Contra Costa Herald

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

Four arrested on gun charges during two traffic stops in Brentwood

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A gun confiscated during one of the traffic stops and subsequent arrests. Photo: Brentwood PD

Two men from Martinez, Oakley with histories of arrests, two women from Pittsburg, Brentwood; busy week for one officer

By Brentwood Police Department

Last week, a Brentwood officer was patrolling the area of Brentwood Blvd and Beverly Place and did a car stop on a vehicle for tinted windows.

The officer contacted the driver, 41-year-old James Charles Blevins of Martinez, and two additional occupants, 32-year-old Taylor Berdett Michelson of Oakley and 29-year-old Alexandra Angelina Wehr of Pittsburg. Blevins told the officer he did not have a driver’s license and was also on probation.

After the occupants were detained, a loaded “ghost” gun and ammunition were found inside the car. Blevins and Michelson, who had prior felony convictions, were arrested, along with Wehr, for gun-related charges. All three were transported to the Martinez Detention Facility.

A few days later, the same officer responded to the areas of Oak Street and First Street for a welfare check and arrested 35-year-old Kenya Elizabeth Orochena of Brentwood, for possession of a loaded gun.

According to the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office, as of Tuesday, July 25, Blevins was out of custody, released by court order. According to localcrimenews.com this is his second arrest this year. He has a history of arrests dating back to 2016 by multiple agencies including several times for grand theft, vehicle theft, drug possession, burglary and drunk driving.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, Michelson was still in custody as of Friday, July 21. He, too, has a history of arrests since 2013 according to localcrimenews.com by multiple agencies for crimes including possessing a stolen ID with intent to defraud, drug possession, vehicle theft, and gun charges including carrying a loaded firearm on person or in vehicle while in a public place. This is Michelson’s third arrest this year.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, as of Tuesday, July 25, Wehr was out of custody and no charges have been filed.

No other information about Orochena could be found.

A busy week for one officer – and a reflection of the hard work of all Brentwood officers.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

Brentwood woman arrested following husband’s stabbing death

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By Brentwood Police Department

On Tuesday, July 25th, 2023 around 10:15a.m., Brentwood officers responded to the 300 block of MacArthur Way for a welfare check for an adult male and adult female at a residence.

When officers arrived they made contact at the residence with an adult female, and there was evidence indicating a potential violent crime had just occurred. Officers quickly detained the female and upon searching the residence located a deceased adult male who had sustained several stab wounds. There were no other victims inside the residence or on scene.

The female suspect and male victim are in a marital relationship and live at the residence. We are not releasing the names at this time until next of kin has been notified.

The female is in police custody and there is no known threat to public safety. This appears to be an isolated incident.

If you have any information regarding this investigation, please contact Detective Goold at 925-809-7872.  Callers may remain anonymous.

Body found in river identified as San Leandro man missing while boating last Friday

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A Coast Guard helicopter flies over the river searching for the missing boater along the Antioch waterfront Friday, July 21, 2023. Screenshot of video by Allen D. Payton

Recovered Monday morning; conflicting information from agencies of what occurred; no investigation by APD

By Allen D. Payton

According to Antioch Police Public Information Liaison Sgt. Price Kendall, on Tuesday, July 25, 2023, the body of the man missing in the river last Friday during a boating mishap was found.

Con Fire spokeswoman, Assistant Fire Chief Tracie Dutter said, “Someone reported a possible deceased male on the rocks near Fulton Shipyard Road on Monday at 7:48 AM. We were requested by PD to assist in recovering the body. We were on scene assisting at about 8:20 a.m. and by 8:40 a.m. the recovery was completed.”

According to Deputy Gonzalez of the Contra Costa County Coroner’s Office, the man was identified as 58-year-old Douglas Cross from San Leandro, based on his driver’s license information.

