By Sergeant Quintero, Antioch Police Community Policing Bureau

On Tuesday, October 9, 2012 at 8:04 a.m., Antioch Police dispatch received numerous phone calls of an auto versus pedestrian collision on Delta Fair Blvd at School Street, which is the entrance to Turner Elementary School. Contra Costa Fire and AMR were summoned as injuries were reported to be serious, if not critical.

Upon arrival, Antioch police officers located two adults, a 32 year-old Pittsburg woman and a 47 year-old Oakley woman, and one juvenile pedestrian victim, an eight year-old boy from Oakley, located on the southeast corner of Delta Fair Blvd and School Street who had apparently been struck by a 2012 Audi A3 Wagon then laying on its side in the driveway of 4205 Delta Fair Blvd. All three pedestrians were flown to John Muir Medical Center by helicopter for treatment. The two adults were treated for various broken bones and lacerations but both are expected to survive. The juvenile was knocked to the ground, but had no complaint of pain and no visible injuries.

Michael James Ratliff, a 22 year-old Oakland resident, was identified as the driver of the Audi and had an odor of alcohol on his breath. He was arrested and taken to the Antioch Police Department for further investigation but his level of intoxication will be determined by laboratory results.

An unknown black male passenger in Ratliff’s vehicle fled the scene on foot after the collision for an unknown reason and his identity and whereabouts are unknown.

It was determined that Ratliff struck a 2002 Toyota Camry just prior to losing control of his vehicle and striking the pedestrians as they stood on the corner waiting to cross the street. The Camry was driven by a 47 year-old Antioch man, who was entering the school to drop off his five and nine year-old sons for school. No one in the Camry was injured and the Camry only sustained moderate damage.

The names of the other involved parties are not being released at this time until notification of family members can be accomplished.

The cause of this accident is still under investigation.

The Antioch Police are aware of numerous other potential witnesses who were driving or walking in the area at the time the collision occurred. We are requesting persons who witnessed the collision call Officer Eric Johnsen at 779-6900 x84265.

This preliminary information is made available by the Traffic Bureau. Any further inquires into the status of this case should be done via the Media Access Telephone Line (925) 779-6874.

By Sergeant Morefield, Antioch Police Investigations Bureau

On Thursday, September 27, 2012 at approximately 9:45 PM, a 49 year-old Brentwood man arrived at an area hospital believing that he had been shot in the arm while driving on Highway 4 near the G Street overpass. Upon further investigation, it was discovered that the victim was actually struck by an object which was thrown through the windshield of his vehicle while he was driving through that location. This victim was ultimately treated and released from the hospital.

A short time later, a second victim, a 53 year-old, Discovery Bay woman reported having an object thrown through her windshield while she was driving through the same location. She was uninjured, but her vehicle was severely damaged.

Several days later, on Monday, October 1, 2012 at around the same time at night, there was a similar incident where an ambulance was on Highway 4 and struck by an object thrown from the G Street overpass. No one was injured during that incident, but it did cause significant damage to the ambulance.

The Antioch Police Department is currently investigating these cases but is asking for the public’s assistance in solving these crimes. Anyone with information regarding this case is encouraged to call Detective Koch with the Antioch Police Department at (925)779-6895.

You may also text a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using key word ANTIOCH

The Antioch Police Department held a ribbon cutting ceremony at their station on Saturday, September 29^th, commemorating the installation of a new medicine collection unit and the initiation of their permanent drop off program. This event was held in conjunction with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s fifth National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.

Prescription drugs that languish in home medicine cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse, creating a public health crisis and harming our environment. The number of people aged 18 to 25 who reported using prescription drugs for non-medical purposes in the past month was 1.7 million in 2011, according to a study published this week by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The same study shows that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.

In response to what the Centers for Disease Control (CDD) has described as our nation’s prescription drug epidemic, the DEA has been conducting national Take Back days every six months or so to help educate the public about how important it is to purge their medicine cabinets of unwanted and expired drugs, and to dispose of them responsibly. Americans participating in DEA’s four previous Take-Back Days turned in nearly 1.6 million pounds—almost 774 tons—of prescription drugs. DEA’s last event in May collected more than double the pills as their first one two and a half years ago.

With a permanent drug collection unit being installed at the Antioch Police Station, community members in Antioch and surrounding communities will now be able to drop off their medications Monday through Thursday, from 9:00am to 1:00 pm.

“I can’t stress enough how important it is, especially for parents, to lock up their medications and dispose of those they no longer need as a matter of habit,” said April Rovero, Founder/CEO of the National Coalition Against Prescription Drug Abuse (NCAPDA). “Parents can unwittingly become their child’s drug supplier, with devastating consequences.”

The new drug collection unit was gifted to the Antioch Police Department by NCAPDA, and made possible by the generous donation to NCAPDA by the makers of the box, MedReturn. www.medreturn.com/drug-collection-unit.php.

