Seek public’s help identifying suspect and car

By Antioch Police Department

The Antioch Police posted the following on Tuesday, April 19, 2022, regarding the shooting death of an elderly woman identified as Amina Haji of Antioch, on Feb. 8, 2022. (See related article)

2/8/22 at 7 pm a shooting occurred at Canada Valley/Pinnacle View, Antioch. A subject in a silver Dodge Charger shot at a Honda sedan killing the passenger we are asking for assistance to identify the suspect/ car contact Detective Whitaker 925-779-6890 wwhitaker@antiochca.gov.

On Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022, at approximately 7:02 PM, Antioch Police Department dispatch received a call from a motorist, a 29-year-old male, who requested medical attention on Canada Valley Road near Pinnacle View Way, due to his 76-year-old female passenger having difficulties breathing. During rescue efforts, it was discovered the victim sustained at least one gunshot wound to her back.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

By Lieutenant Joe Donleavy #6011 Field Services, Antioch Police Department

On Sunday, April 17, 2022, at approximately 2:13 PM, Antioch Police Department officers were dispatched to James Donlon Blvd. near Silverado Drive on a report of a traffic collision involving a vehicle that struck a tree. Arriving officers located a Subaru with major damage crashed into a tree on the center median of the roadway. The sole occupant of the Subaru was pronounced deceased on scene by medical personnel. He was later identified as 26-year-old Steve Hernandez of Antioch. The preliminary investigation indicates that the driver of the Subaru was racing another vehicle at the time of the collision. It is unknown if drugs or alcohol were a contributing factor in the collision.

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.

Broke into branch; CEO provides details; over $100,000 in damage to just front of the building; attempt at Bank of America branch on Lone Tree Way Sunday morning may be related

By Allen D. Payton

In a post on their Facebook page on Sunday, April 17, Delta Schools Federal Credit Union announced the attempted theft of the ATM at their Lone Tree Way branch, earlier that morning.

“Hope everyone is enjoying their Sunday. This happened this morning at 4 AM. So before you head over to use the ATM just wanted you to know Antioch’s finest decided to try and steal the ATM. They were not able to get anything just destroyed the front of the building and ATM. A huge thank you to Adam Wetzel from Next Level Solutions for answering the call at 6 AM and getting a crew out to shore up and secure the building. Give him a call 925-457-4966 for your construction needs. Twice he has come out and helped us in an emergency. Be safe out there. Thank you to Freedom Alarm for getting the police dispatched and out the office.”

When reached for comment Rob Greaff, CEO and President of the credit union said, “It was a comedy of errors watching it on the video. They almost ran over one of the guys three times.” “They were using a Gator-type recreational vehicle using a chain,” he continued. “It was a four-seater with a utility bed on the back. They had been planning this. They had chains, crowbars and even an extra gas can.”

The thieves also broke into the branch and caused more damage with a crowbar.

“They tried to get behind the teller window. But that’s bullet-resistant glass so it didn’t shatter. Then they left,” Greaff stated. “I’m downloading the surveillance camera videos and sharing them with Brentwood and Antioch Police.”

“I got the call about 4:10 AM,” he said. “The cameras showed they started in about 4:02 AM and made several attempts before finally breaching and causing the motion detector to set it off.”

“The B of A in Brentwood on Lone Tree was also hit Sunday morning, by the Carl’s Jr. at Shady Willow Lane,” he shared. “The police officers from Brentwood are waiting for photos from that incident to compare. The officer who showed up at our place said someone saw it flying down Lone Tree and that he was going to check the homeless encampments.”

“All they did was damage the entire front of the building after four attempts, and then damaged the inside and left us with a blood sample,” Greaff continued. “They cut themselves on something.”

“I was lucky to get someone to come out on an Easter Sunday morning. Otherwise, I would have had to stay here all day and night long,” he shared. “The good part is everyone is safe. Everything can be fixed and replaced. But a lot of damage. I don’t know the dollar amount. The gentleman who came out, who was only looking at the outside, said we’re looking at a minimum of $100,000 in physical damage. But that doesn’t include damage inside.”

The complete damage amount won’t be known until all the subcontractors provide him estimates.

“It makes you feel violated that someone can come in and do this and we know there hasn’t been any support to prosecute in the past,” Greaff added. “We don’t know if it will change. But if they aren’t dealt with, they’ll just keep doing the same.”

The credit union serves the financial needs of current and retired teachers and staff of Antioch and East County schools and any resident in the entire community.

“Any local resident can come in and open an account,” he shared.

