No show in court, attorney pleads no contest for him; gets one night credit for time served; must attend 3-month DUI program; no other details, yet

By Allen D. Payton

During Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe’s DUI court hearing, Tuesday morning, Dec. 13, 2022, according to an Antioch resident who attended, his attorney, Dan O’Malley pled no contest on behalf of his client who was not in attendance. Judge Rebecca C. Hardie found Thorpe guilty and sentenced him to three years court probation and two nights in jail with credit for one night served. The second can be spent picking up litter.

Thorpe was also directed to not have any alcohol in him while driving and if stopped by the police he must submit to a field sobriety test.

According to Ted Asregadoo, Contra Costa DA’s Office PIO, “Mr. Thorpe’s additional day in jail will be served through the County Sheriff’s Custody Alternative Facility. He must also attend a DUI program for three months. There are standard terms, conditions, and fees he’s required to abide by and pay. The dollar amounts were listed by the Judge Hardie.”

Those will be listed in the minute order which is expected to be posted on the court’s website, later.

“CHP will have the arrest report that has his BAC level,” Asregadoo shared. “You’ll most likely have to come to the courthouse in Martinez to request the minute order — which will show the disposition of the case.” That will include “how long he’ll be on court probation, the alternative custody, and DUI school,” he added.

The Work Alternative Program allows individuals sentenced to less than 30 days in jail to work at various assigned worksites during daytime hours and receive day for day credit on their sentences. Participants will be required to perform physical labor for eight hours at one of many locations throughout Contra Costa County.

A request for the CHP’s full report of Thorpe’s arrest was made on Tuesday afternoon. CHP Public Information Officer Andrew Barclay responded “I will ask the Contra Costa Area to pull the report and start the process with our Public Records Unit.  They will review and make any necessary redactions prior to release. We have a public records unit in Sacramento that handles all of the redactions and ensures everything being released complies with the Government Codes governing PRA’s (Public Records Act requests).”

The government has up to 10 days to fulfill a Public Records Act request.

Attempts to reach Thorpe and his attorney for comment were unsuccessful prior to publication time.

Please check back later for any updates to this report.

Plans to form Business Mastermind Group

By District 3 Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock

Antioch business owners: 

This is an invitation to a private meeting with the City of Antioch’s Chief of Police Dr. Steven Ford to create a Business Mastermind Group.  You are invited to share your ideas on how to deal with the challenges of operating a business in Antioch and how to bring back the joy of doing business in Antioch.

When: Thursday, December 15, 2022

Time: 6:00pm

Where: Community Room at the Antioch Police Department

300 L Street, Antioch

Who is Invited: Business owners and representatives

As you are aware, theft, vandalism and personal threats to your safety have increased.  The costs of repeated vandalism repairs and the hiring of personal security are both driving businesses out of the city.

The City of Antioch is a beautiful and amazing location to live and have your business here.  It is unfair to be driven out of the city by those who do not care if your:

walls are graffitied

windows are broken/boarded up

doors are kicked in/damaged/boarded up

roofs are torn apart

walks to access doors are soiled making customer access difficult

customers feel uncomfortable

This is not acceptable!

There are far more vandals than there are police, hence the reason that the businesses need to figure out how to work together. Businesses need to put a city-wide plan together and work hand in hand with each other and the police.

Bring your suggestions and ideas to the meeting and let’s start to mastermind a better way to do business within the City of Antioch.

To ensure we have enough space RSVP the Antioch Chamber of Commerce at (925) 757-1800.

A slide from Rivertown building owner Sean McCauley’s presentation showing the four city owned parking lots that he wants the council to focus their initial security efforts on.

By Allen D. Payton

During their meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022, the Antioch City Council voted to adopt a resolution to develop a comprehensive Downtown/Rivertown Public Parking Lots Security Plan and authorize the City Manager to issue a Request for Qualifications for a private patrol security service either on and/or near Downtown/Rivertown Area City-Owned public parking lots or other designated downtown areas. District 3 Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock included other city owned parking lots in “southeast” in her motion which passed on a 5-0 vote.

