Video screenshot of suspect’s vehicle from Contra Costa Sheriff’s helicopter STARR 3 and suspect arrested by Antioch Police. Source: Antioch PD
With help from Sheriff’s helicopter, K9’s
By Antioch Police Department
We’re just having a good time. Arresting criminals per usual. This little firebug lit his ex-girlfriend’s tent on fire while she was inside. The victim was okay, but there were now attempted murder charges in the works. The Brentwood Police Department put out a BOLO for his arrest and the next day he made his way to our city. When he stopped to get some car parts, he was unaware that his arrest was already imminent.
Two police K9’s assisted with the arrest and search of the suspect’s car. Photos: Antioch PD
Contra Costa Sheriff’s helicopter STARR 3 was overhead watching the car while a team waited out of view. When he attempted to get into his car to leave, we swooped in with overwhelming force. Seeing he was surrounded, and K9 Boss was watching his every move, he surrendered without incident. K9 Nox conducted a firearm search inside the vehicle to make sure there were no guns hidden inside.
Another felon of the streets. Justice for another victim. Teamwork makes the dream work.
The DUI suspect’s gun and ammunition confiscated by police on April 20, 2025. Photo: Brentwood PD
By Brentwood Police Department
Around 11PM on April 20th, a Brentwood officer was patrolling the area of Sand Creek Road and Highway 4 when they observed a vehicle weaving on the roadway. A traffic stop was conducted, and the driver was identified as 50-year-old Gerord Maurice Neil of Antioch.
During the stop, the officer noticed an open container of alcohol inside the vehicle. After conducting a series of field sobriety tests, it was determined that Neil was driving under the influence of alcohol, and he was placed under arrest.
Following his arrest, a loaded firearm was discovered inside the vehicle.
Neil was transported to the Martinez Detention Facility for booking on charges related to DUI and possession of a loaded firearm.
Reminder!! Get ready for that shred-it time of year! Tri Delta Transit in partnership with the City of Antioch, City of Oakley and others, brings you the annual drive-thru Shred-It Event on Thursday, April 24th in Oakley.
Get out those papers and remove all large binder clips, plastic ring binding, bindings, binders and heavy folders. Event starts at 9:00 AM and is first come, first served until the trucks are full!
BE READY TO DRIVE UP AND HELP OUT
This is a drive-up event where you will enter at the Cypress driveway, wait in line in your vehicle (turn off car if can), then drive up to the truck.
Helpers will indicate which truck you are to pull up to.
Once you stop where the helpers tell you, please exit your vehicle safely. Give the helpers your shredding or indicate where your shredding is and which ones they are. Once the helpers review the materials, they will dump them into a bin for shredding.
If you want to watch your shredding be shredded, please let the helper know. You will need to pull your car over, exit the vehicle and walk to the far side of the truck to watch with the Shred-It employee.
ALL BAGS AND BOXES the shredding is brought it, must be taken away with you. Unfortunately, we do not have the capacity to keep it and dispose of it.
Cars will not be allowed to line up until all safety cones and precautions are in place.
Event is first come, first serve until the trucks are full.
Keep in mind that this could be anytime after 9:00 am. If large loads come, the trucks will reach capacity quickly.
If the truck is full, you will be asked to take all shredding home with you.
All bags, boxes and containers that you bring your shredding in, MUST be taken back with you.
By East Bay Regional Park District Police Department
This week, EBRPD-PD Officers conducted a traffic stop after receiving a call for service of a vehicle that did not pay for entry at the kiosk of Contra Loma Regional Park, in Antioch. The vehicle also matched the description of a suspect vehicle that was doing donuts at Contra Loma the previous day. Officers discovered two juveniles in the car (which was also parked in violation of a no parking sign).
After searching the car, officers located a personally manufactured, un-serialized, short-barrel assault rifle. One of the juveniles was later booked at the Contra Costa Juvenile Detention Facility.
4/15/25 UPDATE: According to EBRPD PIO Dave Mason the suspect arrested is age 17 and he is from Antioch.
By Juliet V. Casey, Director of Marketing, Los Medanos College
Pittsburg, Calif. – Ten students from Los Medanos College (LMC) will present their work at the 2025 National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR). This is the second time LMC research has risen to warrant national exposure in a field dominated by four-year universities.
The conference will be held April 7 in Pittsburgh, PA.
“Undergraduate research opportunities are incredibly important for students, and I am so proud that Los Medanos College intentionally provides research opportunities within our science courses,” LMC President Pamela Ralston said. “It’s wonderful to see so many of our students selected to present on a national stage.”
