Contra Costa Herald

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

Campolindo boys’ basketball beats De La Salle to be NorCal champions but state championship game cancelled due to coronavirus concerns

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The 2019-20 Campolindo Boys’ Varsity Basketball Team. Photo from Campolindo High Athletics.

First time CIF basketball championships were cancelled

By Allen Payton

The Campolindo Cougars of Moraga made it to the state championship game scheduled for tonight, Friday, March 13, 2020, by beating De Le Salle in the NorCal Division 1 championship game 54-49 Tuesday night. (See game video highlights here) But in response to concerns over the coronavirus, on Thursday morning the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) cancelled the 12 state championship games and one Northern California Open semifinal game. That includes the Division 1 game between the number 7 ranked Campolindo and the number 8 ranked Ribet Academy Fighting Frogs of Los Angeles.

Campolindo ended the season unbeaten in league at 12-0 and with an overall record of 26-6. Ribet finished with a 30-3 overall record and 7-1 in league.

In the CIF news release announcing the cancellations, it states:

“Effective Immediately – The California Interscholastic Federation (‘CIF’) has canceled all remaining CIF State Basketball Championship games. This includes regional finals scheduled for March 12, 2020, and the CIF State finals scheduled for March 13-14, 2020 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. This decision was made after careful deliberation and in the primary interest of protecting the health and safety of our member schools, fans, and most importantly, our student-athletes. While we understand this decision is disappointing, we strongly believe that the opportunity to compete in this event does not outweigh our obligation to place the health and safety of our member schools and school communities above all else.

We want to recognize the hard work and commitment our student-athletes have made to reach the State Basketball Championships. The impact of COVID-19 created many unexpected challenges during this year’s tournament season, and we want to thank everyone involved for their flexibility, patience, and commitment in providing our student-athletes a great experience despite this unique situation.

For those that have already purchased tickets for the March 13-14, 2020 games at Golden 1 Center, refunds will be made available at the original point of purchase. If tickets were purchased online via ticketmaster.com, refunds will be processed automatically.

Ron Nocetti

CIF Executive Director

According to Cal-Hi Sports, this was the first time the state basketball championships have been cancelled since the competition begin 1981.

“This is not the first time that the CIF has had to cancel a state championship event, but it’s the first time since World War II. The only CIF state finals in those days was the CIF state track meet and it was not held because of the war for 1942 through 1945. The worldwide flu epidemic in the late 1910s also caused the CIF not to conduct regional football championships in 1918 as well as the 1919 state championships in basketball. Those early years of the CIF state basketball championships began in 1916 and were halted in 1928.

There also was great disruption to the 2018 CIF state football championships due to an outside force, but it was due to the natural disaster in Northern California known as the Camp Fire and the immense amount of smoke it generated that stayed locked near the ground for several weeks. In that case, the CIF moved its state football finals back one week, but no championship games were cancelled.”

An attempt to reach Campolindo Coach Steven Dyer for comment was unsuccessful before publication. Please check back later for updates to this report.

Richmond High P.E. teacher sentenced to 3 years in state prison for sex with minor

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Israel Ayala-Lopez; Photo by Richmond PD.

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

Earlier this week, Israel Ayala-Lopez (27-years-old) of Richmond pleaded guilty to unlawful sex with a minor, Jane Doe, and he will serve three years in state prison. Ayala-Lopez will also have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. Ayala-Lopez at the time of his arrest in the late summer of 2019, was a physical education teacher and soccer coach at Richmond High School. He received his teaching credential from the state of California in 2017.

Ayala-Lopez had sexual relations with the victim multiple times from at least April 2019 until August 2019. He was arrested by the Richmond Police Department and has been in custody since our Office filed criminal charges against him. Ayala-Lopez was also a collegiate athlete at San Jose State University and California State University Monterey Bay for their respective soccer teams.

To protect their confidentiality, our Office does not release the name or age of the victim, or their relationship to a defendant for this type of case. A criminal protective order was also ordered by the judge to prevent the defendant from communicating with the victim.

The case was investigated by the Richmond Police Department. Deputy District Attorney Kate Jewett prosecuted the case on behalf of the People. DDA Jewett is assigned to our Sexual Assault Unit.

Case information: People v. Israel Ayala-Lopez, Docket Number 02-330632-1.

