On October 25, the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office along with our justice partners, is hosting a community forum and resource fair which will address what family violence looks like in Contra Costa County, what Contra Costa County’s response is to family violence and how law enforcement responds to family violence. Victims may feel conflicted about reporting violence in the home or may not be aware of the wide range of resources in our community that can respond to, intervene in and work to prevent these issues and keep our families safe.

32.9 percent of California women and 27.3 percent of California men experience physical violence, sexual violence and/or stalking in their lifetimes. In 2016, the National Domestic Violence Hotline received over 28,000 calls from California and nearly one-third of these had children in the home. Research has shown that only 4 percent of domestic violence murder victims nationwide had ever availed themselves of domestic violence program services. Our goal is to increase that number by letting our community members know how to get help right here in Contra Costa County.

The event will occur in Antioch at the Antioch Water Park (4701 Lone Tree Way) starting at 5:00 p.m. with the resource fair. Community members will receive a “passport” to use when visiting providers at the resource fair and will be eligible for prizes if they collect a “stamp” from each provider. A blue ribbon panel of experts from many levels of our County’s family violence response system will address the audience at 6:00 p.m. and be available for questions. After the panelists finish, the resources fair will be continue until 8:00 p.m. Food and drinks will be provided.

 Victims of family violence can get help by reporting the conduct to the police, by calling the STAND! for Families Free of Violence 24-hour toll free crisis line at 1-888-215-5555 or contacting the Family Justice Centers in Richmond (256 24^th St.) or Concord (2151 Salvio St., Suite 201). In any life-threatening emergency, victims should always call 911. In 2019, a new Family Justice Center location will open in Antioch to serve East County residents.

The entire program will be moderated by KTVU’s Candice Nguyen. Panelists will include:

·         Dana Filkowski, Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office

·         Rhonda James, STAND! For Families Free of Violence

·         Devorah Levine, Contra Costa Alliance to End Abuse

·         Kevin McAllister, Rainbow Community Center

·         Nicole Riddick, Pittsburg Police Department

·         Jason Vanderpool, Antioch Police Department

The participating agencies are as follows: 

·         Antioch Council for the Teens

·         Antioch Police Department

·         Bay Area Rapid Transit

·         Brentwood Police Department

·         Brentwood Union School District

·         Catholic Charities of the East Bay

·         Community Violence Solutions

·         Contra Costa Family Justice Centers

·         Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office

·         Contra Costa County Employment and Human Services Department

·         Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office

·         International Rescue Committee

·         Mexican Consulate

·         Oakley Police Department

·         Ombudsman Services of Contra Costa, Inc.

·         Opportunity Junction

·         Pittsburg Police Department

·         Planned Parenthood

·         Rainbow Community Center

·         Rubicon Programs

·         Ruby’s Place

·         STAND! For Families Free of Violence

·         Tourette Association of America

·         Village Community Resource Center

 October is National Domestic Violence Awareness month.

 

By Acting Sergeant James Colley #4705, Investigations Bureau, Antioch Police Department

On Tuesday, October 9, 2018 at approximately 3:59 pm, Antioch Police Department officers were dispatched to the 100 block of E. 18th Street on the report of a shooting. Upon arrival officers located one juvenile gunshot victim. The victim was located critically wounded and died at the scene. The case is currently under investigation.

This preliminary information is made available by the Investigations Division. Any further information or additional press releases will be provided by the Investigations Bureau.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Antioch Police Department non-emergency line at (925)778-2441 or Detective Bledsoe at 925-779-6884. You may also text-a-tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using the key word ANTIOCH.

Crash in Pittsburg on Oct. 4, 2017 took life of Discovery Bay woman

On October 2, a Contra Costa County jury found defendant Frank J. Newkirk, a 26-year-old transient, guilty of gross vehicular manslaughter. The victim, Theresa Frazer, was killed on October 4, 2017 during the morning commute on Highway 4 in Pittsburg. Newkirk was driving westbound on Highway 4 in a 2004 Chevy Tahoe in the slow lane when the incident occurred.

Newkirk now faces a sentence of up to six years in state prison. According to the D.A.’s Office Public Information Officer Scott Alonso, “Newkirk was a transient and his last known address according to court documents was Discovery Bay. But he lived all over including Bay Point and may have lived in Antioch at the time of the crash.”

Contra Costa County Deputy District Attorney Aron DeFerrari prosecuted the case behalf of the People for this felony jury trial. Sentencing for Newkirk will occur on November 16 by the Honorable Barry Baskin in Department 7 at the Contra Costa County Superior Court in Martinez.

On the morning of October 4, 2017, Newkirk was driving his girlfriend’s 2004 Chevy Tahoe without a license and careened into Frazer’s Nissan Sentra. Frazer was driving her friend to work when the accident occurred. The impact of the crash spun the Nissan around and crushed the vehicle. In total, five cars were impacted by Newkirk’s crash into Frazer.

