New experiences and adventures are ready and waiting for everyone in your family. Kick-off 2017 by signing up for one of the many programs and classes geared to every generation. Winter class registration is open for residents and non-residents of all ages.  Browse the City of Antioch’s Recreation Guide and sign up for classes and activities ranging from youth and adult dance, sports classes, preschool, art, a wide range of fitness opportunities and much more.  No matter what your interest may be, we provide an opportunity to explore an interest, enhance a current hobby, or make new connections in your community.

To view a full listing of all classes and activities please visit:  www.ci.antioch.ca.us/recreation  or register in person at the Antioch Community Center, 4703 Lone Tree Way in Antioch.

Online registration also available at activenet.active.com/Antiochrecreation

By Tyler Vistalli

Najee Harris, the number one high school football recruit in America and one of the best up and coming football stars this area has ever seen, has been honored as a U.S. Army All-American and selected to play in the bowl game of the on January 7th in San Antonio, Texas.

At 6’3”, 226 lbs, Harris, Antioch High’s star running back, has rare physical skills that allow him to run with great balance and patience, as well as being able to fight through tackles and take it to the end zone. He finishes his high school career with the most rushing yards in Bay Area history (7,945 yards), which also ranks fourth all-time in California, plus 99 touchdowns and an incredible 9.5 yards per carry.

During their stop in Antioch, the U.S. Army Selection Tour held a ceremony in the Antioch High School gym on October 7th, and presented Harris with his All-American jersey. The tour traveled to schools across the country to personally give each of the team’s players their jerseys and hold a small ceremony in their honor. Harris’ mother, Tiana Hicks, was also presented with the American Insurance Dream Champion Award. This award is given at each event to recognize family members that play an important role in the All-American’s success.

Being selected as a U.S. Army All-American is a very prestigious honor as they only select 90 of the country’s top high school football seniors for the class of 2017. Previous participants of this game include NFL stars Ezekiel Elliot, Odell Beckham Jr., and Andrew Luck to name a few. The players are divided into two teams, East and West, and play a game to showcase their talent to the world. More than just a game, the U.S. Army All-American Bowl is a week-long event that consists of awards ceremonies, coaching from college and NFL coaches and a national combine for the top underclassmen football players. Harris attended this combine for underclassmen when he was a junior and his experience fueled his commitment to play in the game his senior year.

Having not signed a letter of intent, his college destination is still undetermined, as of press time. Harris has a firm verbal commitment to the University of Alabama, but Michigan and USC have made their way into the mix. Being an early enrollee to start college courses in January, his decision will need to be made in the next few weeks.

Watch Najee Harris play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Saturday, Jan.7. The game will be nationally televised on NBC at 10:00 AM.

Vehicle to be given to local, deserving family

Following their distribution of over 600 Christmas gifts to local children and youth, The Church at Antioch continues their season of sharing with it’s second car giveaway. With a commitment to impact the city, The Church at Antioch will celebrate their 2nd anniversary with a vehicle giveaway Sunday, January 8, 2017.

One deserving member will be selected from a pool of nominations that began pouring in over the fall. This will take place following the 10:00 a.m. worship service, held in the Antioch Community Center at Prewett Park, 4703 Lone Tree Way.

“I am thoroughly convinced that we are supposed to be in Antioch and by virtue of the fact that our church name contains the name of the City,” said Pastor Christopher Williams, Founder. “We can’t be satisfied with just being a church. We are here to be the Church, and the Church should make an impact on the City. We’re grateful to work alongside others throughout the city to make lasting impact on the lives of those that call Antioch home.”

The anniversary celebration will also include recording artist Amante Lacey.

Since their January 2015 ministry launch, The Church at Antioch has made community service and engagement an integral part of its purpose. With an engaging combination of ministry and technology, the rapidly expanding congregation draws the diversity of its community.

