly, she had a prior felony conviction in 2011 for embezzlement at the time of her conduct in this case.

In approximately 2012, Bay Area Washout Systems elevated Jenelle Silva to office manager and she obtained access to the company’s books and records, including the accounting software known as Quickbooks. One of her job duties included printing checks for the partners of the company to sign.

From 2012 through January 2017, she printed additional checks written out in her own name. She traced the managing partner’s signature onto those checks and then deposited them. She also used a company credit card to pay her daughter’s phone bill.

The evidence showed that the defendant tried to delete any evidence of her crimes by removing the records for the checks from Quickbooks entirely or changing the entries to make the checks look like legitimate business expenses. A forensic accountant determined that Silva spent the stolen funds on personal expenses such as groceries, gasoline, Starbucks, and movies.

Silva also was charged with the identity theft of both Bay Area Washout Systems and Thomas Koebel, General Manager for the company, and used it “to obtain, and attempt to obtain credit, goods, services, real property, and medical information” without his consent, according to the charging document, which can be viewed, here: Indictment Silva December 2018  An effort to reach Koebel for comment was unsuccessful prior to publication.

Deputy District Attorney Jeremy Seymour of the Special Operations Division prosecuted the case on behalf of the People. Sentencing is set for October 18 at 1:30 p.m. before the Honorable Judge Castellanos. Jenelle Silva faces up to five years in state prison for this conduct.

Case information: People v. Jenelle Silva, Docket Number 05-182401-0

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

Byron: Body of woman found Tuesday morning, Sheriff’s Deputies investigating

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

Tuesday morning, Sept. 3, 2019 at about 8:56 p.m., Delta Station Deputy Sheriffs responded to a call regarding a possible dead body. The caller reported to dispatch that the location was in the area of Byron Highway near Herdlyn Road in Byron.

Deputies arrived on scene and located a female body in the field. She was confirmed to be deceased. The woman appeared to be living at that location.

There were no obvious signs of trauma or foul play. The Coroner’s Division took custody of body and will confirm the identity of the woman, in addition to finding the cause of death.

Anyone with any information on this case is asked to contact the Office of the Sheriff Coroner’s Division at (925) 313-2850. For any tips, email: tips@so.cccounty.us or call (866) 846-3592 to leave an anonymous voice message.

German national charged with traveling to U.S. to engage in illicit sexual conduct with Brentwood minor

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OAKLAND – Adam Soboll has been charged with traveling to the United States with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor, announced United States Attorney David L. Anderson and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Francisco Special Agent in Charge Tatum King.  Soboll was arrested in Brentwood, Calif., on August 25, 2019, and charged by complaint on August 28, 2019.

According to the complaint, Soboll, 31, of Germany, identified himself as a fifth grade teacher in Germany.  The complaint alleges Soboll met the then-14-year-old minor online in October 2018, and communicated with the minor from Germany using Snapchat and online gaming platforms, as well as over other messaging applications.

In January 2019, Soboll began discussing the possibility of visiting the minor in Brentwood, Calif.  Soboll and the minor discussed where he should stay in the area and the various forms of sexual conduct in which they would engage when he arrived.

On July 31, 2019, Soboll traveled from Europe to the United States.  Soboll stayed at a hotel in Brentwood, California and engaged in sexual conduct with the minor at the hotel.  On August 25, 2019, police responded to the hotel following a report from the minor’s mother and arrested Soboll.

Soboll is charged with traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2423(b).

A complaint merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants, including Soboll, are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.  If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum statutory sentence of 30 years.  Further, additional terms of supervised release, fines, and restitution may be ordered; however, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

Defendant made an initial federal court appearance this morning before the Honorable Donna M. Ryu, U.S. Magistrate Judge.  Magistrate Judge Ryu ordered the defendant detained pending further proceedings.  His next court appearance is scheduled for September 4, 2019, before the Honorable Kandis A. Westmore, U.S. Magistrate Judge, for a detention hearing.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Samantha Schott.  The case is being investigated by HSI, the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office, and the Brentwood Police Department.

Brentwood police arrest San Francisco man for attempting to force female into prostitution

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By Brentwood Police Department

Thanks to a collaborative effort between officers and detectives, Kevin Winans (30-year-old San Francisco resident) was taken into custody on pandering charges. On Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, Winans was arrested in Brentwood after attempting to coerce a female into prostitution. At the time of arrest, Winans drove his vehicle from the Bay Area to pick up the female in Brentwood. Inside Winans vehicle, detectives located an amount of supporting evidence. Winans remains in county jail on pandering and obstruction charges.

Fortunately, in this case, officers and detectives were able to make an arrest before someone became a victim of sex trafficking.

For more information on the National Human Trafficking Hotline, Child Sex Trafficking or Sextortion please visit:

https://humantraffickinghotline.org/

http://www.missingkids.com/theissues/trafficking

http://www.missingkids.com/theissues/sextortion

Discovery Bay: Body of fisherman missing since Sunday found Tuesday, identified as Oakland man

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

On the afternoon of Tuesday, August 27, 2019, the Marine Patrol Unit continued to search for a missing boater in Indian Slough. He was reported missing on Sunday, August 25, 2019, at about 2:18 AM. Two men were fishing on an inflatable raft at Indian Slough when their raft apparently had a malfunction. One of the men swam to shore, but the other person was unaccounted for.

At about 4:05 PM on Tuesday, Marine Patrol Deputies were dispatched to a floating private dock behind a residence on the 200 block of Discovery Bay Boulevard for a report of a body in the water.

Deputies arrived on scene and recovered the body. The body was turned over to the Coroner’s Division.

The Coroner’s Division later identified the recovered body as 34-year-old Efren Cruz-Rodriguez of Oakland. An autopsy was performed this morning. The cause of death is listed as drowning.

Anyone with any information on the incident is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office Marine Patrol Unit at (925) 427-8507.