Contra Costa Herald

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

Pilot of downed plane in Delta identified as Berkeley man

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Deputies of the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Marine Unit search for the plane and pilot on Monday, June 10, 2019. Photo by CCCSheriff.

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

During a search yesterday of Broad Slough where the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff Marine Services Unit located the plane wreckage, the Dive Team recovered a body from the wreckage, which was in approximately 20 feet of water, at about 5:30 PM.

The Coroner’s Division later identified the person, who was the pilot and only occupant of the plane, as 22-year-old Colin Um of Berkeley.

On Sunday, June 9, 2019, at about 5:32 PM, a boater notified Sheriff’s Office Dispatch of a small plane crashing into the Delta at the north end of Broad Slough, north of Antioch.

Several public safety agencies immediately responded. Debris and a backpack were found at the location. The plane took off from Buchanan Field Airport in Concord at about 5 PM.

The National Transportation Safety Board will be investigating the cause of the crash. Any witnesses to this incident are asked to contact the NTSB by email at: witness@NTSB.GOV.

Although a date has not been set, a salvage company is expected to remove the plane wreckage in the near future.

The Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office would like to extend our condolences and sympathies to the family and friends of Colin Um. An autopsy into the cause of death is scheduled for tomorrow.

Selma man found guilty of second-degree murder for 2017 DUI crash in Concord

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

Today, Tuesday, June 11, 2019, a Contra Costa County jury found defendant Bo Robledo of Selma, California guilty of second-degree murder for a 2017 driving under the influence collision in Concord. Robledo was also convicted of driving under the influence causing great bodily injury at the time of the fatal crash that claimed the life of 21-year-old Natalie Davies, a resident of Concord.

Just before midnight on November 5, 2017, Robledo’s vehicle collided head-on with the victim’s vehicle near Kinne Bridge on Willow Pass Road in Concord. Robledo’s high rate of speed and intoxication caused the deadly collision. The collision also injured victim Zachary Punty and left him with significant life-altering injuries.

Robledo now faces a sentence of 23 years to life in state prison. Sentencing will occur on July 26, 2019 in front of the Honorable Rebecca Hardie in Department 5 of the Contra Costa County Superior Court in Martinez. Contra Costa County Deputy District Attorney Derek Butts prosecuted the case on behalf of the People. The case originated in the Office’s Homicide Unit.

DDA Butts was recently honored by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) as part of the organization’s 2019 Law Enforcement Recognition event. DDA Butts was recognized for his dedication in prosecuting DUI murder cases, including the recent convictions of defendants Fred Lowe and Lemuel Wilson.

The jury found Robledo guilty of the following charges:

  • Second-Degree Murder
  • Gross Vehicular Manslaughter while intoxicated with a prior conviction
  • Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol Causing Injury Within 10 Years of Another DUI Offense
  • Driving with a .08% Blood Alcohol Content Causing Inquiry Within 10 Years of Another DUI Offense
  • Driving When Privilege Suspended or Revoked For A Driving Under The Influence Conviction

Case Information: People v. Bo Steven Robledo, Docket Number 05-181781-6

Wreckage of downed plane found in river near Antioch and Pittsburg

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Deputies from the Contra Costa County Sheriff Marine Services Unit search for the downed plane on Mon., June 10, 2019. Photos by CCCSheriff.

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

Monday morning, June 10, 2019, the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff Marine Services Unit went to Broad Slough in the Del-ta where a plane was reported to have gone down yesterday. Marine Patrol Deputies, assisted by the U.S. Coast Guard, used a side scan sonar and remotely operated vehicle to find the exact location of the plane. The plane wreckage was located at about 10:30 AM. A Sheriff’s Office Dive Team was later deployed.

On Sunday, June 9, 2019, at about 5:32 PM, a boater notified Sheriff’s Office Dispatch of a small plane crashing into the Delta at the north end of Broad Slough, north of Antioch.

Several agencies that included the Office of the Sheriff Marine Services Unit, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, Pittsburg PD, Solano County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Coast Guard, and the California Highway Patrol responded. Debris and a backpack were found at the location.

The plane took off from Buchanan Field Airport in Concord at about 5 PM. The pilot is believed to be the only occupant in the plane. The name of the pilot is not being released at this time as his identity has not been confirmed.

The National Transportation Safety Board will be investigating the cause of the crash. Any witnesses to this incident are asked to contact the NTSB by email at: witness@NTSB.GOV.

The Marine Services Unit is continuing with recovery operations. A salvage company is expected to remove the plane wreckage within the next few days.