As previously reported, according to Jimmy Lee, Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office Director of Public Affairs, “On Friday, July 21, 2023, at about 1:51 PM, deputy sheriffs from the Marine Patrol Unit were dispatched to assist the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District and the United States Coast Guard with searching for a missing boater who was apparently trying to push his 20-foot vessel to shore near the Fulton Shipyard on the San Joaquin River. The U.S. Coast Guard and Sheriff’s Office drone team were also involved in the search. The missing boater, who is not being identified at this time, was not located. (See video)

The Marine Patrol Unit continued the search on Saturday, he added.

However, according to Coast Guard Public Affairs Specialist Schnabel, “We suspended the search after searching until around 7:30 pm. One man had fallen overboard from a recreational boat and the other man jumped in after him attempting to get him out of the water leaving the vessel unmanned. Neither had life jackets. One man was recovered by a Good Samaritan and taken to a local boat ramp.”

Asked if an investigation was being conducted to determine what occurred and if the other man had been interviewed to get his side of the story, Sgt. Kendall responded, “No investigation is being conducted by the Antioch Police Department.”

Lee was asked the same question but did not respond prior to publication time. Please check back later for any updates to this report.

 

Brentwood: Burglary in progress leads to arrests of three including Brentwood, Antioch teens

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Brentwood Police arrested three teens during a burglary in progress on Wednesday, July 19, 2023. Photo: Brentwood PD

Two out of custody with no charges filed; Antioch teen’s father of same name has history of arrests from 2014 to 2023

By Brentwood Police

On Wednesday afternoon, July 19, 2023, Brentwood Police officers were called to a residence located at the 700 block of Allbrook Court for a burglary in progress. When officers arrived to the residence the suspects fled.

With the help of a citizen witness, officers were able to successfully locate the suspects, identified as 18-year-old Keoni Mikala Temple, Jr. of Antioch, 19-year-old Rashad Lewis of Brentwood, and a 16-year-old juvenile. All three were placed under arrest for burglary.

According to the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office, as of Friday, July 21, both Temple and Lewis were out of custody with no charges filed.

According to localcrimenews.com, Temple’s father, Keoni Mikala Temple, Sr. has a history of arrests dating back to 2014 including three arrests in March of this year.

We want to thank the alert citizen who provided us the critical information needed to ensure all involved were arrested. We always appreciate when our citizens help us out. This is a friendly reminder to our community, if you see something, say something!

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

Annual Oakley Kids Fishing Derby on the Antioch Fishing Pier Aug. 12

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By City of Oakley Recreation Department

The annual Kids Fishing Derby will be held on Saturday, August 12th. The Derby is for children up to age 15 and registration is FREE. This is a “catch and release” derby so children will be assisted to release the fish after they have been logged.

Registration and check-in is from 8 AM – 9 AM. The Derby runs from 9 AM – 11 AM, followed by complimentary snacks and awards.

The Derby will be held on the Antioch Fishing Pier in the Antioch/Oakley Regional Shoreline off Bridgehead Road in Oakley.

Register by clicking here. Click on Special Events then Kids Fishing Derby.

For more information, call Alicia O’Leary at (925) 625-7044 or email: oleary@ci.oakley.ca.us.

Brentwood: Pittsburg man arrested for drugs, Rodeo man, woman arrested for WinCo robbery

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Cash and drugs seized during traffic stop arrest on Sunday, July 16, 2023, and the recovered WinCo merchandise stolen on Monday, July 17, 2023. Photos: Brentwood PD

Rodeo man out on bail; robbery suspects out of jail with no charges filed

By Brentwood Police Department

Last week was a busy week for Brentwood PD, but rest assured we are working hard and committed to keeping our community safe.

During the weekend of July 15 and 16, a Brentwood officer was driving in the area of Second Street and Brentwood Blvd., when he saw a vehicle with expired registration. The officer pulled the vehicle over, and during the traffic stop he saw drugs inside the vehicle in plain view. All in all, marijuana, heroin, and ecstasy were ultimately recovered from inside the car.

