Sheriff | Contra Costa Herald

Sheriff to hold inquest into death of woman during Antioch Police pursuit, last year

July 28, 2016 By Publisher Leave a Comment

In accordance with the Contra Costa County Chiefs’ of Police Association Officer Involved Fatal Incident Protocol, Sheriff Coroner David O. Livingston will hold an inquest into the death of Leona Rachael Moreno.

On October 22, 2015, Moreno was a passenger in a vehicle that was being pursued by Antioch police officers. The vehicle left the roadway and hit a PG&E pole before coming to rest, overturned on the roadway. Moreno was ejected from the vehicle. She was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The proceedings will convene on Thursday, August 4, 2016 at 9:00 AM at the Wakefield Taylor Courthouse, 725 Court Street, Department 34, Room 312, in Martinez, California.

The purpose of the inquest, which Sheriff-Coroner Livingston convenes in fatal incidents involving peace officers, is to present the facts of the incident to a jury for their deliberation and finding on the manner of death.

The inquest is open to the public and members of the media are invited to attend. However, no photographs or video may be taken during the proceedings.

Concord woman identified as victim in Contra Costa Coroner’s Jane Doe case, Sunday morning

July 28, 2016 By Publisher Leave a Comment

A woman whose body was found on Highway 242 on Sunday morning, July 24, was identified after someone saw the media reports on this Jane Doe case. She is identified as 62-year old Marie Chellino of Concord.

Following is the original report:

On Sunday, July 24, 2016, at about 2:09 AM, the California Highway Patrol responded to a report of a person on the roadway on southbound Highway 242 near Olivera Road. The person was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The Coroner’s Division, which took custody of the body, has not been able to identify the person, who did not have any identification.

She is described as:

Adult female, 50-60 years old, dark hair with some greying, 5’,5”, about 143 pounds. She was wearing a gray/blue buttoned down pinstripe shirt.

She did have a knitted red/grey pouch necklace that contained what appears to be a clear crystal. Please see the attached photograph.

Anyone with any information on the identity of the person is asked to contact the Coroner’s Division at (925) 313-2850.

Bronze statues, truck, more stolen in home burglaries at home near Martinez, July 15 and 16

July 24, 2016 By Publisher Leave a Comment

Detectives from the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff are continuing to investigate two burglaries that occurred at a home in unincorporated Martinez.

On Friday, July 15, 2016, at about 9:10 PM, Deputy Sheriffs responded to the 5000 block of Alhambra Valley Road regarding a residence that was burglarized. The next day at about 1 PM, Deputies went to the same location for a second burglary report. That same evening at about 8 PM, a truck parked in the driveway of the home was stolen.

Items taken in the burglaries include a number of bronze statues, including:

Marc Anthony, 8 feet tall

Cleopatra, 8-1/2 feet tall

Lady Justice, 4 feet tall

Also stolen were two bronze tigers statues, three bronze drinking pitchers, whiskey decanters, an MK tile saw and a mink-like coat.

The truck that was stolen is a white 1995 Dodge 3500, extended cab with California license plate—5Y33805.

Many of the items stolen are distinctive. Please see the attached photographs.

Anyone with any information on these burglaries or the whereabouts of the stolen items is asked to contact the Investigation Division at (925) 313-2661. For any tips, please email: tips@so.cccounty.us or call 866-846-3592 to leave an anonymous voice message.

Contra Costa DA determines over half of 2015 Pittsburg Police reports of “suspicious circumstances” incorrectly labeled

July 18, 2016 By Publisher Leave a Comment

Minimal impact on crime rate

By Allen Payton

In a letter to Pittsburg Police Chief Brian Addington, on Friday, July 15, 2016, Contra Costa District Attorney Mark Peterson informed him that of the 204 reports in 2015 listed by the Pittsburg Police Department as “suspicious circumstances” 103 should have been listed as crimes.

Following a request by Addington seeking an opinion by the District Attorney’s office, one deputy district attorney and one deputy sheriff performed an audit, reviewing each of the reports. They determined that 40 of those 103 reports should have been listed as Part I crimes and 63 as Part II crimes. Part I crimes include murder, non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson.

Peterson’s letter states “Although the police reports listed the applicable crime, apparently your department did not the 103 incidents as crimes to the FBI.”

The reclassification of those crimes, will increase the total Part I crimes the Pittsburg Police Department will have to report to the FBI for 2015, changing the statistics to better reflect the true crime rate in the city.