Juvenile reckless driver evades CHP on Hwy 4 at over 100 MPH, crashes then caught Monday evening

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Reckless juvenile driver on Hwy 4 ends with car crashing catching fire Monday, 2/17/20. Photo by CHP.

By CHP – Contra Costa

Monday evening, Feb. 17, 2020 at about 5:59 pm, a CHP unit observed a vehicle driving recklessly at over 100 MPH, in and out of traffic, on Hwy-4 westbound at Laurel Road. The CHP unit initiated a traffic enforcement stop but the vehicle (a 2019 silver Kia Rio) failed to yield to lights and sirens and accelerated away from the patrol officer.

The suspect vehicle led CHP on a pursuit on Hwy-4 westbound to approximately San Marco Blvd. where CHP discontinued the pursuit due to safety concerns for the other drivers on the road and CHP Officers involved due to the reckless manner of driving from the suspect. CHP lost sight of the Kia but as the CHP unit exited Hwy-4 at Willow Pass Road in Concord, the Officer saw that the Kia had crashed into an embankment just off of the off-ramp of Willow Pass Road and had caught fire. A CHP Officer immediately exited his patrol car and put out the blaze with an extinguisher and discovered the Kia was abandoned. Witnesses related to CHP that multiple parties exited the Kia after it crashed and fled the scene.

CHP towed the Kia and set up a perimeter to locate the suspects in and around the Willow Pass Road and Evora Road area. Shortly after the area was surrounded, all four occupants from the Kia were located and detained. All four occupants were male juveniles, including the driver. Thankfully there were no reported crashes or injuries to Officers, other drivers on the road, and only minor complaints of pain to the occupants of the Kia.

The male juvenile driver was arrested and will be booked into the Contra Costa County Juvenile detention center and the other occupants will remain in CHP custody until a parent or legal guardian arranges pickup for each juvenile.

Reckless driving over 100 mph on the highway that endangers all drivers’ safety will not be tolerated. These extremely poor choices from unsafe drivers are the exact drivers we are continually attempting to get off the road at all times. We are thankful nobody was seriously injured or killed due to this reckless driver and we hope that these young juveniles get some guidance, realize the error of their ways, and begin a path to better choices for their future when behind the wheel.

Park District’s hands-on Youth Job Fairs engage youth from throughout the East Bay

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For the sixth consecutive year, the East Bay Regional Park District will host two Youth Job Fairs designed to raise awareness of employment opportunities for youth in the East Bay. The fairs are scheduled in Hayward on Saturday, January 25, 2020, and in Pleasant Hill on Saturday, February 1, 2020. Both events offer attendees an opportunity to learn about the specific Park District jobs available and interact with current employees to get insight into what it’s like to work for the Park District. Positions include: Interpretive Student Aides, Public Safety Student Aides, Recreation Leaders, Lifeguards, Gate Attendants, Park Services Attendants, Student Laborers, Field Interns, and Interns.

The Youth Job Fairs also include general information sessions on resume writing, application submittal, and job interviewing for youth looking to enter the workforce, whether at the Park District or elsewhere.

The East Bay Regional Park District is the largest employer of youth in the East Bay, hiring over 400 Bay Area youth each year to work in the District’s 73 regional parks and ten visitor centers. The Youth Job Fairs are key to filling seasonal summer positions, especially Recreation Leaders and Lifeguards.

2020 Youth Job Fair Details

The East Bay Regional Park District is a system of beautiful public parks and trails in Alameda and Contra Costa counties east of San Francisco Bay, established in 1934. The system comprises 121,000 acres in 73 parks including over1,250 miles of trails for hiking, biking, horseback riding, and nature learning.

Sheriff’s Detectives investigate death of teen shot in North Richmond Tuesday morning

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

Tuesday morning, Nov. 26, 2019 at about 11:25 AM, Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Dispatch received a 911 call of a person who was shot in front of a store located on the 500 block of Market Avenue in North Richmond.

Deputy Sheriffs arrived on scene finding a male on the sidewalk suffering from what appeared to be gunshot wounds.

The Deputies immediately performed CPR on the victim. The fire department arrived and took over life-saving measures

He was transported to a local hospital where he was later pronounced deceased. The victim, a 17-year-old, is not being identified at this time.

Sheriff’s Office Homicide Detectives responded along with Criminalists from the Crime Lab.

The investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with any information on this case is asked to contact the Investigation Division at (925) 313-2600. Tips could be emailed to – tips@so.cccounty.us or call (866) 846-3592 to leave an anonymous voice message.

 

Walnut Creek tennis player Katie Volynets plays “really well” in first round of U.S. Open against eventual champion Bianca Andreescu

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September 3, 2019 – Katie Volynets in victorious action against Carole Monnet in a junior girls’ match at the 2019 US Open. (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/USTA)

Katie Volynets. Photo courtesy of USTA.

The “up-and-coming player” also makes it to second round of U.S. Open Junior Championship

By Allen Payton

In the first round of the U.S. Open Tennis Championships, local tennis standout, Katie Volynets of Walnut Creek, faced the eventual champion, Bianca Andreescu of Ontario, Canada, on Wednesday, August 27 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, Queens, New York City. She lost the match 2-6, 4-6 but according to Andreescu played “really well”. (See video highlights of their match, here.)

Andreescu went on to beat six-time U.S. Open Women’s Singles Champion, Serena Williams in the finals on Saturday, Sept. 7 to win the tournament.

Volynets received a wild card into the women’s draw after winning the Billie Jean King USTA National Championships Girls’ 18s singles title earlier, last month. (See related Herald article)

On Tuesday, Sept. 4, Volynets was also able to advance to the second round of the US Open Junior Championships, after defeating Carole Monnet of France, 6-1, 6-3. She failed to advance in that tournament losing the match to No. 4 seed Maria Camila Osorio Serrano of Colombia 6-4, 6-4, who faces American qualifier Alexandra Yepifanova of Florida, in the championship, later today, Sunday, Sept. 8.

Screenshot of Katie Volynets in the first set of her Round 1 match against Bianca Andreescu at the US Open on Tuesday, Aug. 27.

In her match against Andreescu, which lasted 1 hour and 29 minutes, Volynets held her own on many, multiple volley points, forcing the ultimate champion to work hard, running back and forth across the court. Volynets was up 4-3 in the second set, but, Andreescu rallied to bring it to deuce point and then won the game, breaking Volynets’ serve and tying the set at 4-4. She went on to win the next two games against Volynets, securing her victory.

According to the Sporting News, Andreescu had to overcome “32 unforced errors – twice as many as the American Volynets – to win in straight sets.” Another Sporting News article claimed “it was hardly a walk in the park for Andreescu. The Canadian had to overcome some early jitters and sloppy play to claim victory in her first-ever match in the main draw at Flushing Meadows.”

“Committing 16 unforced errors in the opening set, Andreescu gave Volynets plenty of opportunity to stick around in the early goings of a match-up that pitted the 15th-seeded Canuck against the World No. 473 from Walnut Creek, Calif. Fortunately for Andreescu, Volynets’ inexperience shone through and the Mississauga, Ont., native was able to successfully convert three break points en route to a 6-2 first-set win that was more impressive on the scoreboard than the court.”

According to that same article, Andreescu “was visibly frustrated at times, especially with 17-year-old Volynets growing in confidence with each passing point. The young American matched her more fancied opponent for most of the second frame, with both women holding serve through the first eight games without giving up a single break point opportunity.”

To see the complete stats of their match, click here and here.

Screenshot of Katie Volynets congratulating Bianca Andreescu following their first round match.

In a post-match press conference, the 2019 champion had very positive things to say about Volynets.

“It’s my first round, first match of the tournament, so maybe I was a bit rusty at the beginning,” Andreescu said. “I’m also playing someone younger than me, so, that’s not the best scenario. I’m usually the young one. But, it’s nice to see these up-and-coming players play on big stages like this.”

Andreescu is 19 and Volynets, who started playing tennis when she was just five, is 17.

“Katie, my opponent, she was playing really well. She was getting to a lot of balls. She’s an incredible fighter,” Andreescu continued. “That’s what I told her after the match and I’m sure it’s going to get her places.”

“There were long rallies. I was a little bit nervous coming into the match, too. So, I think, maybe that kind of showed,” she said.

When asked by a reporter to “take a moment and talk more about” Katie, Andreescu responded, “I think she has a very bright future. If she works hard and keeps improving her game, I think she can be very dangerous to a lot of the players. She moves really well. She doesn’t show any negative emotion, which is very impressive. Yeah, I think she can do very big things.”