The credit union has two branches located at 5123 Lone Tree Way in the Venture Commerce Center and at 701 W. 18th Street across from Antioch High School and both are open.

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

A new module for inmates who have mental illnesses has opened at the Martinez Detention Facility. This follows an 18-month remodel of a module which previously held 52 inmates. Now, it will house only 24 inmates who have mental illnesses. They will be supervised 24/7 by county health staff in addition to deputy sheriffs. The cells are all single-occupancy and include 5 cells for acute cases. There are also two private medical evaluation suites in the module.

“I am proud of this new module which is part of the jail modernization we planned many years ago,” said Contra Costa County Sheriff David Livingston. “Now, inmates who have mental illnesses will have a dedicated housing unit where they will receive mental health treatment, programming, and services, in addition to healthcare.

The new module has incorporated the latest technology and best practices for detention facilities. This includes state of the art software for managing the module, furnishings that will help prevent suicides and a design that allows for greater observation of the inmates. The new module also uses a biophilic design to create a calm environment, reduce stress, and is more conducive to therapy.

“This new module sets the standard for these types of detention facilities,” said Livingston. “This reflects the commitment of the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office and Contra Costa County in serving the needs of inmates who are living with mental health issues.”

 

Shooting of teen and fireworks both occurred in the vicinity

By Allen D. Payton

In response to efforts to obtain information about the lock down of Deer Valley High School on Wednesday, March 30, 2022, Antioch Unified School District Stephanie Anello responded on Saturday, April 2 writing, “Around 2:30 pm that day, a parent from a nearby school called the school and reported that a young adult or teenage males were running towards DVHS wherein at least one weapon was reported.

“We immediately called dispatch and were informed that there was no need to lock down. However, out of an abundance of caution, I instructed the school to lock down until we could assess the situation. Staff walked the perimeter of the school and monitored the gates. At about 2:52 pm we again called dispatch. At that time, we were told that the activity in the neighborhood was firecrackers.

“A reporter called me at around 4:30 PM that same day and notified me that there had been a shooting near the campus at around 2:35 pm. We called staff together for a meeting first thing the next morning as we anticipated confusion and concern. An officer was at the meeting who confirmed that there was miscommunication from dispatch. At approximately the same time there were fireworks in the vicinity there was also a shooting.

Thank you for reaching out and let me know if you have any further questions. I am going to forward this to the rest of the board as well, in case they have similar questions.”

Eastcountytoday.net reported that a 16-year-old male was shot and “showed up at a nearby hospital with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound.”

Says APD down 13 officers from 115 budgeted; proposes financial incentives to hire lateral officers from other agencies, academy graduates; admits to private meeting with DA, interim city manager

Police leader says officers are leaving and don’t want to hire on to APD due to mayor, council majority, policies and attitudes; attrition wasn’t happening under former Chief Brooks; claims five officers under investigation and on paid leave

Mayor Pro Tem Barbanica says APD down to 78 sworn active officers on the force, police officers telling him the council majority is to blame for attrition

Thorpe confirms currently only 78 active sworn officers

By Allen D. Payton

Following a local podcast last Friday in which the president of the Antioch Police Officers Association, Corporal Steve Aiello said the lack of active sworn officers on the force is directly due to the mayor and council majority, their policies and attitudes toward police, and a YouTube video by Mayor Pro Tem Mike Barbanica posted on his official Facebook page, Sunday night sharing 24 officers are “off work” for a “variety of reasons”, Mayor Lamar Thorpe held a press conference Monday morning claiming the attrition in the department is due to national trends.

The announced, new interim police chief Dr. Steve Ford also participated in the press conference and later said his own hiring process should be completed either this week or early next week.

During the podcast, Aiello spoke about exit interviews with officers which provided him with the reasons they are leaving the department and partly why the force was down to just 83 active sworn officers two weeks ago. That was prior to the investigation by the FBI and DA’s office of five officers who have been placed on paid administrative leave, according to Aiello. (See related article)

Thorpe wouldn’t confirm that number when asked during the press conference. Aiello said three of those officers have told him they were surprised and don’t know why they’re being investigated.

Barbanica said there are currently 78 active sworn officers, which Thorpe did confirm during the press conference. Barbanica also provided a breakdown of police staffing in his Facebook post writing, “an update on current staffing levels at the APD. Keep in mind, this is a 24/7 operation. Patrol 52 (Including Supervisors/Managers), Community Engagement Team 2, Traffic 4 (Including 1 Supervisor), Investigations 12 (Including Supervisors/Managers), Admin 8, Off Work 24 (variety of reasons).”