The letter, however also states, “It should be noted that during the 2015 calendar year, the Pittsburg Police Department wrote 9,975 reports. Thus, the 103 police reports we have discussed are only 1% of all the police reports written that year.”

The result is an increase of 0.5% in reportable Part I crimes and 1% in Part II crimes.

Peterson concluded that “had the 103 Suspicious Circumstances cases been correctly classified as crimes reported to the FBI, there would have been minimal impact on city’s crime rate.”

To read the entire letter and audit, click here: Pittsburg PD 2015 Audit

Contra Costa Sheriff Detectives seize guns, drugs, cash at Antioch home, arrest two men Thursday

July 9, 2016 By Publisher Leave a Comment

Guns, drugs and cash seized from Antioch home on Thursday. photo courtesy Office of Contra Costa County Sheriff.

On Thursday morning, July 7, 2016 at about 11:00 a.m., Detectives from the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff Special Investigation Unit, assisted by the Contra Costa County Anti-Violence Support Effort (CASE) team, served a search warrant at a home on the 4500 block of Elkhorn Way in Antioch.

During the search, detectives seized approximately one pound of heroin, methamphetamine, MDMA (ecstasy), and marijuana in sales quantities. The value of the drugs is estimated to be about $30,000.

There were also seven firearms seized, to include one shotgun, two assault rifles with hi-capacity magazines and four handguns, two of which were stolen. Detectives also recovered a stolen motorcycle. In all, over $76,000 in cash was seized.

Two people were arrested at the scene: 40-year-old Michael Green and 30-year-old Joseph Lowery. Both lived at the residence. They were both booked into the Martinez Detention Facility on various charges that include possession of a narcotic controlled substance for sales, maintaining a place for the purpose of selling drugs, possession of drugs while armed with a loaded firearm, possession of stolen property, and child endangerment.

Green is being held in lieu of $430,000 bail; Lowery’s bail is set at $340,000.

Arrest made in battery in Rodeo last Saturday, now a homicide

July 7, 2016 By Publisher Leave a Comment

On Saturday, July 2, 2016 at about 7:15 PM, the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff was notified by John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek that one of their patients, who was severely injured, was the victim of a battery that occurred in Rodeo earlier in that day, as well as the previous day.

Detectives from the Investigation Division made contact with the suspect, who was interviewed. 56-year-old Michael Endicott of Hercules was later booked into the Martinez Detention Facility on felony battery charges and a probation violation.

The victim, identified as 69-year-old Ronald Kemp of Rodeo, died on Sunday at the hospital. Endicott’s charges now include homicide. He is being held without bail.

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

DA Peterson, West County Police Chiefs meet to address freeway shootings

June 18, 2016 By Publisher Leave a Comment

On Thursday, Contra Costa County District Attorney Mark A. Peterson and the West Contra Costa County Police Chiefs Association met to discuss strategies to prevent, investigate, and prosecute freeway shootings in the West County area, and also to review the current efforts to address the shootings.

The West Contra Costa County Police Chiefs and their respective City Managers and City Council members believe that approaching this issue in a collaborative manner is essential. Prior to yesterday’s meeting, West County Chiefs met regarding the freeway shootings; all six chiefs agreed that with collaboration comes a better understanding of diverse perspectives and that the coordinated efforts of many can accomplish more than the efforts of one or a few separately.

Attending the meeting were chiefs from the El Cerrito, Richmond, San Pablo, Pinole, Hercules, and Kensington police departments, as well as members of the county’s Probation Department, and the Offices of the Sheriff and District Attorney.

Since November 2^nd, 2015, there have been 13 shootings on Interstate 80, and one on Interstate 580, for a total of 14 shootings in the western portion of Contra Costa County. Of the 14 shootings, two resulted in the deaths of the occupants of the vehicles. On several other occasions, no one was injured as the shots struck only the vehicles, or missed the intended vehicle occupants and their cars entirely.

To date, the great majority of these freeway shootings are gang related. Many of the victimsand witnesses in these cases have been uncooperative with investigators. The lack of cooperation coupled with the random nature of the shootings makes solving such crimes extremely problematic. Additionally, since the crimes occur at very high speeds, there are very few, if any, percipient witnesses.

