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

Earlier this week, the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office charged Hakeem Doeparker of Antioch with multiple felonies including a series of carjackings, attempted extortion, second degree robbery and criminal threats. The criminal complaint filed against Doeparker also alleges multiple enhancements for the defendant’s use of a firearm during the commission of these alleged crimes. Doeparker pleaded not guilty on July 2 to the charges our Office filed against him. He remains in custody and his bail is $787,000.

Doeparker allegedly used female profiles on apps such as Skout and MeetMe! to arrange meetings with unsuspecting male victims. After instructing victims to go to a particular address on Tehachapi Court in Antioch, Doeparker would approach them from behind, point a gun (often with a green laser) at the victim, and threaten to shoot or kill them if they did not hand over either money or their car keys.

The current charges relate to four known victims, with those offenses occurring throughout the month of June 2019. All victims were able to get away unharmed, though the defendant did succeed in taking money and two cars. The cars were later recovered by Antioch police officers near the defendant’s residence.

Doeparker attended Skyline High School in Oakland where he played football and was on the track team, according to his Facebook profile and Athletic.net.

The District Attorney’s office is actively working with Antioch Police Department on the case. The investigation is ongoing, and police believe there may be several additional victims in the Bay Area. Victims and anyone else with information are encouraged to contact Antioch Police Department Detective Adrian Gonzalez at 925-779-6923.

The public is also urged to exercise caution when arranging meetings with unknown persons through various phone apps, as this is increasingly becoming a strategy used to set up unsuspecting victims.

Case information: People v. Hakeem Zimikael Doeparker, Docket Number 04-197157-1

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

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

Earlier this month, the Board of State and Community Corrections awarded the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office $1 million to establish a county-wide juvenile diversion pre-filing program. This diversion program will be the first county-wide program for Contra Costa County and comes on the announcement earlier this spring that our Office was starting a pilot program in Richmond for the fall of 2019. The BSCC grant will enable the pilot program in Richmond to be expanded and eventually taken county-wide.

The District Attorney’s Office joins the Contra Costa County Department of Probation, the RYSE Youth center, and Impact Justice to initiate a restorative justice program that will redirect youth from the juvenile and criminal justice system over a period of four years. The program will work with young people who have committed crimes and bring them together with those they have impacted in the community in order to atone for damages made and rebuild relationships.

“I am proud to have this program for the first-time ever in our county’s history. Our Office has a crucial role to play in reducing the pipeline into the juvenile justice system while at the same time reducing disparities in the entire criminal justice system. We have to invest in our youth to ensure they have other opportunities in their lives,” said District Attorney Diana Becton.

With the help of RYSE, the program hopes to lower recidivism rates, increase victim satisfaction, improve the youths’ relationships with their families, and lower incarceration and probation costs. Youth will learn about accountability and healing, as well as, how to establish trusting relationships with adults and authority figures. During the restorative justice process, RYSE will provide the victim and the youth offender with wrap-around services along with a facilitator for each person involved in the case.

By providing troubled youths with more resources and opportunities, Contra Costa hopes to divert up to 230 youths away from the juvenile justice system. A similar program in the Bay Area proved to be successful. Alameda County’s restorative justice program was remarkably successful as recidivism rates decreased; youths who participated in the program were 44 percent less likely to recidivate compared to similarly situated probation youth. The program carries a one-time cost of $4,500 per case while probation costs $23,000 per year and incarceration costs nearly $500,000 annually.

By Sgt. Rick Smith, Field Services – Patrol, Antioch Police

On Tuesday, June 25 at 10:11 AM, a uniformed Antioch Police Officer in a fully marked Antioch Patrol Unit driving north on Deer Valley Road observed a driver, travelling southbound on Deer Valley Road approaching Country Hills Road, commit various traffic violations, including striking the median. The Ofc made a U-turn at the next intersection to attempt to get behind Bickham and conduct a traffic enforcement stop.

As the Officer made the U-turn, for unknown reasons, Joshua Bickham, age 33, ran the light he was stopped at and turned down Country Hills Drive while speeding away at an estimated speed in excess of 75 MPH. The officer attempted to catch up to Bickham, but due to his speed, did not pursue. A short distance away, the officer found Bickham after he had lost control of his vehicle near Montara Drive. Bickham crossed over into oncoming lanes and collided with several parked cars in the driveways of two residences.

