New Antioch Police Officers Ryan Carpenter (left), Geoffrey Morris and Saul Aguilar (right) with Chief Tammany Brooks. Photos by APD

Two more to be sworn in Dec. 9 bringing force to 111 fulfilling city council’s commitment in 2013’s Measure C

By Antioch Police

On Monday, Nov. 18, 2019 we welcomed Officer Ryan Carpenter! Ryan was born in Oakland and was raised in Oakley. When Ryan was growing up, he was very active, played many sports, and always enjoyed the outdoors. He also enjoyed camping and dirt biking. While growing up, Ryan would travel to Pennsylvania in the summertime to visit family.

Ryan has wanted to work in public service and help people since he was a kid.

Ryan graduated from Freedom High school in 2015. After graduating, Ryan attended Los Medanos College and obtained his Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certificate. Ryan was hired by American Medical Response (AMR) and began working as an EMT since. Ryan interacted with many different Police agencies while working as an EMT and became interested in a career in law enforcement. Ryan felt he could better serve his community as a Police Officer. Ryan knew that Antioch PD was the agency for him.

In his free time, Ryan enjoys spending time with family, friends, and his girlfriend. He also enjoys riding dirt bikes and doing anything outdoors.

Fun Fact: Ryan’s nickname in the academy was Caterpillar because he had a mustache during his Academy orientation. The nickname stuck with him throughout the entire Academy.

Last Tuesday, we welcomed two lateral officers to the Antioch Police Department. Saul Aguilar came to us from Walnut Creek Police Department and Geoffrey Morris from the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office.

Saul Aguilar was born in Mexico and raised in Oakland, California. After graduating high school, Saul was hired by the El Cerrito Police Department as a Police Cadet. Saul attended Diablo Valley College while employed as a cadet. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from California State University East Bay. Saul then attended the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Academy and was hired by El Cerrito PD as a Reserve Officer. Saul was a Reserve Officer for six months, before being hired as a full time Police Officer with El Cerrito PD. Saul spent a total of three years with El Cerrito PD before transferring to the Walnut Creek Police Department. He worked for Walnut Creek for four years before coming to work for the City of Antioch.

In his free time, Saul enjoys running and spending time with his daughter.

Fun Fact: While in the academy, Saul forgot his classroom uniform. He thought it would be a great idea to wear his 5’4″ academy classmate’s classroom uniform to avoid not getting in trouble. Instead, Saul was forced to keep the uniform on for the remainder of the day.

Geoffrey Morris was born and raised in Havertown, Pennsylvania. After graduating high school, Geoff attended Northeastern University where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice. After graduating from Northeastern, Geoff moved to California and was an assistant coach with the Menlo-Atherton High School Football Team.

Geoff was hired by the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office as a Correctional Officer, and then promoted to Deputy Sheriff. Geoff attended the Police Academy located at the College of San Mateo. Geoff worked for the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office for six years before accepting a job with the City of Antioch, where he aspires to challenge himself and grow professionally.

In his free time, Geoff enjoys spending time with family and friends, lifting weights and barbequing.
Fun Fact: Geoff and his wife both forgot about their second anniversary, even though the date is on a wall they walk past daily.

According to Police Chief Tammany Brooks, that brings the total sworn officers on the force to 109 “and we’ll be swearing in two more on December 9 to bring us to 111.” That will fulfill the commitment by the Antioch Mayor and Council in 2013 of adding 22 more officers if the voters passed Measure C, the city’s half-cent sales tax measure, which they did later that year during the November election.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

Five suspects arrested, not charged and set to be released are Jason Iles, Shamron Mitchell, Devin Williamson, Lebraun Wallace and Jaquez Deshawn Sweeney. Photos by CoCoSheriff.

Suspects are or will be released; Sheriff stands by his department’s investigation.