Oakland driver ejected, dies in crash on Highway 4 in Concord Sunday night

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By CHP-Contra Costa

Sunday night at about 8:27 pm, Contra Costa CHP was advised of a two vehicle collision on HWY-4 westbound, just east of Port Chicago Highway, in the city of Concord. Upon emergency personnel and CHP arrival, it was determined that a blue BMW M3 and a silver Toyota Camry collided and then the BMW subsequently went off the roadway and plummeted down onto the Railroad tracks at Kinne Blvd. (which is below the highway and next to the old Concord Naval Weapons Station). The solo male driver (35 years old from Oakland) was pronounced deceased at the scene. The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Coroners Office will be handling the release of his identity.

In the initial investigation, it appears that the solo male driver of the BMW was traveling on westbound HWY-4 at a reported high rate of speed and for unknown reasons drove into the dirt center median and lost control of the BMW. Then veered across all lanes of traffic towards the right shoulder and subsequently drove off HWY-4 and plummeted down to the railroad tracks below on Kinne Blvd., causing major damage. The driver was ejected and found a distance away from the BMW and was pronounced deceased on scene. The solo male driver of the Toyota Camry was not injured and remained on scene for the investigation.

It is unknown at this time if alcohol or drugs were a factor in this collision as it is still under investigation. If anyone witnessed this collision or the events leading up to it, please contact Contra Costa CHP in Martinez, (925) 646-4980.

Female passenger dies, male driver arrested for DUI in fatal crash in Brentwood Sunday morning

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By CHP-Contra Costa

Sunday morning at about 5:12 A.M., Contra Costa CHP was advised of a solo vehicle collision (with two occupants) off the roadway at Lone Tree Way, just east of Adams Lane, in the Brentwood area. Upon emergency personnel and CHP arrival, a Nissan Sentra had veered off the roadway and into a utility pole, causing major damage. Tragically the 23yr old female passenger (from Vallejo) was pronounced deceased at the scene. The 25yr old male driver (from Vallejo) sustained only minor injuries and is suspected of driving under the influence. He was transported to John Muir Hospital in Walnut Creek. The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Coroners Office will be handling the release of identity of the 23-year-old deceased female.

In the initial investigation, it appears the male driver of the Nissan crossed over the solid double yellow lines and then veered back across the lane and drove the Nissan off the roadway to the right shoulder area where he crashed into a large utility pole, causing major damage, and killing his female girlfriend passenger. Officers on scene began a DUI investigation. The male driver was transported to the hospital where Officers followed and while at the hospital, placed the driver (Joseph John Martinez, DOB-8/13/1993) under arrest for suspicion of felony DUI, resulting in the death of his passenger.

This incident is another tragic loss of life from ultimately a preventable crash as all suspected driving under the influence crashes are. Driving impaired is always a choice made by the driver, not an accident. This incident is still under investigation and if anyone witnessed this collision or the events leading up to it, please contact Contra Costa CHP in Martinez, (925) 646-4980.

Small plane crashes in river north of Pittsburg, pilot missing Sunday evening

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By Contra Costa County Sheriff

Sunday at about 5:32 PM, a boater notified Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff Dispatch of a small plane crashing into the California Delta at the north end of Broad Slough, west of Kimball Island, north of Pittsburg.

According to a KPIX5 CBS SF Bay Area news report, “A piece of what is believed to be a Piper Cherokee single-engine airplane was located about 6:45 p.m. Sunday in Broad Slough north of Antioch, about an hour after a witness told authorities a small plane went down in the San Joaquin River, a Contra Costa County Fire Protection District spokesman said.

The piece of the airplane tail is thought to be from an aircraft that departed Buchanan Field in Concord, with one person aboard, a short time before the crash, said fire district spokesman Steve Hill. The plane, Hill said, had been rented from Sterling Aviation, based at the Concord airport. Calls to Sterling Aviation early Sunday night went unanswered.”

Several agencies that included the Office of the Sheriff Marine Patrol Unit, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, Pittsburg PD, Solano County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Coast Guard, and the California Highway Patrol responded. Debris and a backpack were found at the location. The plane is believed to have taken off from Buchanan Field Airport in Concord at about 5 PM. The pilot was the only occupant in the plane. The name of the pilot is not being released at this time as his identity has not been confirmed.

A search was conducted by the responding agencies with negative results. The FAA and NTSB have been contacted. Sheriff’s Office Marine Patrol Units have been conducting sonar searches for evidence of the plane wreckage.