“Because she gets to so many balls, I wanted to hit the right ball at the right time,” she added about playing Volynets.

“Ever heard of a better tennis name?” a reporter asked.

“Oh, volley nets. Oh, yeah. I never even, like put two and two together. Yeah, that’s crazy, Andreescu responded with a laugh. “She has a very nice name. Very ironic.”

Katie Volynets of Walnut Creek wins Girls’ 18s national tennis title, earns U.S. Open main draw wild card spot

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Katie Volynets, of Walnut Creek, Calif., and Zachary Svajda of San Diego with their trophies. Photos by USTA.

Top American juniors Katie Volynets, of Walnut Creek, Calif., and Zachary Svajda, of San Diego, won the USTA Girls’ and Boys’ 18s National Championships this past weekend, each earning wild cards into the main draw of the US Open and headlining the annual USTA National Championships that took place last week.

Katie Volynets returns a volley during her championship match.

The nation’s top junior tennis players competed in eight USTA National Championships across America. In addition to the US Open main draw wild cards awarded to the 18s singles and doubles champions, the singles runners-up in the Boys’ and Girls’ 18s divisions received wild card entries into the US Open Qualifying Tournament set to being on Monday, Aug. 19 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York. Meanwhile, the Boys’ and Girls’ 16s champions earn wild card entries into the US Open Junior Championships.

Seventeen-year-old Volynets, won the USTA Billie Jean King Girls’ 18s National Championship, defeating Emma Navarro (18, Charleston, S.C.), 6-2, 6-4 in the finals at the Barnes Tennis Center in San Diego. Volynets, who will be making her US Open main draw debut, reached the semifinals at the ITF World Tennis Tour W25 events in Florence, S.C., and Norman, Okla., as a qualifier earlier this year. As the runner up, Navarro will compete in the US Open Qualifying Tournament.

Svajda defeated Govind Nanda (18, Loma Linda, Calif.), 6-7(3), 7-5, 6-3, 6-1, to win the USTA Boys’ 18s National Championship in Kalamazoo, Mich. The sixteen-year-old will be the youngest player to compete in the men’s singles main draw since American Donald Young did it in 2007. Nanda, who reached the boys’ 18s singles and doubles finals, received a wild card into the US Open Qualifying Tournament.

Reese Brantmeier (14, Whitewater, Wis.) and Alexander Bernard (15, Bonita Springs, Fla.) won the USTA Girls’ and Boys’ 16s National Championships singles titles, and will receive wild cards into the main draw of the US Open Junior Championships.

Complete results of the USTA National Championships can be found below. The complete draws are available at the USTA National Championships page on TennisLink.

Katie Volynets holds her trophy presented by Billie Jean King (right).

USTA Billie Jean King Girls’ 18s National Championships

Barnes Tennis Center, San Diego, August 3-11

Singles: (2) Katie Volynets (Walnut Creek, Calif.) d. (3) Emma Navarro (Charleston, S.C.), 6-2, 6-4

Doubles: (13) Abigail Forbes (Raleigh, N.C.) / Alexa Noel (Summit, N.J.) d. Gabriella Price (Boca Raton, Fla.) / Katrina Scott (Woodland Hills, Calif.), 7-5, 6-1

USTA Boys’ 18s National Championships

Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo, Mich., August 2-11

Singles: (6) Zachary Svajda (San Diego) d. (5) Govind Nanda (Cerritos, Calif.), 6-7(3), 7-5, 6-3, 6-1

Doubles: (1) Martin Damm (Bradenton, Fla.) / Toby Kodat (Bradenton, Fla.) d. (3) Brandon Nakashima (San Diego, Calif.) / Nanda, 6-3, 6-4

USTA Boys’ 16s National Championships

Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo, Mich., August 2-11

Singles: (1) Alexander Bernard (Bonita Springs, Fla.) d. (4) Aidan Mayo (Torrance, Calif.), 5-7, 6-2, 7-5

Doubles: (7) Hugo Hashimoto (San Jose, Calif.) / Benjamin Kittay (Potomac, Md.) d. (11) Lucas Brown (Plano, Texas) / Aidan Kim (Milford, Mich.), 6-4, 6-3