Bickham was the only occupant of the vehicle and was found unconscious in the vehicle when officers checked on him. He quickly regained consciousness and began to fight with officers as they were attempting to help him. He was found to be under the influence of alcohol and transported to John Muir Hospital as a precaution. He suffered no injuries as result of being arrested.

Luckily, no officers, pedestrians or other motorists were injured as result of this incident. The investigation is ongoing and will be forwarded to the District Attorney for review once completed.

Anyone with information is asked to call 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 Scott Alonso, Public Information Officer, Contra Costa County District Attorney

Investigators with the Contra Costa County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force recently participated in Operation Broken Heart, a nationwide effort to investigate technology facilitated crimes against children, including those who receive and distribute child pornography. Throughout April and May, the team conducted investigations of subjects who distributed child pornography over the internet and focused on individuals traveling to Contra Costa County to meet minors to engage in sexual activity.

In addition to the proactive investigations the ICAC team participated in, a significant school outreach program was also undertaken to teach parents and student about the risks associated with smartphones and social media. During the last year, investigators and prosecutors delivered presentations at multiple schools and community organizations, reaching thousands of parents, students and educators.

Some notable arrests and investigations conducted during Operation Broken Heart include:

-On April 11, 2019, Investigators arrested Gerald Jue of Danville, California. During the investigation, investigators learned Jue was accessing the internet and searching for child pornography. Jue is a third and fourth grade teacher in the Fremont School District. When a search warrant was served at Jue’s residence, a computer was seized that contained evidence of Jue’s internet searches as well as web pages containing child pornography. Jue was indicted by a federal Grand Jury in Oakland, Ca on June 6, 2019 and arrested on June 7, 2019. He was subsequently released on bond and is awaiting trial. This case was investigated by the ICAC Task Force and the United States Secret Service.

-On May 2, 2019, investigators arrested Sonny Mitchell, a registered sex offender from Antioch, California. During the course of the two-month investigation, it was discovered that Mitchell was distributing child pornography via the Facebook Messenger platform. When a search warrant was executed at Mitchell’s residence, investigators seized a device that contained additional images of child pornography. Mitchell was indicted by a federal Grand Jury in Oakland, California on May 9, 2019 and remains in custody. This case was investigated by the ICAC Task Force and the United States Secret Service.

-On May 3, 2019, investigators arrested William Cashell of Walnut Creek, California. In April 2019, Yahoo sent tips to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children when child pornography was found in Cashell’s e-mail account. During a warrant at Cashell’s apartment, investigators located an iPhone which was later determined to contain images of child pornography. Cashell’s is charged with one count of possession of child pornography by the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office and a warrant has been issued for his arrest. This case was investigated by the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office and the ICAC Task Force.

-On May 16, 2019, investigators executed a search warrant in the 2400 block of L Street in Antioch related to a child pornography possession investigation. ICAC Investigators found evidence the suspect, Henry Cordon, a 34-year-old resident of Antioch, California and formally of Orange Park, Florida, kept images of child pornography stored in his various e-mail accounts. Additionally, during the search warrant Cordon confessed to sexually assaulting a child under the age of ten in 2009 while living in Orange Park, Florida. Cordon produced at least one image of the sexual assault of that child. Cordon was indicted by a federal Grand Jury in Oakland, California on May 30, 2019 for Receipt and Possession of Child Pornography. Cordon remains in custody and is currently under investigation in both California and Florida for other offenses related to crimes against children. This case was investigated by the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office, the ICAC Task Force and Homeland Security Investigations.

The Silicon Valley Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force is managed by the San Jose Police Department. In Contra Costa County, detectives and investigators from the Walnut Creek, Concord and Moraga Police Departments, the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office, Contra Costa County Probation Department and Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office participate in the task force along with Special Agents from the United States Department of Homeland Security and the United States Secret Service.

Parents are encouraged to discuss online safety with their children and can visit the website www.kidsmartz.org for further information. If you believe your school or community organization would benefit from a smartphone and social media awareness presentation, please contact Senior Inspector Darryl Holcombe at dholcombe@contracostada.org.