By Allen Payton

In a news release, this evening, Scott Alonso, the Public Information Officer for Contra Costa District Attorney Diana Becton, wrote, “Today the District Attorney’s Office met with members of the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff to review the Orinda Halloween shooting incident. No criminal charges are being filed at this time against any individual. The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information about the case should call the Sheriff’s Homicide Unit at 925-313-2600.” (See related article)

When reached for comment, Alonso said, “We made the decision about 5:00 p.m. tonight.”

Asked if all five suspects who were arrested would be released, he responded, “That’s my understanding, yes. If they have no holds are on their records, then they will be released, tonight. If there are no charges filed against them. Four are in custody of the Contra Costa Sheriff. One is in custody of the Marin County Sheriff.”

Asked why D.A. Becton chose not to charge any of the suspects, Alonso said, “We have a really high filing standard and we need more information. We are collaboratively working with the Sheriff’s Office to see what else is out there.”

“It’s very complex. We want more witnesses to come forward. There were a lot of people at that party,” he added.

When reached for comment and asked about the suspects, Jimmy Lee, the Director of Public Affairs for the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff responded, “They have either been released or are in the process.”

“We stand by our investigation and the arrests were made pursuant to a judge’s order,” he continued. “Although the district attorney may want more investigation done, the persons arrested and responsible for these crimes will ultimately be held to account. The entire investigation is ongoing, as is common in these types of complex cases.”

Five suspects arrested are Jason Iles, Shamron Mitchell, Devin Williamson, Lebraun Wallace and Jaquez Deshawn Sweeney. Photos by CoCoSheriff.

Shootings were result of rival gangs

By Daniel Borsuk

More arrests are expected to be made in connection with the Orinda Airbnb case where five people were shot and killed on Halloween night, Contra Costa County Sheriff David O. Livingston said at a press conference Friday afternoon.

Unable to provide further details, the sheriff said that five suspects had been arrested on Friday in connection with the Orinda shootings on Friday that had ties with two Bay Area gangs – the Page Street Gang of San Francisco and the Marin City Jungle Gang of Marin City.

Sheriff Livingston said he expects any additional persons arrested in the Orinda Airbnb case will likely have gang affiliations. He would not elaborate.

The five suspects under arrest are identified as:

• Shamron Mitchell, 30, of Antioch. Mitchell was arrested on the charges of murder and conspiracy. He is being held without bail.
• Lebraun Wallace, 28, of San Mateo. Wallace was arrested on the charges of murder and conspiracy. He is being held without bail.
• Jaquez Deshawn Sweeney, 20, of Marin City. Sweeney was arrested on the charges of murder and conspiracy. He is being held without bail.
• Jason Iles, 20, of Marin City. Iles was arrested on the charges of murder and conspiracy. He is being held without bail.
• Devin Williamson, 21, of Vallejo. Williamson was arrested on the the charges of being an accessory. He is being held in lieu of $500,000 bail.

“Extraordinary cooperation among multiple law enforcement agencies led to these arrests and a small measure of justice for the true victims,” said Sheriff Livingston.

“We have video showing a number of people at the party had carried firearms and secreted their firearms in their pants once the shooting spree in the house had subsided,” the sheriff said.

Four firearms were recovered by law enforcement authorities at the crime scene, Sheriff Livingston said.

“We believe people at the party had intent to do harm at this party,” the sheriff said in reference to potential connections with other gangs in the Bay Area. “Additionally, evidence shows two of the deceased persons inside the house were themselves armed, which may have played a role in this tragedy,”

Those victims, who had possessed weapons, were Ramon Hill Jr., 24, of San Francisco/Oakland and Javin County, 29, of Sausalito/Richmond.

Other murder victims were Tiyon Farley, 22, of Antioch; Omar Taylor, 24, of Pittsburg; and Oshiana Tompkins, 19, of Vallejo/Hercules, according to the sheriff’s office. Five additional victims suffered gunshot wounds. One person jumped 30 feet over a balcony to escape the gunfire, said deputies.