California Highway Patrol investigated the crash and found Newkirk was traveling at an unsafe speed between 54 to 61 miles per hour in traffic with cars slowed in front of him due to an unrelated accident. Evidence gathered by CHP showed the vehicle’s brakes were never activated before the crash. Newkirk also did not take his foot off the throttle. Newkirk’s collision led to the unfortunate death of Frazer, a 47-year-old mother of three children. Restitution for this case will be determined at a later date.

Traffic collisions can cause very serious injuries and even result in fatalities. According to the California Office of Traffic Safety, traffic fatalities are increasing, totaling 3,623 in 2016 and serious traffic injuries are on the rise.

Earlier this year our office filed the following counts against Newkirk:

• Count 1, Vehicular Manslaughter – Felony
• Count 2, Driving Without a License – Misdemeanor

Case information: People v. Frank J. Newkirk, Docket Number 05-181281-7.

By Corporal Ted Chang #4362, Antioch Police Field Services Bureau

On Friday, Sept. 21, 2018 at 8:44 PM, Antioch Police Officers were dispatched to a report of subject shot on Cavallo Road. The 54-year-old victim had been shot in the arm and drove himself to a parking lot on East 18th Street. Officers responded and located the victim and his fiancé. The victim was treated and transported to an area hospital with non-life-threatening gunshot wounds.

It was determined the victim was shot during an attempted robbery. A crime scene was located in the 2000 block Cavallo Road, but the suspect(s) had fled prior to police arrival. At this time, the investigation is still on going and officers are working on identifying the suspect(s).

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 Sergeant Matthew Koch, Antioch Police Field Services Bureau

On Tuesday, September 18, 2018 at 4:22 pm, Antioch Police officers were dispatched to the railroad tracks near G Street and W. 20th Street on a report of a shooting that had just occurred. Upon the officers’ arrival, they located a 15-year-old male juvenile suffering from several gunshot wounds in the 2100 block of D Street. It was discovered the responsible fled the area prior to police arrival. It was reported the male responsible attempted to rob the victim during the shooting.

The victim was transported to an area hospital for treatment where he was listed in stable condition and is expected to make a full recovery. At this time, officers are working on leads to develop suspect information.

Anyone with information regarding this case is encouraged to call the Antioch Police Department non-emergency line at (925) 778-2441. You may also text a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using key word ANTIOCH

This preliminary information is made available by the Field Services Bureau. There will be no further information released regarding this case at this time.

By Sergeant Rick Smith, Antioch Police Community Policing Bureau

Monday morning, September 17, 2018, Antioch Officers responded to a reported hit and run collision involving a vehicle versus pedestrian in front of Antioch High School. A student was crossing the street in front of the school when she was struck by the pictured Toyota 4-Runner. The driver of the Toyota failed to stop and continued eastbound on West 18th Street. The juvenile victim of this incident was transported to an area hospital for treatment and was later released with minor injuries.

Officers were able to identify the suspect vehicle and are currently pursuing leads in locating it. The driver was described only as a young white male. See above captured images of the actual suspect vehicle. If located, please do not make contact and call Antioch PD Dispatch at the number listed below.

This investigation is ongoing and anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to call the Antioch Police at (925) 778-2441. You may also text a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using key word ANTIOCH.

Read more details from ABC7 News, here.

By Cpl. Shawn Morin #5227, Antioch Police Field Services Bureau

The Antioch Police Department is pleased to announce we will be holding our annual Citizen’s Academy from October 10, 2018 to December 12, 2018. The Citizen’s Academy will be held on Wednesday nights and a few Saturdays at the Antioch Police Department at 300 L Street in downtown.

The Citizen’s Academy is a great way for the community to get involved with local law enforcement and get an inside look at the day to day operations of the police department. The Antioch Police Department is looking for Antioch residents who are interested in forming a partnership with the police department in order make positive changes in our community.

Applications can be submitted at Citizensacademy.antiochpolice.com

Interviews for the Citizen’s Academy will be held on September 18th and 19th.

If you have any questions please contact Lieutenant Tarra Mendes at tmendes@ci.antioch.ca.us or 925-779-6946.

By Lieutenant Don La Due, Antioch Police Field Services Division

On Sept. 6, 2018 at approximately 1:19 P.M., officers of the Antioch Police Department responded to an apartment in the 2200 block of San Jose Drive on a report of a 26-year-old male on scene threatening to break into his ex-girlfriend’s apartment. The victim and her six small children were inside the apartment. The children’s ages ranged from one to five years old.

The suspect forced his way into the apartment through the front door and armed himself with a large kitchen knife after tearing up the apartment. He made death threats and came outside armed with the knife to challenge officers as they approached the apartment. The suspect refused officers’ orders to drop the knife and ran back into the apartment.

Fearing for the lives of the children, the officers pursued the armed suspect into the apartment and confronted him as he tried to break into a back room. The suspect refused additional orders to drop the knife and challenged officers again. Knowing the children and their mother were hiding somewhere in the apartment, the officers took swift action to disarm the suspect and take him into custody by utilizing a Taser and deployment of a Police K9.

The suspect was taken into custody and treated at a local area hospital for minor dog bites. He was later booked into County Jail on several felony charges. None of the children, nor their mother were harmed.

If you have any information about this incident you may text a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using key word ANTIOCH.