 

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

Detectives from the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff Investigation Division continue to investigate a murder-suicide that occurred on June 13, 2019. (See related article)

At about 9:33 AM, Deputy Sheriffs were dispatched to the area of Nortonville Road and Kirker Pass Road in unincorporated Pittsburg for a citizen reporting having seen two people who appeared to have been shot in a parked vehicle.

It was later confirmed that both of the occupants of the vehicle, a man and woman, suffered from apparent gunshot wounds. They were pronounced deceased at the scene.

The two are identified as 58-year-old Dong Liu of Antioch and 56-year-old Meizhen Zhu of Santa Rosa. Detectives say the two had a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship. Liu apparently shot Zhu before taking his own life. The cause of death for each was gunshot wound. The exact motive is unclear at this time.

Anyone with any information on this case is asked to contact the Office of the Sheriff at (925) 646-2441 or 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.

By Antioch Police Department

Earlier this month, the Antioch Police Department welcomed Lieutenant John Donleavy and Officer Matthew Nutt, and celebrated the promotions of Corporals Vanderpool and Rose, Sergeant Hoffman, and Captain Schnitzius.

Lieutenant Joe Donleavy

Joe grew up in Richmond and graduated from El Cerrito High School in 1989. After graduation, he became an EMT and worked for four years for Acme Western Ambulance in Oakland. Joe eventually attended San Francisco State University and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Art in 1998.

In 2000, Joe put himself through the Napa Valley College extended night Police Academy while working a full-time job in the Athletic Business Office at Cal. He was picked up by the Walnut Creek Police Department while in the academy and started with them upon graduation in December of 2000. During his time with the Walnut Creek Police Department Joe served in Patrol, Motors and as a K9 handler. Additionally, he was on the SWAT entry team and was a firearm and chemical agent instructor. In 2012, Joe was promoted to Sergeant and eventually helped create a four-person Special Enforcement Team as well as supervising the Motor team and K9 unit. In 2017, Joe was promoted to Lieutenant and worked the remainder of his time there as a Patrol Watch Commander.

Joe is married to a Walnut Creek Police Officer and enjoys traveling with his family and is a die-hard Giants, Niners and Sharks fan!

Fun Fact: Joe’s son has the exact same birthday as him.

Officer Matthew Nutt

Matthew grew up in Claremont, CA, and graduated from Claremont High School in 2012. Before graduating, Matthew enlisted in the Marine Corps and he left for boot camp shortly after graduating. Matthew eventually became an Infantry Machine Gunner and served 4 years with the Second Battalion, Fifth Marine Regiment. Matthew was honorably discharged at the rank of Corporal in 2016.

Soon after being discharged, Matthew was hired by the Los Angeles Police Department and graduated from the Police Academy in October 2016. He was later assigned to patrol for 1.5 years in East Los Angeles, and spent the remainder of his time patrolling South Central Los Angeles. Matthew then accepted a job with the Antioch Police Department.

In his free time Matthew enjoys going to church, spending time with family and friends, rock climbing, and working out.

Fun Fact: Matthew is terrified of spiders and needs his wife to kill them for him.

Corporal Jason Vanderpool

Jason grew up in Fairfield and graduated from Fairfield High School. Jason is happily married to his wife Danielle and is the proud father of three girls. Prior to working for the City of Antioch, Jason worked in the construction trades for several years and had his contractor’s license. He also had a flooring business for several years.

Jason started his Police career in December 2002, and was assigned to the patrol division from 2002 to 2013. In April of 2013, he transferred from Patrol into the Investigations Bureau where he worked as the Domestic Violence Investigator. In 2015, he was assigned to the Robbery/ Homicide unit and worked as a violent crimes investigator. In July 2018, he transferred back to the Patrol Division.

During his career, Jason has had numerous assignments which have included Field training officer (FTO), recruiting team member, MAMFF team member, and Explorer advisor. In his spare time, Jason enjoys wakeboarding, playing basketball, camping, golfing and spending time with his family.

Fun Fact: He’s proud to be a mama’s boy.

Corporal Brian Rose

Brian is a 12-year veteran of the Antioch Police Department. Brian’s assignments have been Field Training Officer and SWAT team member. In 2012, Brian was a recipient of the Antioch Police Department’s Meritorious Service Award which is presented to officers who display professionalism and excellence in performing his/her duties.