For more information about The Church at Antioch, stay connected via their website at www.ChurchatAntioch.org, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Plus armed robbery, shoplifting, trespassing, drugs, stolen vehicles and many outstanding warrants

Antioch Police calls for service highlights as published in the Weekly Report by Assistant City Manager Ron Bernal dated December 30, 2016 and provided by Chief of Police Allan Cantando.

Calls for Service and Arrest Data Summary

Time Period: 12/22/16 00:00:00 – 12/28/16 23:59:59

Number of Calls for Service: 1,471

Number of Case Reports: 247

Number of Arrests: 70

Felony: 29

Misdemeanor: 41

Arrests with

DUI charge: 4

The data is based upon unaudited CAD/RMS data at time of report generation.

●12/28/16 at 11:46 pm, an officer contacted 38 year old Lewis Wright during a pedestrian stop at Jack’s Car Wash on Fitzuren Rd. Wright was found to have two warrants for his arrest. Wright was arrested and booked into County Jail.

●12/28/16 at 1:57 pm, officers contacted 46 year old Chris Osborne on a traffic stop on A St. and determined him to be on parole. A search was conducted and officers located methamphetamine for sales. Osborne was arrested for narcotics sales and booked into County Jail.

●12/28/16 at 12:39 pm, officers contacted 40 year old Matthew King on a pedestrian stop near 7-11 on Sunset Lane and found him to have a warrant for his arrest. King was booked into County Jail.

●12/28/16 at 2:24 am, 46 year old Shannon Johnson called the police because he believed his girlfriend was hiding in his brother’s bedroom. Officers made contact with Johnson and soon realized he displayed the symptoms of being under the influence of a controlled substance. A check of the residence, including brother’s room, revealed no girlfriend but a parole check of Johnson’s person revealed an amount of methamphetamine for personal use. Johnson was arrested for possession of a controlled substance and Parole placed a hold on him for the violation. Johnson was transported to County Jail.

●12/28/16 at 1:30 am, Sutter Delta Hospital security called APD because 65 year old Andrew Norwood refused to leave the property of the hospital after being discharged. Security placed Norwood under citizen’s arrest for trespassing and officers took custody of him. Norwood was transported to County Jail for trespassing.

●12/27/16 at 8:43 pm, an officer conducted a traffic stop on Manzanita Way And Mahogany Way on a motorcycle for having no license plates. A check of the VIN revealed the motorcycle was listed as stolen out of Burlingame. 37 year old Michael Siscar was arrested without incident and claimed to have recently purchased the motorcycle for $100 from a neighborhood resident. Siscar was transported to County Jail for the stolen vehicle.

●12/27/16 at 3:23 pm, an officer located a stolen vehicle at the gas pumps at the Shell Gas Station on Auto Center Dr. 25 year old Ross Funcannon was seated in the driver seat of the vehicle and attempted to walk away after seeing the officer. Funcannon was detained without incident and found to be on parole for burglary. He was arrested and booked into County Jail for the stolen vehicle as well as a violation of parole.

●12/27/16 at 2:42 pm, officers responded to Starbucks on A St. for a report of a female on the phone asking for the police. Upon arrival, officers contacted an adult male subject and 28 year old Jessie Elery. After speaking with the pair, officers learned no crime was committed; however, Elery was found to have a warrant for her arrest. She was arrested without incident and booked into County Jail.

●12/27/16 at 10:40 am, officers responded to 7-11 on Sunset Lane for a suspicious vehicle possibly involved in narcotics sales. Officers contacted 24 year old Dylan Douglas who was found to have a felony warrant for his arrest. He was arrested and booked into County Jail.

●12/27/16 at 2:20 am, an officer was patrolling the parking lot of the Shell Gas Station on Hillcrest Ave. when he ran the plate on a U-Haul van parked at the gas pumps. The van returned as a stolen vehicle, and 51 year old Annette Corriveau was contacted in the driver seat. She was arrested without incident and transported to the County Jail for the stolen vehicle.

●12/26/16 at 7:52 pm, officers were dispatched to a fight on the front porch of a residence on Greystone Drive. 27 year old Antwon Redmon was contacted on the porch, and it was determined that there was no fight. A records check of Redmon revealed a warrant. He was arrested and booked at County Jail.