At the request of Sean McCauley, who owns several buildings in Rivertown, the owners of two restaurants in the Rivertown Dining District, Smith’s Landing Seafood Grill and Monica’s Riverview who were in attendance, as well as other merchants, the council supported the effort to improve the safety in the city’s historic downtown.

“We’re doing our part with private security in our parking lots,” McCauley said. “Code Enforcement is doing their part.”

He showed a slide with four parking lots along the city’s waterfront that he wanted the initial effort to focus on.

Some members of the public shared concerns about the limits on private security officers and their interaction with the public.

This reporter, as a Rivertown business owner, spoke in favor of the effort and said cities across the country have been doing similar things for decades for their downtowns and focus on two things: ensuring they’re clean and safe. He suggested the private security officers also serve as ombudsmen wearing jackets and shirts with the Rivertown and Rivertown Dining District logos on them, who would provide direction to shoppers handing out maps showing where the various stores and restaurants are located. He also suggested the business and property owners could form a PBID – Property and Business owners Improvement District – and assess themselves, and contract with the city and/or a private security firm.

District 1 Councilwoman Tamisha Torres-Walker wanted the council to include efforts to ensure homeless individuals weren’t targeted. Mayor Lamar Thorpe assured her and those in the audience that the council was only issuing a request for proposal and not voting on spending any funds Tuesday night.

Ogorchock pointed out that there are other city-owned parking lots in other parts of the city before including them in her motion.

Following the vote, Antioch Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Daniel Sohn told McCauley and the restaurant owners that he would do whatever he could to support the effort.

Isaac White-Carter. Booking photo by APD

U.S. Marshals assist; suspect arrested last year and earlier this year for battery and threats

By Public Information Officer Ashley Crandell, Support Services Division, Antioch Police Department

Isaac White-Carter caught on surveillance camera at Habit Burger Grill on Nov. 12, 2022.

On November 12, 2022, at approximately 5:25 pm, the Antioch Police Department Dispatch Center began receiving calls of an assault that occurred at The Habit Burger Grill located at 2430 Mahogany Way in Antioch. Officers learned an employee was punched in the face multiple times after protecting an individual with an intellectual disability from being bullied. The victim lost her right eye because of the incident.

Our Investigations Bureau worked tirelessly to identify and locate the suspect over the last several weeks. Through that ongoing investigation, Isaac White-Carter, a 20-year-old resident of Hayward, was identified as the assailant. Antioch Police Department Special Operations Unit detectives worked in collaboration with the United States Marshalls Service (USMS) to locate Mr. White-Carter. USMS Agents with the Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested White-Carter in Hayward, California, this morning and turned him over to Antioch Police detectives. He has been arrested for the felony charges of mayhem and aggravated assault causing great bodily injury.  Detectives will be presenting their case to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.

We want to thank the Contra County Sheriff’s Office, the United States Marshalls Service, and members of the community who came forward to assist with this investigation.

During a press conference on Monday afternoon, Dec. 5, Detective John Cox shared that the victim will be helped by the Victims of Violent Crimes through the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office. He also shared that White-Carter is known to Antioch Police and that he was arrested last year.

According to localcrimenews.com, White-Carter was arrested by Concord Police on August 31, 2021, for 243(A) – battery on a person and 422(A) – threats of violence. He was again arrested on March 14, this year for 243(E)(1) – battery on a spouse, cohabitant or former spouse and
422 – threats of violence.

Surveillance video screenshot of incident at Habit Burger Gril on Nov. 12, 2022.

The members of the Antioch Police Department express their support and gratitude to the victim for helping a community member in need.

If anyone has further information pertaining to the case, please contact Detective John Cox at jcox@antiochca.gov. You can also text an anonymous tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using the keyword ANTIOCH.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

Photo by Daryl Miller.

By Sergeant Rob Green, Antioch Police Traffic Unit

On Sunday, December 4, 2022, at 10:03 AM, the Antioch Police Department responded to a report of a collision at the eastern intersection of James Donlon Blvd. and Silverado Drive. The collision involved two vehicles and one of the vehicles was overturned. One person, a 41-year-old male, was ejected from the overturned vehicle and was pronounced deceased at the scene by emergency medical personnel. The driver and passenger of the other involved vehicle received medical attention at a local hospital for complaints of pain.