“The blame rests specifically on the people who brought guns into the party, pulled the trigger and murdered someone. That’s who should have the blame in this case,” said the sheriff.

The sheriff said neither the Orinda police, the homeowner, nor Airbnb deserve blame in this case.

In the aftermath of the crime, Orinda Mayor Inga Miller said the city council is expected to consider tougher home rental ordinance proposals that would apply to Airb&b at Tuesday’s council meeting. “I want to thank the Contra Costa County Sheriffs Office and other local law enforcement agencies for the resources they have deployed into resolving this heinous crime,” said Miller

The Antioch Police Department, San Mateo Police Department, Vallejo Police Department, Marin County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Marshalls Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Federal Bureau of Investigation assisted in the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff in this case.

Persons with any information is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office 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.

Investigation began with tips from concerned citizens

OAKLAND – Sonny Mitchell was sentenced today to 135 months in prison for possession of child pornography, announced United States Attorney David L. Anderson and United States Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Thomas C. Edwards.  The Honorable Jon S. Tigar, U.S. District Judge, handed down the sentence earlier today.

Mitchell, 45, of Antioch, pleaded guilty to the charge on August 16, 2019.  According to his plea agreement, Mitchell admitted to possessing and distributing to others, images of children as young as seven years old engaged in sexually explicit conduct.  Mitchell used a social media platform to communicate with others and then distribute the images, which included videos and GIFs (Graphics Interchange Format).  In one video, an adult male voice is heard giving directions to two minors who were engaged in sexually explicit conduct.  Mitchell also agreed he was subject to a minimum sentence of ten years imprisonment because of his conviction in 1999 for unlawful sex with a minor.

A federal grand jury indicted Mitchell on May 9, 2019, charging him with two counts of distribution of child pornography, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(2) and (b)(1), and one count of possession of child pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(4)(B) and (b)(2). Mitchell pleaded guilty to the possession count and the distribution counts were dismissed at sentencing.

This investigation began when a member of the public called local police to report Mitchell’s transmission of child pornography using a social media platform.  In addition, during the course of the investigation, Mitchell was identified as the user of a social media account that had been reported by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) as being used to transmit child pornography.  NCMEC had received a cyber-tip indicating that an individual was using a social media platform to send child pornography to other users.  Law enforcement eventually identified Mitchell as the user of the account transmitting the images.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Tigar sentenced Mitchell to seven years of supervised release.  The defendant will begin serving the prison term immediately.  In addition, Judge Tigar scheduled a hearing for January 24, 2020, to determine issues regarding restitution.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan U. Lee is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Jessica Rodriguez and Kathleen Turner.  The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Secret Service, the Silicon Valley Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office, and the Antioch Police Department.

The five suspects arrested are (l-r) Jason Iles, Shamron Mitchell, Devin Williamson, Lebraun Wallace and Jaquez Deshawn Sweeney. Photos by CoCoSheriff.

Antioch Police assist in arrests

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

Law enforcement agencies served Ramey arrest warrants and search warrants in several Bay Area counties this morning and arrested five suspects in connection with the Orinda shooting on October 31, 2019. (See related article)

The arrest warrants were served in the cities of San Mateo, Marin City, Vallejo and Antioch.

The Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff was assisted by the San Mateo Police Department, Antioch Police Department, Vallejo Police Department, Marin County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Marshals Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Sheriff’s Office Detectives, assisted by multiple law enforcement agencies, have worked continuously on the investigation into the shooting that claimed five lives at a Halloween party.

The five suspects are identified as:

-30-year-old Shamron Joshua Mitchell of Antioch. Mitchell was arrested on the following charges: murder and conspiracy. He is being held without bail. According to an October 2008 Marin Independent Journal article, Mitchell, while a resident of Marin City, was one of three arrested for an attack on a family at a festival and “charged with committing the crimes as members of the ‘200 Block Young Hawgz,’ a reputed street gang operating in the 200 block of Drake Avenue, part of the Marin City public housing complex.”