USTA Billie Jean King Girls’ 16s National Championships

Barnes Tennis Center, San Diego, August 3-11

Singles: (14) Reese Brantmeier (Whitewater, Wis.) d. (1) Valencia Xu (Livingston, N.J.), 6-2, 6-0

Doubles: (17) Elise Wagle (Niskayuna, N.Y.) / Katja Wiersholm (Kirkland, Wash.) d. Tara Malik (Seacaucus, N.J.) / Nikita Vishwase (Phoenix, Ariz.), 6-3, 6-0

USTA Boys’ 14s National Championships

Mobile Area Tennis Association, Mobile, Ala., August 3-10

Singles: (4) Cooper Williams (Greenwich, Conn.) d. (3) Nicholas Godsick (Chagrin Falls, Ohio), 6-1, 7-5

Doubles: (6) Alexander Razeghi (Humble, Texas) / Dylan Tsoi (El Dorado Hills, Calif.) d. (5) James Lian (Parsippany, N.J.) / Nicholas Mangiapane (Davidson, N.C.), 6-1, 6-1

USTA Girls’ 14s National Championships

Metro Tennis Associates, Rome, Ga., August 3-10

Singles: (3) Theadora Rabman (Port Washington, N.Y.) d. Brooklyn Olson (Mission Hills, Kan.), 6-7(1), 6-1, 6-1

Doubles: (17) Ananya Annapantula (Mason, Ohio) / Maddy Zampardo (Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich.) d. (17) Macy Hitchcock (Eaton, Ohio) / Piper Charney (Prospect, Ky.), 6-4, 6-0

USTA Boys’ 12s National Championships

Mobile Area Tennis Association, Mobile, Ala., August 3-10

Singles: (3) Maxwell Exsted (Savage, Minn.) d. (2) Abhinav Chunduru (Plano, Texas), 7-6(5), 6-0

Doubles: (2) Chunduru / Prathinav Chunduru (Plano, Texas) d. (1) Exsted / Cooper Woestendick (Olathe, Kan.), 6-4, 6-3

USTA Girls’ 12s National Championships

Windward Lake Club, Alpharetta, Ga., August 4-10

Singles: (4) Claire An (New York) d. (1) Bella Payne (Taylors, S.C.), 6-2, 6-2

Doubles: (1) Haylee Conway (Bellevue, Wash.) / Aspen Schuman (Menlo Park, Calif.) d. (5) Kate Fakih (Arcadia, Calif.) / Victoria Osuigwe (Bradenton, Fla.), 7-5, 4-6, 6-2

The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level — from local communities to the highest level of the professional game. A not-for-profit organization with more than 655,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds in growing the game. It owns and operates the US Open, one of the highest-attended annual sporting events in the world, and launched the US Open Series, linking seven summer WTA and ATP World Tour tournaments to the US Open. In addition, it owns approximately 90 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S. and selects the teams for the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games. The USTA’s philanthropic entity, the USTA Foundation, provides grants and scholarships in addition to supporting tennis and education programs nationwide to benefit under-resourced youth through the National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) network. For more information about the USTA, go to USTA.com or follow the official accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat.

Richmond man charged for sex trafficking teenage girl

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Mychal Nelson arrest photo. Courtesy of CCDA.

Investigation started by FBI Safe Streets Task Force

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

On Wednesday, July 17, 2019, 34-year-old Richmond resident Mychal Duane Nelson was charged by the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office in a felony complaint alleging violations of sex trafficking a minor, pandering a minor, using a minor for sex acts, showing pornography to a minor, contact with a minor for a sex offense and pandering, with allegations that he suffered prior “three strikes” convictions.

In a separate case, Nelson has also been charged with the residential burglary of an apartment in Hercules where losses exceeded $20,000. Nelson is a known associate with a North Richmond Street Gang and has prior arrests for violent crimes. He is currently on State Parole.

The sex trafficking investigation started with the Federal Bureau of Investigation/Contra Costa County Safe Streets Task Force and the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Human Trafficking Unit. The investigation showed that Nelson was using social media and other forms of communication to actively recruit a 16-year-old girl and encourage her to engage in prostitution. As part of this process, Nelson sent the girl sexually explicit videos and images of himself and requested that she do the same.

During the sex trafficking investigation, Nelson was tracked throughout Northern and Southern California with the assistance of multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Los Angeles County Human Trafficking Task Force, the Richmond Police Department, the Vallejo Police Department and several federal law enforcement agencies. He was ultimately arrested on July 13 in Hayward by the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office and booked into the Martinez Detention Facility.