The Antioch Traffic Unit is in the preliminary stages of the investigation and have not yet determined the cause of the collision. This is an ongoing and active investigation, and no further information will be released at this time.

Anyone with additional information about this incident is asked to contact the Antioch Police Department Traffic Unit at (925) 779-6864, or email Officer Blumberg at fblumberg@antiochca.gov.

We offer our deepest condolences to the families affected by this tragic event.

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.

Based “on a legal and factual determination — and not an elective, optional, or discretionary one.”

Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton issued the following statement on the charging decision of Ronald Benjamin Jackson, III who was arrested for robbing an Antioch gas station convenience store and killing the clerk, James Williams while exchanging gunfire on Sunday morning, Nov. 26. (See related articles here and here)

“The family, friends, and loved ones of James Williams are understandably devastated by the shocking news of his death in a gun battle at the Chevron station in Antioch on November 26th — where he worked as a store clerk. Our sympathies and condolences go out to those closest to him.

The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office declined to file murder charges in this case solely on a legal and factual determination — and not an elective, optional, or discretionary one. It was based upon an established law that clearly states a person cannot pursue another to retrieve stolen property once the threat of bodily injury or harm to the victim has subsided.

The video evidence of the incident clearly shows Ronald Benjamin Jackson, III, and another suspect exiting the Chevron station convenience store after the robbery and running from the scene. Mr. Williams is also seen in the video footage leaving the Chevron station store with a firearm while running after the robbers. Mr. Williams then fired upon Mr. Jackson, hitting him in the leg while he was fleeing and causing him to fall to the ground. Mr. Williams continued to approach Mr. Jackson with his firearm pointing at him when Mr. Jackson fired shots at Williams hitting him twice. Once in the chest and in the leg.

In the eyes of the law, Mr. Williams’ actions ceased to be self-defense when Mr. Williams pursued Mr. Jackson and the other suspect with a firearm — and continued to pursue Mr. Jackson after he shot him.

The legal distinction is clear: when your property and life are being threatened, an individual is legally justified in using deadly force in self-defense. However, once the threat of harm has dissipated, the victim of a property crime cannot then use deadly force to reclaim stolen property.

However, the reality of Mr. Williams’ tragic death will be a substantial factor in the DA’s position in asking for greater penalties in the sentencing of the defendants.

Diana Becton, District Attorney of Contra Costa County”

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

By Allen D. Payton

Both Deer Valley High School and nearby Diablo Vista Elementary were placed on lock down due to the report of a weapon on the high school’s campus Friday. But the report turned out to be false and normal schedules at both schools have resumed and police officers remain in the vicinity.

According to Antioch Unified School District Superintendent Stephanie Anello, the following messages were sent to parents and staff:

“Good afternoon,

This is Mr. Lewis, Principal of Deer Valley High School. A short time ago, an individual claiming to be a Deer Valley student called the Antioch Police Department and reported that a non-student was on campus with what appeared to be a weapon. Officers were immediately dispatched, and the school initiated a lockdown. APD and administration conducted a thorough search of the campus using officers and a drone. No individual was located on campus matching the description given by the alleged student. We have also confirmed that there is no student at Deer Valley with the name the alleged student gave to APD. At this time, APD has lifted the lockdown and students are resuming their normal schedules. Out of an abundance of caution, APD will have officers in the vicinity of the school for the remainder of the school day. As always, please do not hesitate to contact us should you have any questions, etc. Thank you for your support.

“Good afternoon,

This is Ms. Bausola, Principal of Diablo Vista. A short time ago, an individual claiming to be a Deer Valley student called the Antioch Police Department and reported that a non-student was on campus with what appeared to be a weapon. Officers were immediately dispatched and the school initiated a lockdown. Out of an abundance of caution, Diablo Vista initiated a lockdown as well. Both APD and administration did a thorough search of the campuses.  No individual was located on either campus matching the description given by the alleged Deer Valley student who called APD. At this time, APD has lifted the lockdown and students are resuming their normal schedules. Out of an abundance of caution, APD will have officers in the vicinity of the school for the remainder of the school day. As always, please do not hesitate to contact us should you have any questions, etc. Thank you for your support.”