Brian has spent the last 5 plus years as a detective in the sexual assault/child abuse unit and has distinguished himself as a tremendous investigator. He is a POST certified sexual assault/child abuse instructor and travels throughout the state to train other detectives in this important discipline.

In 2016, Brian was honored as a 2016 Community Champion by Community Violence Solutions for those who go above and beyond the call of duty to end sexual violence in our community.

Brian holds a Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice management and in his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family, playing basketball, working out, and is an avid reader.

Fun fact: Brian has been nominated for Officer of Year a whopping 10 times but has failed to ever win the award.

Sergeant Rick Hoffman

Rick was born in Berkeley and moved to Antioch when he was in the fifth grade. Rick spent the rest of his childhood in the city of Antioch. He met his future wife, in a church youth group when he was 15 years old, and eventually married her years later.

Rick began his law enforcement career with the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff in March 2006, and worked as a Custody Deputy at the Martinez Detention Facility from March of 2006 to September of 2007. Having grown up in Antioch, he knew that he wanted to be a police officer for APD. Rick lateraled to APD in September of 2007 and began his career with APD as a patrol officer.

Since joining APD, Rick has held a variety of assignments. In 2009, Rick was assigned as a SWAT team member. In 2010, he was assigned to be a gang investigator. In 2013, Rick was assigned to be a Field Training Officer (FTO) and in 2015 he was assigned to be a Defensive Tactics Instructor.

Rick was assigned to the Investigations Bureau in August of 2015 where he initially worked as a Missing Persons Detective, a Post Release Community Supervision (PRCS) detective and eventually was assigned to the Special Operations Unit. Rick was also awarded the APD’s 2017 Officer of the Year award.

Rick was promoted to the rank of Corporal in January of 2019. During his time as a Corporal, he has been assigned as a patrol Corporal, Gang Unit supervisor, and a SWAT Assistant Team Leader.

Rick is excited to begin this new step in his career and is eager to serve his department and the citizens of Antioch in a new capacity.

Fun Fact: Rick would like to share that he is much better at fantasy football than both of the newly promoted Corporals Vanderpool and Rose

Captain Trevor Schnitzius

Trevor graduated from California State University, Sacramento in 1997 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Law Enforcement Management and Investigation. He was hired as a police trainee by the Antioch Police Department in January 1998 and attended the Los Medanos 135th Police Academy. Upon his graduation, he was sworn in as a Police Officer on May 26, 1998 assigned to the Community Policing Division.

Trevor transferred to in the Investigations Bureau in 2002 as the auto theft investigator. In 2003, he transferred to the person crime unit where he was the Sexual Assault/Missing Persons/Sex Offender Compliance Investigator. Trevor transferred back to the patrol division in 2007 and became a (FTO) Field Training Officer.

Trevor was promoted to Corporal in January of 2008 and was assigned to the Patrol Division. He was then promoted to the rank of Sergeant in 2013 and remained in the Patrol Division. In February 2016, Trevor promoted to the rank of Lieutenant.

Additionally, Trevor served as a Weaponless Defense Instructor, Impact Weapons Instructor, Field Training Officer (FTO), Honor Guard Team Member, Recruiting Team Member, Explorer Program Coordinator, Department Armor, Peer Support Coordinator, Volunteer Coordinator, K9 Unit Coordinator, and FTO Program Coordinator.

As fate would have it, the effective date of his promotion to Captain is exactly 21 years to the day from his original appointment as an Antioch Police Officer.

Fun Fact: Trevor’s nickname amongst his peers is Mr. Incredible due to his resemblance to the animated film character. Through the generosity of our officers, he has accumulated a decent collection of Mr. Incredible memorabilia over the years.

By Sergeant Matthew Harger #3305, Field Services Bureau, Antioch Police Department

On June 14, 2019, at approximately 7:30pm, Antioch Police Dispatch received a 9-1-1 call regarding a possible child drowning in a residential family swimming pool in the 3000 Block of N. Francisco Way. Antioch Police Officers along with ConFire and AMR personnel quickly arrived on scene and began immediate live saving measures on the child.

The child was transported to a local hospital where he later passed away.

The preliminary investigation appears to indicate this incident was a tragic accident. No further information will be released at this time.

Anyone with information is asked to call 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.

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.