Social media platforms are frequently used to identify and recruit minors into the commercial sex industry. If you or someone you know are being pressured or encouraged to engage in prostitution to benefit or help support another person, help is only a phone call away. Contact Community Violence Solutions at 800-670-7273 to speak to a confidential counselor. Or visit the Contra Costa Family Justice Centers in Richmond or Concord to talk to a Navigator about a variety of services and support available right here in Contra Costa County. The Family Justice Centers are a family-friendly one-stop center serving victims of human trafficking, domestic violence and other types of interpersonal violence. No appointment is needed, and the centers are located at 256 24th Street in Richmond, 2151 Salvio St., Suite. 201 in Concord or 3501 Lone Tree Way in Antioch. To learn more about human trafficking in Contra Costa County, visit the Contra Costa Human Trafficking Coalition’s webpage at www.contracostacoalition.org.

Nelson has two pages on Facebook. The first page has his name spelled correctly and showing him living in Richmond. The other has his name misspelled Mychael Nelson and living in Antioch.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office Senior Inspector Kevin Coelho at 925-957-8629.

UPDATE: According to Alonso, “there might be additional victims.”

Case Information: People v. Mychal Nelson 01-190646-0; People v. Mychal Nelson 02-330323-7

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

Dublin teen and swim instructor arrested for possession of child pornography

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James Happ

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

The Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff and the Contra Costa D.A.’s Office recently received information about a person who was allegedly possessing and sharing child pornography. Detectives launched an investigation and on July 3, 2019, executed search warrants at residences in Danville and Dublin.

Detectives subsequently found child pornography on electronic devices belonging to 18-year-old James Happ of Dublin. He was booked at the Martinez Detention Facility for possession of child pornography. Happ was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail and has since bailed out.

Additionally, as Happ is a swim instructor at The Wave in Dublin, the Dublin Police Department is conducting a separate investigation. Any inquiries regarding The Wave can be directed to the Dublin Police Department.

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

Graffiti suspect arrested Thursday for hate crime, vandalism in San Ramon last weekend

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Jacob Leigh in surveillance camera photos. Courtesy of San Ramon Police.

By Captain Denton Carlson, San Ramon Police Department

During the morning of Sunday, July 7, 2019, members of the San Ramon Police Department responded to several reports of racially insensitive graffiti in the area surrounding Camino Ramon and Crow Canyon Road. The graffiti was spray-painted on several exterior walls of commercial buildings, as well as on an ATM in the area. Members of our agency and employees from local businesses took immediate steps to remove the graffiti in an attempt to limit the public’s exposure. Based on the initial investigation by our officers, it was apparent the graffiti was spray-painted during the early morning hours on Sunday, July 7, 2019.

On Monday, July 8, 2019, members of the San Ramon Police Department received several high-quality images of the involved suspect, which were taken by the video surveillance camera inside the vandalized ATM located at 2190 Camino Ramon. These images were immediately distributed to local law enforcement agencies in an attempt to identify the suspect. After a few days without any successful identification, we posted the photographs on our social media platforms to try and determine who was responsible for these crimes.

The response from the San Ramon Community was overwhelming. After receiving numerous investigative tips, San Ramon Police Detectives positively identified the suspect as Jacob Leigh, an 18-year-old from San Ramon. Detectives served a search warrant at Leigh’s home during the morning of Thursday, July 11, 2019. Numerous items of evidentiary value associated with the crimes committed were recovered during the search, but Leigh was not at the residence.

During the early afternoon on Thursday, July 11, 2019, Jacob Leigh arranged to turn himself in at the San Ramon Police Department. Detectives placed him under arrest, and he was booked at the Martinez Detention Facility for violations of Penal Code 422.6(b) (Hate crime) and multiple violations of Penal Code 594 (Vandalism). His bail was set at $40,000.

The members of the San Ramon Police Department would like to thank the San Ramon Community for their assistance in identifying this suspect. Their commitment to justice, inclusion, and equality shined through based on their obvious displeasure associated with crimes of this nature.

For media-related inquires, please contact Captain Denton Carlson via email at dcarlson@sanramon.ca.gov, or via direct message on Twitter (@srpdcarlson).