Current Staffing Confirmed at 102 Sworn on Staff, 78 Active, Claims APD Part of National Trend in Police Staffing Losses

Thorpe and Ford said the current Antioch Police Department staffing level is at 102 sworn police officers, leaving 13 sworn positions currently open from the 115 approved in the city budget. There are three officers currently in the police academy who will graduate in July, which will reduce the vacancies to 10. Thorpe confirmed there are currently only 78 active sworn officers on the force.

The mayor spoke of national trends with vacancies in government employment, which he said is, “the economic phenomenon called ‘The Great Resignation’ where many employees across the U.S. have resigned from their jobs, most notably during the global, COVID pandemic…resulting in lower productivity and a decline in morale.”

“Only hospitality and government are witnessing actual decline in the workforce, meaning workers aren’t being replaced or replaced fast enough, otherwise known as attrition,” Thorpe continued. “‘20-‘21 marked the highest rate of state and local government job openings in the past 20 years, which means local governments are understaffed. Law enforcement is the largest group driving workforce losses through local government.”

A ‘20-‘21 report by the Police Executive Research Forum rightly notes that nationally, there has been a 45% increase in retirements and a 20% increase in resignations compared to previous years” he stated. “Antioch’s law enforcement agency is no exception to this staffing crisis.”

However, Thorpe did not offer any reasons for the attrition either nationally or locally. Aiello stated during Friday’s podcast, the losses in the Antioch Police Department staffing weren’t happening during former Chief Tammany Brooks’ tenure in the position, who resigned at the beginning of last October.

Proposes Increasing Incentives for Lateral, Academy Hires, Increase in Over Hire Sworn Staffing by Four Officers

Also, during the press conference, Thorpe and Ford announced proposed financial incentives to attract the hiring of lateral officers from other departments and police academy graduates. They include increasing from $10,000 to a “$40,000 structured signing bonus”, with $20,000 paid upon hiring, $10,000 at the end of the officer’s first year with the department, and another $10,000 paid at the end of their third year. They are also proposing the same incentives for academy recruits.

The other proposed incentive is for up to $60,000 for down payment assistance per academy graduate for the purchase of a home in Antioch, for which they would have to remain on the Antioch police force for at least five years.

In addition, Thorpe proposed increasing the over hire of sworn police officer staffing in the department from the current 121 to 125.

However, “these positions will have to be directly tied to any anticipated retirements or resignations, or any long-term administrative leave,” Thorpe explained.

The city council will have to approve any of the proposed incentives and increase in over hire for the department.

Asked if the money for the home down payments will be from the city’s General Fund or the police budget, Thorpe replied, “Obviously, we have significant salary savings at this point. So, we can look at that pot of money. We could look at the General Fund but we could also look at ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act of 2021) funding. So, again, this is for a 12-month period and if after 12 months we may find we’ll need to do it, again.”

Thorpe wouldn’t answer the question if he would offer any incentives to keep the current officers on the Antioch police force. But as he walked out of the council chambers, he continued answering questions of one reporter about hiring lateral officers who are under investigation in their current departments. Thorpe’s answer could not be understood.

Thorpe Admits to Private Meeting with DA, Interim City Manager, Says They Were Asked to Cooperate with Investigation of APD, Won’t Say How He’s Helping

During the press conference, Thorpe confirmed what had been previously reported, of a private meeting he and Interim City Manager Con Johnson had with Contra Costa District Attorney Diana Becton on Tuesday, March 22, the day before the investigation occurred.

The meeting was held just three days following Thorpe’s arrest for DUI and while he was under investigation by her department. (See related article)

Thorpe said the meeting was held by Becton to request his and Johnson’s cooperation in the investigation and they were to “keep confidentiality as this was an ongoing investigation”. Asked if the information he had received as one of the five council members was shared with all of the other four, Thorpe replied, “no, because the district attorney said to keep this confidential between myself and the city manager, because they were soliciting our help in the investigation.”

Asked how he as a civilian was helping the investigation, Thorpe replied, “I’m not going to get into that.” He later said, “Let me just clarify something. I was asked to be down there as the mayor of Antioch. So, beyond that I’m not going to answer how or what.”

Thorpe Won’t Confirm How Many Officers Under Investigation, Cause of Attrition

About how many officers were on paid leave and what Aiello had said Thorpe was asked, “you’re claiming, now, that those officers, 28 or so, are on paid leave because of national trends and they’re leaving, but they’re sick and injured…and he (Aiello) said that many are not coming back. Is that correct?”