The driver, 20-year-old Mario Miranda Ortiz of Pittsburg, was placed under arrest for being in possession of drugs for sale along with other drug related charges. He was transported to the Martinez Detention Facility for booking on Monday, July 17. According to the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office he bonded out on Tuesday, July 18.

Arrests in Grocery Store Robbery

On Monday, July 17, officers were dispatched to WinCo Foods for a report of two suspects stealing. When loss prevention confronted the suspects, they fought the employee and fled in a vehicle with stolen property. Thankfully, the victim was ok, only sustaining minor injuries.

A Brentwood officer quickly located the suspect’s vehicle, and subsequently placed the two occupants, identified as 30-year-old Reginald Lee Jackson of Contra Costa County and 20-year-old Sammone Kiara Weaver of Rodeo under arrest for robbery (and other charges) and transported them to the Martinez Detention Facility. The property was recovered and returned to the store.

As of Wednesday, July 19 both Jackson and Weaver were out of custody and no charges had been filed.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

 

Oakley to hold next Concert in the Park Friday, August 4

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By City of Oakley Recreation Department

For the month of August, our Friday Night Bites in partnership with Foodie Crew includes a concert featuring the band Project 4 Band who bring their blend of Pop, R&B, Rock, Latin, Smooth Jazz music to Oakley from 5PM to 9PM in Civic Center Plaza.

Bring your family, friends, and a picnic blanket or chairs and settle in for an unforgettable night of singing, dancing, and delicious food under the stars! No outside alcohol is permitted.

Concerts in the Park will continue Friday nights September 1 and October 6,

For more information about the concert, contact Alicia at (925) 625-7044 or email: oleary@ci.oakley.ca.us.

Oakley double: Tuttle triumphs, DQ hands Pearce win Saturday night at Antioch Speedway

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Jacob Tuttle drove the Ted Finkenbinder #3 Spec Sprint to his third win of the season. Photo by Katrina Kniss

By Candice Martin, DCRR Racing Media

Antioch, CA…July 22…Jacob Tuttle of Oakley won the 25 lap Wingless Spec Sprint Main Event Saturday night at Antioch Speedway. This was his third win of the season aboard the Ted Finkenbinder owned entry as he tuned up for next week’s Hunt Series race. Finkenbinder Racing teammate Blake Bower of Brentwood, a multi-time WMR Midget champion, finished second.

A heat race win put Tuttle on the outside front row for the feature race. After a tangle in Turn 2, Tuttle led the restart ahead of Bob Newberry of Brentwood. Gilroy’s Jarrett Soares settled into third on the second lap. An inside pass on the back stretch of the third lap gained Soares second from Newberry. A yellow flag waved on Lap 5 for Antioch’s Shawn Arriaga in Turn 2. Soares got a good run on the restart lap and passed Tuttle on the inside down the back straightaway to claim the lead. A thrilling, side by side battle developed between Soares on the inside and Tuttle on the extreme outside.

A high pass in Turn 2 of the 10th lap put Tuttle back into the lead. DJ Johnson of Stockton was running third at that point. They ran that way until a yellow flag flew for a spin in Turn 4 on Lap 18. Tuttle continued to lead Soares and Johnson on the restart, but Bower began working the outside and got around Johnson on Lap 20. Bower then took his momentum and made an outside pass on the back stretch on Lap 23 for second. However, Tuttle prevailed ahead of Bower, Soares, Johnson and Newberry.

A post-race disqualification handed Andrew Pearce #28 his first Limited Late Model win. Photo by Katrina Kniss

Andrew Pearce of Oakley picked up his first career 20 lap Xtreme Late Model victory aboard the Paul Guglielmoni owned car. Buddy Kniss of Oakley crossed the line in first, only to be disqualified in post-race tech for rear deck height.