Any witnesses to this incident are asked to contact the NTSB by email at witness@NTSB.GOV.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

Two Antioch female teens arrested for battery following fight at Concord restaurant Thursday

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Screenshot from KRON4 News report of fight at Concord restaurant Thurs., June 6, 2019.

18-year-old Pittsburg male also arrested for unrelated incident

By Lieutenant Sam Staten, Concord Police Department

On Thursday, June 06, 2019, at approximately 8:31 PM, Concord Police Officers responded to the 2000 block of Diamond Blvd regarding a fight at a restaurant involving several patrons. Officers arrived and encountered a large crowd outside of the restaurant. The preliminary investigation revealed that two females, who were known to each other, got into a physical fight inside of the restaurant. The fight ended prior to police arrival. Officers questioned several people including the involved parties. They determined that the fight was due to conflict that had occurred in the past between the two involved females.

As a result, a 19-year-old black female adult and a 16-year-old female juvenile (both Antioch residents) were arrested for battery. An 18-year-old male from Pittsburg was also arrested for an unrelated incident. The victim sustained a minor injury as a result of the fight. Video surveillance from the restaurant was not available at the time the police were on scene. But, video of the incident was posted on NBC Bay Area and can be viewed, here. (WARNING: Video contains graphic language; viewer discretion advised)

Anyone with additional information in regard to this incident is asked to call Concord Police Department Detective Sergeant Mark Robison at (925)-671-5074.

Man arrested for burglary, false imprisonment of ex-girlfriend, child in Concord Friday morning

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By Lieutenant Sam Staten, Concord Police Department

On Friday, June 7, 2019, at approximately 7:29 AM, Concord Police Officers responded to the 1700 block of Thornwood Drive regarding a 911 call from a frantic woman. The woman called to report that her ex-boyfriend had gotten into her house and was “trying to kill her”. The woman said that she was inside of the residence with her three children. Officers arrived at the residence and found the woman’s two oldest children (10 and 12 years old) outside in front of the neighbor’s residence. The children said that the suspect was in the residence with the woman and another young child.

Once officers confirmed that the suspect was inside the residence with the woman and her youngest child, officers contacted the woman by her cell phone, and she confirmed that the suspect was armed and that she could not leave the residence.

After several minutes, Officers heard the woman in distress screaming for help, so they immediately forced entry into the residence and encountered the woman and the suspect. Officers were able to get the woman and child away from the suspect who was then taken into custody. Neither the woman nor the children were injured during this incident.

The suspect was identified as Concord resident 35-year-old Jasson Tan who is restrained from the woman. Tan was later booked at the Contra Costa County Jail.

This investigation into this incident is ongoing and no additional information will be released. Anyone with additional information is asked to call Concord Police Department Detective Sergeant Matt Cain at (925) 671-3235.

BART to Antioch, former Lafayette city manager honored with first-ever Bay Area Metro Awards

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A two-car eBART train in the middle of Highway 4 between Hillcrest Avenue and A Street/Lone Tree Way. Herald file photo.

Among 13 winners named from across the nine-county region

Steven Falk. Photo by City of Lafayette.

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) joined forces to present the first Bay Area Metro Awards Thursday, at a ceremony in Oakland recognizing 13 people, projects, organizations and local governments advancing solutions to ease the Bay Area’s housing crisis, improve the transportation system or make the nine-county region more resilient.

Winners include:

BART to Antioch: For the 10-mile rail extension from the former Pittsburg terminus along the Highway 4 median to a pair of new stations at Pittsburg Center and Antioch.

Steven Falk: For his years of committed service to the city of Lafayette as city manager. He retired last September after 38 years working for the city.

UC Berkeley’s Y-PLAN Team: For the program that brought young people’s ideas into a regional challenge to develop community-based solutions to climate change.

Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART): For the successful start of rail service connecting Sonoma and Marin counties.

HayWired Earthquake Scenario: To the U.S. Geological Survey and partners for studying a hypothetical 7.0 magnitude quake in the East Bay to help shape public policy for earthquake safety and planning.

Pacific Beach Coalition: For organizing volunteers over the past 21 years to clean up beaches along the San Mateo Coast.

Acquisition of the 23rd Avenue Community Building in Oakland: To the Oakland Community Land Trust and others, permanently preserving it as an affordable, mixed-use building.

San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority: For work on the Clean Water, Pollution Prevention and Habitat Restoration Measure – Measure AA – which was approved by voters in 2016 to tax themselves to help restore Bay Area wetlands.

Joint Workforce Investment Apprenticeship Program: To a partnership between the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), its Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 265, and Mission College to support the professional development of VTA employees.