Members of the Antioch community are encouraged to drop off their unused and expired medications there. Those who live outside the Antioch area can find a nearby collection site by visiting www.dea.gov and clicking the “Got Drugs?” banner, which links to a database where they can enter their zip code.

Prescription drug disposal and the DEA’s Take-Back events are significant pieces of the White House’s Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Plan released last year by the Office of National Drug Control Policy, Epidemic: Responding to America’s Prescription Drug Abuse Crisis. The other strategies include education of health care providers, patients, parents and youth; establishing prescription drug monitoring programs in all states; and increased enforcement to address doctor shopping and pill mills.

To learn more about the prescription drug abuse epidemic and what parents can do to keep their families safe, visit http://www.ncapda.org and http://www.medicineabuse.org.

The play structure at Antioch City Park at A and 10th Streets was severely damaged by fire, recently. Two Antioch boys were arrested for arson in the case, this week.

By Sergeant Morefield, Investigations Bureau, Antioch Police Department

On Sunday, September 17, 2012 at approximately 10:40 p.m., officers responded to a report of a fire at the Antioch City Park. They arrived on scene as the Contra Costa County Fire Department was extinguishing a large fire at the toddler play structure near the south side of the playground area. The firefighters were able to eventually extinguish the flames, but the play structure was completely destroyed. At the time of this initial investigation, the cause of the fire was undetermined.

Several days later, the Antioch Police Department received a tip that the fire at City Park may have been intentionally set. Following up on that lead, APD Detectives were able to locate the two responsible juveniles and arrest them in this case. The two responsible males, age 14 and 17 and both Antioch residents were arrested for arson and are currently being held at the Juvenile Detention Facility in Martinez.

Anyone with information regarding this case is encouraged to contact Detective Matt Koch at (925)779-6895. Anonymous tips may also be texted to 274637 (CRIMES) using key word ANTIOCH.

Scene of the felony DUI car accident on Thursday, September 27, 2012. photo by Brandon Payton

By Corporal Desmond Bittner #3252, Antioch Police

On Thursday, September 27th, 2012 at approximately 3:39 p.m., the Antioch Police Department responded to a call of a two vehicle, major injury accident at the intersection of Hillcrest Avenue and Wildhorse Drive. Upon arrival, officers found three victims, two adult males, age 30 and 60 and a female juvenile, age 14.

Two victims had moderate injuries and were transported to a local hospital. One victim had major injuries and was transported by helicopter to a local hospital.

Sudhesh Behari, age 24, was contacted at the scene and showed signs of being under the influence of alcohol. He was placed under arrest for CVC23153 (DUI with injury) and was transported to the Martinez Detention Facility. The incident is still under investigation at this time.

By Lieutenant Diane Aguinaga, Antioch Police Department Investigations Bureau

On Sunday, September 23, 2012 at approximately 10:36 p.m., Antioch police were called to the area of 1214 Sycamore Drive for reports of a male shot in front of this location. Upon officers’ arrival, they located a 30-year-old male, Maurice Wagner deceased from what appears to be a single gunshot wound.

Investigators are following up on some leads, however there is currently no description of who the responsible(s) are or what the motive was for the shooting.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Robert Green at (925) 779-6932 or (925) 779-6927.

You may also text a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using key word ANTIOCH.

On September 29 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Antioch Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public another opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. Bring your medications for disposal to Antioch Police Department at 300 L Street Antioch, Ca. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

Last April, Americans turned in 552,161 pounds—276 tons—of prescription drugs at over 5,600 sites operated by the DEA and nearly 4,300 state and local law enforcement partners. In its four previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners took in over 1.5 million pounds—nearly 775 tons—of pills.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.

Four days after the first event, Congress passed the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010, which amends the Controlled Substances Act to allow an “ultimate user” of controlled substance medications to dispose of them by delivering them to entities authorized by the Attorney General to accept them. The Act also allows the Attorney General to authorize long term care facilities to dispose of their residents’ controlled substances in certain instances. DEA is drafting regulations to implement the Act. Until new regulations are in place, local law enforcement agencies like Antioch Police and the DEA will continue to hold prescription drug take-back events every few months.

Animal Control Officer Gabrielle Johnson (center) with Antioch Police Chief Allan Cantando and Animal Control Services Supervisor Monika Helgemo. from Animal Control Services Facebook page

Congratulations to Officer Gabrielle Johnson, who was promoted to the position of Animal Control Officer at Antioch Animal Services, a division of the Antioch Police Department.

Officer Johnson started volunteering at Antioch Animal Services at the age of 16. She then went on to serve as an Animal Care Attendant. Officer Johnson graduated from the Animal Law Enforcement Academy in March of 2012.

Congratulations, Officer Johnson!