-28-year-old Lebraun Tyree Wallace of the city of San Mateo. Wallace was arrested on the following charges: murder and conspiracy. He is being held without bail.

-20-year-old Jaquez Deshawn Sweeney of Marin City. Sweeney was arrested on the following charges: murder and conspiracy. He is being held without bail.

-20-year-old Jason D. Iles of Marin City. Iles was arrested on the following charges: murder and conspiracy. He is being held without bail.

-21-year-old Devin Isiah Williamson of Vallejo. He was arrested on the following charge: being an accessory. He is being held in lieu of $500,000 bail.

“Extraordinary cooperation among multiple law enforcement agencies led to these arrests and a small measure of justice for the true victims,” said Contra Costa Sheriff David Livingston. “Additionally, evidence shows two of the deceased persons inside the house were themselves armed, which may have played a role in this tragedy. We look forward to providing more information in the coming days.”

The investigation into the shooting is ongoing. Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office 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.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

Officer Barrera and confiscated weapon. Photos by APD.

By Antioch Police

Last week, while working on patrol, Officer Barrera stopped a vehicle for vehicle code violations. The vehicle was occupied by 3 subjects, one of which was on parole for manslaughter and had an outstanding warrant. During a search of the vehicle, officers located a fully loaded assault style weapon without a serial number.

Great work by Officer Barrera who turned a traffic violation into the arrest of a wanted subject and took a dangerous weapon off the street.

Avante Ridley. Photo by APD

D.A. files attempted murder, weapons charges against him

By Sgt. James Stenger #3604, Antioch Police Violent Crimes Unit (Investigations Bureau)

Antioch Police Detectives were able to identify 21-year-old Avante Ridley as the suspect in this case. On Friday, November 8, 2019, the U.S. Marshals located Ridley in the 4700 block of Shannondale Drive and took him into custody. The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office filed attempted murder and weapons charges against Ridley, and he is currently in custody at the Contra Costa County Jail. (See related article).

On October 2, 2019 at 1:55 PM, a large group of juveniles and adults became involved in an argument in the 4800 block of Knollcrest Drive, near Black Diamond Middle School, shortly after school let out. An unknown male produced a gun and fired several rounds at the crowd and at least two times into an occupied vehicle. The 49-year-old, female driver of the vehicle suffered a graze wound to her leg, that did not require hospitalization. The Antioch Police Investigations Bureau are currently investigating the case in an attempt to identify and locate the suspect in this case.

No further information will be released regarding this case at this time. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Evans at (925) 779-6937, or the Antioch Police Department non-emergency line at (925) 778-2441. You may also text-a-tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using the key word ANTIOCH.

By Sgt. James Stenger #3604, Antioch Police Violent Crimes Unit (Investigations Bureau)

On Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019, Antioch Police Detectives took a second 16-year-old male into custody in the City of Brentwood for the murder of 17-year-old Alicia Belen “A.B.” Villa. The Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office filed murder charges on both suspects. The suspects names cannot be released due to their age. (See related article).

On 11/5/2019 at 7:10 PM, Antioch Patrol Officers were called to the area of La Jolla Drive on the reports of several gunshots in the area. As officers responded, two victims arrived at a local hospital suffering from gunshot wounds. A 17-year-old female victim, later identified as Villa, succumbed to her injuries in the emergency room and a 17-year-old male was treated for a non-fatal gunshot wound. Antioch Police Detectives responded and took over the investigation.

On 11/6/2019, Antioch Police Detectives took a 16-year-old male into custody in the City of Oakley for this murder. It was determined this shooting occurred during an illegal drug transaction.

The name of the suspect cannot be released because of his age.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Gonzalez at 925-779-6923, or the Antioch Police Department non-emergency line at (925)778-2441. You may also text-a-tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using the key word ANTIOCH.