San Leandro Homeless Compact: For the efforts of three partner organizations to end homelessness in the city of San Leandro: the city, the Rental Housing Association of Southern Alameda County, and the non-profit Building Futures with Women and Children.

Carl Guardino, Gabriel Metcalf and Jim Wunderman: For their dedicated and tireless work advocating for Regional Measure 3, the voter-approved 2018 measure which raised bridge tolls to fund transportation improvements and congestion relief projects.

LEGISLATIVE AWARD: Hon. Jim Beall, California State Senator.

GRAND AWARD: Recognizes three public transit operators and a public energy program for their work to save lives, protect communities and aid in rebuilding in response to the October 2017 North Bay fires:

  • Santa Rosa CityBus
  • Sonoma Clean Power, Advanced Energy Rebuild Program
  • Sonoma County Transit
  • Vine Transit (Napa County)

Launched jointly by ABAG and MTC in September 2018 with a call for nominations, the new awards program honors positive impacts on the Bay Area’s mobility, affordability, resilience and community; and recognizes efforts that make the region a better place to live, work and play.

“We honor this year’s winners to say thank you for the work they are doing and we hope that the winners’ stories will inspire others to strive for excellence in their daily tasks,” said ABAG President and MTC Commissioner David Rabbitt.

Winners received a specially designed Bay Area Metro Award at the recognition ceremony.  A six-member jury that included members of ABAG’s and MTC’s governing boards, as well as staff and a community representative, met to consider some 80 nominations in early 2019. The list of winners, with more details, can be found here: https://mtc.ca.gov/whats-happening/news/special-features/2019-bay-area-metro-award-winners.

 

Contra Costa DA files Grand Jury Accusation against County Assessor Kramer for “willful or corrupt misconduct”

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Gus Kramer from the County Assessor’s webpage.

Kramer welcomes opportunity to face his accusers

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

Today, Wed., June 5, 2019 the Contra Costa County District Attorney Office’s filed a Grand Jury Accusation against Contra Costa County Assessor Gus Kramer for “willful or corrupt” misconduct while serving as the county’s elected assessor (Government Code §§ 3060 et seq). Contra Costa County’s Civil Grand Jury asserts that the defendant violated state law in creating a hostile work environment for multiple employees in the Assessor’s Office. Due to state law, our Office must accept, serve and file the accusation against the defendant. If a jury finds Mr. Kramer violated the law and if he is convicted, he will be removed from his position as the county’s elected assessor.

The Accusation alleges misconduct by Kramer which occurred from December 2013 through 2019. The Grand Jury Accusation alleges that Mr. Kramer made sexual comments towards female employees and his disparaging remarks targeted one of the victim’s ethnicity. The Civil Grand Jury found this alleged conduct was “hostile or abusive” against four employees. As a result, the Civil Grand Jury through its investigation found that this conduct by Mr. Kramer created a hostile work environment for his employees and is therefore a violation of the Fair Housing and Employment Act.

Due to the sensitive nature of the allegations and to protect the privacy of the victims we will not be releasing any of their names.

Earlier this morning Senior Deputy District Attorney Christopher Walpole presented the filing before Contra Costa County Superior Court Judge Theresa Canepa in Department 35. Our Office was not involved and did not participate in the investigation by the Civil Grand Jury. The District Attorney requested a judicial hearing to determine if the Office will be recused from the remainder of this proceeding.

The foreperson for the 2018-2019 Grand Jury is Richard S. Nakano. State law lists the requirements for the Civil Grand Jury and District Attorney’s Office to process an accusation against a public official.

UPDATE: When reached for comment Kramer stated, “I welcome the opportunity to face my accusers after all these years of these behind doors accusations. When the facts come out, I have had not one, I have had not two, but I have had three independent investigations done by the county and I have been exonerated for sexual harassment, hostile work environment, and retaliation.”

“The sad part in all of this, the Grand Jury Foreman refused to hear my witnesses who would have refuted their claims. Worse he refused to give me the time I requested to present my side. They gave me two hours. I requested eight hours. The other side had more than 10 hours. Nor did he share all the information I provided him” he continued.” “The Grand Jury Foreman is guilty of obstruction of justice.”

When this is all over, the East Bay Times, the Board of Supervisors and their appointees on the Grand Jury are going to be ashamed of themselves for the unwarranted prosecution and persecution of the County Assessor,” Kramer stated. “The saddest part of this is corruption in government is alive and well on our Board of Supervisors.”

Allen Payton contributed to this report.