Buddy’s father Chester Kniss of Antioch had drawn the pole in the pill draw before the Main Event, but he elected to go to the back, giving Buddy the pole position. The younger Kniss streaked into the lead ahead of Shawn DeForest of Livermore. However, Pearce slipped past DeForest on the back stretch on Lap 3 in a bit of close racing that saw DeForest get into the back wall. Anthony Slaney of Martinez settled into third. Kniiss set a rapid pace and put a little bit of distance between himself and Pearce by the time the checkered flag waved. The disqualification put Pearce in the winner’s position, followed by Slaney, reiging series champion Dan Brown Jr of Lincoln, Soares Memorial winner Matt Michelli of Live Oak and Chester Kniss of Antioch.

Point leader Joel Hannagan drove the Junkyard Dog #16 Hardtop to his fourth-straight win. Photo by Katrina Kniss

Hardtop point leader Joel Hannagan of San Jose picked up his fourth-straight 15 lap Main Event win aboard the Doug Braudrick owned Junkyard Dog. Bob Slaney of Martinez jumped into the lead at the start, followed by Ronnie Ruiz of West Sacramento. Merced Sportsman point leader Rick Elliott took second on Lap 2 and made an outside pass on the back stretch of the fourth lap to take the lead from Slaney. An outside pass at the line moved Hannagan into second, and he quickly got around Elliott a lap later for the lead.

Brad Coello of Oakley was running third at that point, but he spun from that position for a yellow flag on Lap 7. Hannigan continued to lead the restart as Mike Gillard of Atwater made a low pass in Turn 4 to take second from Elliott. Elliott got back around Gillard in the same turn a lap later. The battle was between Ruiz and Coello for the fourth position over the remaining laps, but Hannagan won by a straightaway ahead of Elliott. Gillard settled for third, and Ruiz beat Coelho back to the line to finish fourth.

Devan Kammermann rebounded from a rough start to win the Delta Dwarf Car feature. Photo by Katrina Kniss

Devan Kammermann of Dublin maintained his championship hopes with his second-straight Delta Dwarf Car feature triumph. He charged into the lead at the start ahead of Gage Meyers of Placerville. A low pass in Turn 2 of the third lap put Meyers into the lead, and Kammermann got into the wall in Turn 4 for a yellow flag. His car was stuck on the wall, but he had no front end damage and would restart at the back of the pack.

Meyers continued to lead Antioch’s Chance Russell on the restart, but Russell went low in Turn 4 of the fifth lap to take the lead. Kammermann appeared in third on the seventh lap and was able to get around Meyers for second on Lap 13 before a yellow flag waved. Russell led Kammermann on the restart, but Kammermann went low in Turn 1 on the 15th lap to take the lead. Kammermann went from there to victory as Russell settled for second ahead of Myers, 2020 champion Travis Day of Concord and Joe LeDuc of Tracy.

Mike Learn #11 won his second Super Stock Main Event. Photo by Katrina Kniss

Mike Learn of Petaluma won the 20 lap Super Stock Main Event. The past Tri State champion had the pole after his heat race win and led from the start ahead of Joey Ridgeway of Brentwood. Ridgeway surrendered second to Ryan Cherezian of Knightsen on the fourth lap. As Learn pulled away, Cherezian had a battle with Ridgeway and Jim Freethy of Danville for second for the next several laps. However, nobody was going to challenge Learn as he prevailed ahead of Cherezian. Freethy made a Turn 2 pass on the final lap to claim third as Ridgeway settled for fourth ahead of Chad Hammer of Antioch.

Racing continues next Saturday night with the return of the Hunt Wingless Spec Sprint Series. The loaded program will also feature a Figure 8, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, Pacific Coast General Engineering Hobby Stocks, WMR Midget and Print Club Mini Stocks. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.

Antioch Speedway Race Results for July 22, 2023

Wingless Spec Sprints 

FT Jarrett Soares 14.266. Heat Winners (8 laps)-DJ Johnson, Jacob Tuttle. Main Event (25 laps)-Jacob Tuttle, Blake Bower, Jarrett Soares, DJ Johnson, Bob Newberry, Heath Holdsclaw, Jeff Scotto, James East, Cameron Martin, Shawn Arriaga.