●12/26/16 at 2:20 pm, the victim was sitting in her vehicle near Taco Bell on Lone Tree Way when an unknown male approached her driver window. The male lifted his sweatshirt to expose a handgun in his waistband while demanding property from the victim. The victim gave the male some cash and he walked off towards Taco Bell. The victim drove home and then reported the incident. The responsible was not located.

●12/26/16 at 2:03 pm, two suspects entered Sears on Somersville Road with a suitcase and selected numerous items. They stuffed all the items in the suitcase and attempted to leave the store. A loss prevention officer attempted to stop the couple resulting in the merchandise spilling out on the floor. The female suspect started punching the loss prevention officer while the male half collected the stolen items. Eventually, the female reached in her purse and threatened to shoot the loss prevention officer, but no gun was seen. The two suspects fled the store on foot towards Potomac Ct. The suspects were not located.

●12/26/16 at 2:02 pm, officers were working a proactive detail when they located 47 year old James Gregory on K St. and 10th St. He was found to have two warrants and booked in County Jail.

●12/26/16 at 8:16 am, officers were dispatched to Cataline Ave. for a suspicious vehicle in the area. They made contact with 23 year old Tony Brooks. During a consent search, officers located methamphetamine and heroin. Brooks was arrested and given a citation.

●12/26/16 at 7:53 am, the victims were at 5th St. and L St. trying to meet up with a friend. While they were parked on the side of the road, a white pickup pulled up and the suspects got out. One male suspect and one female suspect were armed with guns. The victims were assaulted, ultimately resulting in the suspects taking the victim’s white 2003 Ford Taurus. The suspects fled in the victim’s car and in the pickup. Officers circulated the area but were not able to find the victim vehicle.

●12/25/16 at 8:51 pm, 19 year old Luis Morales was contacted during a traffic stop for erratic driving. He displayed objective symptoms of being intoxicated and refused field sobriety tests. He was arrested for DUI and consented to a blood draw. He was subsequently booked into the County Jail.

●12/25/16 at 11:53 am, officers contacted several subjects in front of a residence on Manzanita Way 44 year old Jeffrey Rice was found to have a warrant for his arrest. He was released with a new court date.

●12/25/16 at 7:15 am, an unknown suspect entered 7-11 on E. 18th St. and went to the bathroom where he stayed for approximately 30 minutes. The suspect came out of the bathroom, approached the clerk and pointed a revolver at him. The clerk ran into the back room and locked the door. The suspect attempted to open the register, but when he couldn’t get into it, he fled the store on foot westbound on E. 18th St. Officers circulated the area, but the suspect was not located. There was no loss for the business.

●12/24/16 at 10:23 pm, an officer conducted a traffic stop on a van with paper plates at the Hillcrest Ave. and E. Lake Dr. A check of the VIN revealed it to be stolen out of Antioch from Templer’s Tow a few days prior. The driver, 30 year old Adam Renfroe, was arrested without incident and transported to the County Jail. During an inventory search of the vehicle, a suspected stolen safe and compressor were located. A Trak flyer was completed in an effort to identify an owner of the suspected stolen property.

●12/24/16 at 5:37 pm, an officer contacted 46 year old Joseph Simoni and another subject in a vehicle in the parking lot of the Ramada Inn on Mahogany Way. Simoni was found to have a warrant. He was arrested and booked at County Jail.

●12/24/16 at 3:33 pm, several witnesses called to report a fight at the Big Lots on Somersville Rd. Responding officers located 36 year old Melody Brown nearby and she matched the description of one of the responsibles. A 71 year old male was contacted at the store and determined to be the victim. He had minor injuries, was not cooperative, and refused to conduct an infield. Brown was found to have three warrants and was booked at County Jail.

●12/24/16 at 3:09 pm, 58 year old Don Gonzales was stopped by officers for vehicle code violations near 1500 W. 4th St. He was found to have a warrant for his arrest. He was arrested and sent to County Jail.