“That’s not what I said. That’s everything you inferred,” Thorpe replied. “What I can tell you is that currently, we have 24 people who are on either injury or administrative leave. It’s a combination of both and we’re not going to get specific as to who, because we have to protect people’s personnel files and their privacy and their confidentiality. So, I’m not going to play this game with you trying to take information from people’s personnel files and exploit it for the media. I’m not going to do that.”

Asked again, “so, we were down to 83 officers before the five were placed on paid administrative leave, correct?” Thorpe responded, “currently we are down 24 unavailable.”

Barbanica Says Officers Tell Him Thorpe, Council Majority Are to Blame for Attrition

When reached for comment, Mayor Pro Tem Mike Barbanica said, “I speak with law enforcement, daily including Antioch officers and other local agencies and they’re telling me it’s the council majority that’s to blame for the attrition.”

“At one point, Antioch was viewed as the agency to go to,” he added.

See YouTube videos of the press conference by the Antioch Herald here, here, and here and on Thorpe’s official Facebook page.

Please check back later for any updates to this report.

Previously the subject of a 2015 Antioch investigation, also arrested by Antioch Police in 2017 for lewd acts upon a child and sexual exploitation of a child

By Ted Asregadoo, Public Information Officer, Contra Costa County Distict Attorney

50-year-old Concord resident Patrick Steven Yelton was charged with three counts of forcible sexual abuse of a child under 13 which he allegedly committed in 2015. The charges were filed on March 28, 2022, in Contra Costa County Superior Court in Martinez. Yelton was previously charged on April 15, 2021, with one count of possession of child pornography, and is currently in custody at the Martinez Detention Facility.

In March 2020, the Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce received information that Yelton was storing images of child pornography in his Google account. Concord Police officers contacted Yelton about the alleged images. Pursuant to a search warrant, Officers seized Yelton’s smartphone and additional photos of child pornography were located on the device. A year later, in February 2021, the ICAC Task Force received another tip that Yelton had pornographic images of children on his Yahoo account which yielded further evidence of unlawful activity.

Yelton was previously the subject of a 2015 Antioch investigation concerning sexual abuse of a child under 13. While reviewing the material in Yelton’s accounts relating to child pornography, evidence was discovered relating to the 2015 investigation.  As a result, Yelton has now been charged with the 2015 forcible sexual abuse offenses, in addition to the original child pornography charge.

The investigation was conducted by a multi-agency, Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which is managed by the San Jose Police Department. In Contra Costa County, detectives and investigators from the Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, Martinez, San Ramon, Concord and Moraga Police Departments, the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office, United States Secret Service, Homeland Security Investigations, the Contra Costa County Probation Department, and Inspectors from the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office participated in the task force.

According to localcrimenews.com Yelton has a history of arrests including by Pleasant Hill Police in 2016 for driving with a license suspended for drunk driving; three  times by Antioch Police in 2017 including once for false imprisonment by violence, forcible lewd acts upon a child and sexual exploitation of a child under 18 years, and again in 2017 for inflicting corporal injury on spouse/cohabitant, threats of violence and receiving or concealing stolen property; by  Martinez Police also in 2017 for possession of drug paraphernalia; and seven times by Concord  Police including twice in 2018, first for possession of a controlled substance and later for battery on a spouse / cohabitant / former spouse and threats of violence

Parents are encouraged to talk to their children about online safety and can visit the website www.kidsmartz.org or the District Attorney’s website for further information.

Case information: People v. Yelton, Dockett Number 01-195896-6

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

By Sergeant Christian Camarillo, San Jose Police Department

On March 27th, 2022, at approximately 2:44 AM, Officers responded to the area of South 4th Street and East San Carlos Street on a report of a shooting. When they arrived, they located an adult male suffering from at least one gunshot wound. Paramedics arrived and pronounced the victim deceased at the scene.

The motive and circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation. The suspect is unidentified and remains at large.

The identity of the deceased victim was released by the Santa Clara County Coroner’s Office as 27-year-old Jacqui Biggins out of Antioch.

This is the City of San Jose’s 4th homicide of 2022.

Anyone with information is asked to Contact Detective Sergeant Bagon #3589 or Detective Ancelet #4173 of the San José Police Department’s Homicide unit at 408-277-5283.

Submit crime tips and remain anonymous by using the P3TIPS mobile app, calling the tip line at (408) 947-STOP, or on www.svcrimestoppers.org. If the information you submit leads to an arrest, you are eligible for a cash reward from the Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers Program.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.