Extreme Late Models 

FT Anthony Slaney 15.408. Heat Winners (8 laps)-Anthony Slaney, Buddy Kniss. Main Event (20 laps)-Andrew Pearce, Anthony Slaney, Dan Brown Jr, Matt Michelli, Chester Kniss, Rod Oliver, Shawn DeForest, Wayne Trimble, Josh Combs, Ray Trimble.

Hardtops

Heat Winner (8 laps)-Joel Hannagan. Main Event (15 laps)-Joel Hannigan, Rick Elliott, Mike Gillard, Ronnie Ruiz, Brad Coelho, Don Slaney, Dave Reed, Joe Shenefield, Ken Clifford DNS.

Delta Dwarf Cars 

Heat Winner (8 laps)-Gage Meyers. Main Event (20 laps)-Devan Kammermann, Chance Russell, Gage Meyers, Travis Day, Joe LeDuc, Tyler Applebaum, Chris Durbin, Sean Catucci DQ.

Super Stocks 

FT Mike Learn 17.227. Heat Winner (8 laps)-Mike Learn. Main Event (20 laps)-Mike Learn, Ryan Cherezian, Jim Freethy, Joey Ridgeway, Chad Hammer.

UPDATE: Search continues for man missing after falling off boat in river near Antioch Friday

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A Coast Guard helicopter searches river for man along Antioch waterfront Friday afternoon, July 21, 2023. Photos by Allen D. Payton

By Allen D. Payton

07/22/23 UPDATE #2: According to Jimmy Lee, Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office Director of Public Affairs, “On Friday, July 21, 2023, at about 1:51 PM, deputy sheriffs from the Marine Patrol Unit were dispatched to assist the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District and the United States Coast Guard with searching for a missing boater who was apparently trying to push his 20-foot vessel to shore near the Fulton Shipyard on the San Joaquin River. The U.S. Coast Guard and Sheriff’s Office drone team were also involved in the search. The missing boater, who is not being identified at this time, was not located. The Marine Patrol Unit will continue the search today.”

07/22/23 UPDATE #1: According to Coast Guard Public Affairs Specialist Schnabel, “We suspended the search after searching until around 7:30 pm. One man had fallen overboard from a recreational boat and the other man jumped in after him attempting to get him out of the water leaving the vessel unmanned. Neither had life jackets. One man was recovered by a Good Samaritan and taken to a local boat ramp.”

———————-

A helicopter could be seen flying over the river and Waldie Plaza along the Antioch waterfront Friday afternoon. According to Con Fire PIO Steve Hill, “We responded in the noon hour to reports of a 55-year-old man in the water. In spite of searches by us, Sheriff’s Office Marine program and the Coast Guard we were unable to locate him. We are clearing at this hour, the Coast Guard remains on scene.”

As of 4:25 PM Coast Guard 11th District Public Affairs Specialist Hunter Schnabel said, “the search is ongoing for a male. We received a report from another male who was swimming with him after he got back to shore and called in a panic.”

A Coast Guard helicopter flies over Waldie Plaza in Antioch’s historic, downtown Rivertown on Friday, July 21, 2023.

“We have Station Rio Vista and Air San Francisco’s MH65 Dolphins (helicopters) in the search,” he added.

Please check back later for any updates to this report.

Back to School Bash August 5 at The Streets of Brentwood

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By The Streets of Brentwood

What’s the best way to get ready for the start of a new school year? A celebration at the Streets of Brentwood!
We’re hosting a Back to School Bash, Saturday, August 5 from 10 AM to 2 PM.
The event will have musical performances from local entertainers, face painting and activities for the kids, informational tables from community groups and schools, and much more!
We will also have our Free Gift with Purchase program during the event.  Shoppers can present original receipt(s) totaling $50 or more from any of our stores or restaurants and receive a FREE $10 The Streets of Brentwood Gift Card.  One per customer, per day.  Original receipts only.  While supplies last.  August 5th only.
Check back here as we add our list of entertainers and participating community groups.
The Streets of Brentwood is located at 2455 Sand Creek Road.