Chief Paul Fontana, commander of the California Highway Patrol’s (CHP) Golden Gate Division, has convened several recent meetings of law enforcement executives from throughout Contra Costa and Alameda counties regarding the shootings. In the county, an ad-hoc task force of teams of investigators from the CHP and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Contra Costa Safe Streets Task Force respond to all freeway shootings in the county.

The Task Force includes members of the California Highway Patrol, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Richmond Police Department, Pittsburg Police Department, Antioch Police Department, Concord Police Department, El Cerrito Police Department, Sheriff’s Office, Probation Department, District Attorney’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms,and Explosives.

In addition, Deputy District Attorney Barry Grove who has over a decade of experience prosecuting murder cases has been assigned to assist on all freeway shooting investigations; he routinely responds to the shooting sites to provide legal advice and investigative guidance.

In addition to the investigative efforts, law enforcement is working with representatives of the Governor’s Office, the California Department of Transportation, and local mayors and other elected officials to explore the use of other technologies to assist in the effort to stop the shootings. These include the installation of high resolution cameras, gunshot detection technology, and other technologies, on the freeways and the entry/exit ramps.

Preventing freeway shootings, and prosecuting those responsible for them, is one of the top priorities for government at all levels in the county.Nearly a quarter million people travel daily on Interstate 80 in Contra Costa County, and we will do everything possible to ensure their safety.

We are seeking the public’s help on this critical public safety matter. Anyone with information concerning the shootings is encouraged to contactthe California Highway Patrol Investigative Services Unit at (510) 622-4609 or 1-800-TELL-CHP, or your local law enforcement agency.

West County Police Chiefs Association

Hercules Chief of Police Bill Goswick (Chairperson, West County Police Chiefs)

El Cerrito Interim Chief of Police Paul Keith

Kensington Chief of Police Kevin Hart

Pinole Chief of Police Neil Gang

San Pablo Chief of Police Lisa Rosales

Richmond Chief of Police Allwyn Brown

Office of the Sheriff Captain Dan Hoffman, Patrol Division Commander

Contra Costa Sheriff’s CASE team seizes .30 caliber machine gun from Crockett home

June 11, 2016 By Publisher Leave a Comment

A machine gun was among the many guns seized from a home in Crockett by the Contra Costa Sheriffs CASE team in a May raid.

Seized .30 caliber machine gun.

Following an investigation, the CASE (Contra Costa County Anti-Violence Support Effort) team last month served a search warrant on a home in Crockett.

Inside the residence, CASE team members located numerous weapons, including an assault rifle and a .30 caliber machine gun. The investigation is ongoing.

The CASE Team is a joint effort by the Office of the Sheriff, California Department of Justice, California Highway Patrol, Pittsburg Police Department and Walnut Creek Police Department. CASE was created in November 2011 as a collaborative effort to reduce violent crimes in Contra Costa, especially those related to illegal firearms.

Sheriff identifies victim as Richmond teenager in last Friday’s North Richmond shooting death

May 26, 2016 By Publisher Leave a Comment

The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office identified the victim of the shooting death in North Richmond, last Friday, as 19-year-old Adan Gomez of Richmond. The cause of death is multiple gunshot wounds.

On Friday, May 20, 2016 at about 7:46 PM, Deputy Sheriffs were dispatched to area of 5th Street and Grove Avenue in North Richmond for a report of shots-fired.

Upon arrival Deputies located a shooting victim on the sidewalk. Deputies administered first aid until paramedics arrived. Gomez was taken to Kaiser Medical Center in Richmond and then airlifted to John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek, where he was later pronounced deceased.

Dispatch later received a call of a second shooting victim at Kaiser in Richmond. Deputies contacted the 23-year-old man, who was treated and released from the hospital.

The investigation into this homicide is ongoing.

North Richmond man identified as victim of homicide on Sunday, May 15

May 26, 2016 By Publisher Leave a Comment

The victim in the homicide in North Richmond on Sunday, May 15th has been identified by the Contra Costa County Sheriff as 26-year-old Antoine Robinson of North Richmond. The cause of death is gunshot wound.

On Sunday, May 15, 2016 at about 1:45 AM, Sheriff’s Office dispatch received reports of shots fired in the area of Market Avenue and Fred Jackson Way in North Richmond.

The Sheriff’s Office was later advised that there was a shooting victim at Kaiser Medical Center in Richmond. Robinson was apparently shot at the location where the shooting was reported in North Richmond. He died at the hospital.

Deputies later found a shooting scene at the location. The investigation is ongoing.