●12/24/16 at 2:30 pm, Walmart security called to report 26 year old Jagurtha Sbili was on the property and had already been warned for trespassing. Officers made contact with Sbili and detained him without incident. Security signed a citizen’s arrest for Sbili and he was booked in County Jail for likely to continue.

●12/24/16 at 1:22 pm, 49 year old Kevin Baity was contacted by police at a home on Pinecrest Ct. during a suspicious circumstance call. Baity was found to have a cite/release warrant out of Oakland. He was arrested and released with a new court date.

●12/24/16 at 7:59 am, the victim called APD from the Red and Green on 4th St. to report she was in an altercation with a female subject outside the store; and during the incident, her vehicle was stolen. Officers were able to identify the female suspect as 39 year old Shadia Mitchell-Richards who has been arrested numerous times in the past. A report was taken and officers circulated for the car. At 2:01 pm, an officer saw the stolen vehicle driving towards him on 2nd St. near L St. The officer gestured for the driver to pull over and she complied. The driver was found to be Mitchell-Richards and she was arrested without incident. The passengers, 54 year old Michael Jiles and 37 year old Gregory Eutsey both had felony warrants and were also arrested without incident. All were booked into County Jail.

●12/23/16 at 8:31 pm, 45 year old Rachel Stanko was contacted during a vehicle stop and found to have a warrant for her arrest. She was taken into custody without incident and booked into County Jail.

●12/23/16 at 7:56 pm, the victim was seated inside Starbucks on Lone Tree Way facing away from the door when a male entered the store. The male reached over his shoulder and grabbed his Macbook Pro. The suspect attempted to flee to a waiting vehicle but the victim was too close so the male continued to run towards Lone Tree Way. Eventually, he was picked up by the getaway vehicle and driven away. The victim attempted to track the computer but it was moving and unable to be located in one particular area. Both this case and an earlier incident are under investigation.

●12/23/16 at 5:25 pm, the victim was sitting in Starbucks in the Bluerock Center working on his homework at a table. He saw two males near the bathroom. He also observed a white sedan pulling into the front parking lot. He believes the vehicle was an older model Toyota. As soon as the vehicle pulled into the parking lot, he heard one of the males saying, “Let’s go”. They both ran and grabbed his Apple Macbook Pro from the table. The two males got into the passenger seat of the vehicle. The vehicle sped away towards Lone Tree Way.

●12/23/16 at 9:57 am, the reporting party called to report 28 year old Moises Sanchez was trespassing again at the Food Maxx on Lone Tree Way. Sanchez was contacted by police and arrested at the reporting party’s request. Sanchez was booked at the APD jail and later released on a citation.

●12/23/16 at 12:15 am, officers responded to a silent alarm at a building in the business park off Verne Roberts Circle. 46 year old Lee Cash and 31 year old Michael Hamilton were contacted in the complex walking away from the area of the business. Neither offered a reason for them to be in the complex after hours. Both had broken glass and sheetrock on their clothing. A smashed window was found at the business with a hole kicked into a back wall. An extension cord was also found in back of the business that was setup as a climbing rope. The roof hatch was also found open. A subscriber responded and confirmed a camera was missing from a desk. Cash and Hamilton denied being in the business, smashing the window, or being on the roof. An area check was made for the missing camera with negative results. Cash and Lee were taken into custody and booked into County Jail for burglary.

●12/23/16 at 12:14 am, an officer saw 40 year old Jose Hernandez at an apartment complex on Mahogany Way. He knew Hernandez from prior contacts and knew he had a cite-able warrant for his arrest. Hernandez was contacted and issued a new court date.

●12/22/16 at 4:09 pm, the victim called 9-1-1 advising she was alone and two subjects were trying to get into the residence on Forty Niner Way. She remained on the phone as the subjects continued to try and enter the rear slider. Eventually, the subjects did make entry through a window. The victim locked herself in a bedroom and waited for officers to arrive. Upon arrival, officers detained a juvenile subject on a bike leaving the area. The 14 year old male matched the description of one of the responsibles; however, two other suspects fled on bikes and were not located. The juvenile denied entering the home but was found to have items possibly taken from the residence. The juvenile was arrested and released to his mother with a citation.

●12/22/16 at 11:50 am, 30 year old Zachary Carpenter was contacted by an officer at the Bonfare Market on W. 10th St. and found to have a warrant for vandalism. Carpenter was arrested and booked into County Jail.

●12/22/16 at 10:08 am, a stolen vehicle was located travelling eastbound on Mahogany Way. A traffic enforcement stop was conducted on the vehicle and 28 year old Kia Richardson was contacted driving the car. She stated she borrowed the car and did not know the car was stolen. Richardson was arrested and booked into County Jail on a stolen vehicle charge.

●12/22/16 at 8:12 am, a concerned citizen saw an unusual substance spilled in the roadway on Mandarin Way and flagged down a patrol officer. It was determined there was about a 3 foot by 3 foot area of spilled Mercury. ConFire Engine 83 responded and contacted County Hazmat who responded. The spill took about two hours to clean and it was never determined where the Mercury came from. There was never any danger to the public.

By Sergeant Wisecarver, Antioch Police Special Operations Unit

On Saturday, December 31, 2016 at approximately 7:45 PM, the Antioch Police Department received numerous calls reporting gunshots in the area of a residential apartment in the 2300 block of Sycamore Drive. Officers responded to the reports and located a 20-year old man and a 56 year old man, both bleeding from gunshot wounds.

The officers began treating the injured men and requested paramedics respond to assist. The 20-year-old man was transported by ambulance to an area hospital where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The 56 year old man died at the scene.

No further information will be released at this time as this investigation is ongoing. Anyone with

information regarding this case is encouraged to call Detective Jason Vanderpool with the Antioch Police Department at (925) 779-6988.

By Allen Payton

As we enter a new year, hopes and expectations are high as we have new local and will soon have new national leaders. They made many commitments during their campaigns and we expect them to work to fulfill them.

Thinking about the new year and all its possibilities, I have a list of the things I hope and expect will and can happen.

First, I hope that our new mayor and mayor pro tem will have the help of the rest of the council, as they lead Antioch to greater safety and less crime, with a fully staffed police department of 111 sworn officers, as we were promised in 2013.

Second, I hope the new school board member, working with the new president and vice president, will ensure greater transparency by televising and live streaming their meetings, so that we the people can better know what’s going on with our government for the benefit of our students in our schools.

Third, I hope and pray the City can finalize the agreement for the lease or sale of Humphrey’s restaurant and breathe life back into that waterfront facility with its awesome location and views.

Fourth, I hope the County will fund the completion of the final two lanes of L Street between 10th and 18th Streets to complete the four-lane entrance from Highway 4 into Rivertown.

Then, I hope the Council will finally rename L Street to Marina Way and give the restaurant an address of 1 Marina Way. Plus, rename A and West 2nd Streets to Rivertown and West Rivertown Drive to provide permanent marketing of Antioch’s historic downtown.

Next, I hope the Council will approve the kind of upscale homes Antioch needs, like Walnut Creek, Brentwood and the San Ramon Valley already have, which will attract executives and business owners to town, who will bring their companies with them and employ our people locally.

My hope is that the Contra Costa Transportation Authority creates a new funding plan that includes Route 239, the long-proposed four-lane freeway between Brentwood and Tracy, which will secure East County’s economic future.

I also hope the Council will place the proposal for a downtown park and event center on the ballot to decide the issue once and for all, then get moving in whichever direction the public votes.

I wish the City would contract out the operations of the water park to make it profitable or at least break even.

Finally, I hope the Council will move forward on the plans for a deep water port along Wilbur Avenue to bring high-paying, clean technology and manufacturing jobs to Antioch.

Thank you for reading the Herald and following us on Facebook and Twitter, this past year. Have a safe and Happy New Year! God bless you, God bless Antioch and may it be successful and prosperous for all of us.