LMC was among the first community colleges to adopt STEM course-based research in 2014 and was one of the first members of the National Science Foundation-funded for the Community College Undergraduate Research Initiative in 2015.
Biology professor Briana McCarthy, who was among the faculty spearheading the initiative for LMC, said that when the grant cycle ended in 2018, the college sought another well-respected venue where students could present their research and found NCUR.
“This will be our second year to bring a group of students to NCUR,” McCarthy said. “This is our biggest group yet!” The college sent seven students to the conference last year, when LMC was one of only a handful of community colleges selected to participate.
The national conference, organized by the Council on Undergraduate Research, promotes high-quality, mentored undergraduate research, scholarship and creative inquiry.
Lindsay Currie, executive officer of the Council on Undergraduate Research, said the critical thinking, problem-solving and collaboration skills that undergraduates attain through research are essential in today’s world.
“When colleges and universities actively involve undergraduates in research, they are not only shaping the next generation of scholars and leaders but also accelerating discovery and advancement across disciplines,” Currie said. “The earlier we invest in research experiences, the faster we can drive innovation and progress, while ensuring we have an equipped future workforce.”
Currie said abstract submissions for the conference are on the rise. The event drew 3,500 submissions in 2023 and 4,000 in 2024. The conference is set to surpass 4,000 submissions in 2025. The growth in submissions reflects the growing recognition of undergraduate research as a vital part of academic and professional development, she said. “The increase in submissions demonstrates that students and institutions alike see the value in presenting research, engaging with peers and mentors, and contributing to the broader scholarly conversation,” Currie said.
LMC STEM Students Presenting at NCUR Zarah Abatcha – Examining Effects of Indole-3-Acetic Acid and Phosphorus Deprivation On Root And Shoot Growth In Brachypodium Distachyon (Faculty advisor: Dr. Jill Bouchard) Michaela Aquino – The Impact of Home-Cooked Shrimp Flavors on Chitin’s Effectiveness in Adsorbing Methylene Blue Dye from Wastewater (Faculty advisor: Dr. Mindy Capes) Maddy Delauter – Owl pellets as bio-indicators for heavy metals (Faculty advisor: Professor Briana McCarthy) Jonathan Mattes – Preparation of Banana Peel Effect on Adsorption of Anionic and Cationic Dyes (Faculty advisor: Dr. Mindy Capes) Jazmyn Montes – Adsorption of Methylene Blue using Fish Scales and Fish Chitin (Faculty advisor: Dr. Mindy Capes) Daniel Murillo – Adsorption of Methylene Blue using Fish Scales and Fish Chitin (Faculty advisor: Dr. Mindy Capes) Carolina Padilla – Adsorption of Anionic and Cationic Dyes with Pumpkin Peels (Faculty advisor: Dr. Mindy Capes) Jin Christian Rimando – Predictive Modelling of Wildfire Dynamics: Analyzing the Park and Borel Fires through Satellite Imagery to Enhance Fire Management in California (Faculty Advisor: Professor Julie von Bergen) Jonathan Reed Ryan – Repurposing Grape Pomace as a Bioabsorbent for Removal of Methylene Blue (Faculty advisor: Dr. Mindy Capes) Brianna Wolf – Abundance of Azolla filiculoides on Dissolved Oxygen Concentration (Faculty advisor: Professor Briana McCarthy)
About Los Medanos College (LMC): LMC is one of three colleges in the Contra Costa Community College District, serving the East Contra Costa County community. Established in 1974, LMC has earned federal designations as a Minority-Serving and Hispanic-Serving institution. It offers award-winning transfer and career-technical programs, support services, and diverse academic opportunities in an inclusive learning environment. With exceptional educators, innovative curriculum, growing degree and certificate offerings, and state-of-the-art facilities, the college prepares students to succeed in their educational pursuits, in the workforce, and beyond. LMC’s Pittsburg Campus is located on 120 acres bordering Antioch, with an additional education center in Brentwood.
About NCUR 2025 The 2025 National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) is dedicated to promoting undergraduate research, scholarship and creative activity in all fields of study by sponsoring an annual conference for students. Unlike meetings of academic professional organizations, this gathering of student scholars welcomes presenters from all institutions of higher learning and from all disciplines. Overall, this conference offers a unique environment for the celebration and promotion of undergraduate student achievement; provides models of exemplary research, scholarship, and creative activity; and offers student career readiness development. Find out more about the history of NCUR here.
Following the crash of the suspects’ car, Orey Douglas was arrested car and a gun was recovered on August 4, 2024. Photos: Brentwood PD
Orey Douglas has history of over 20 arrests since 2014 including for murder, multiple gun and sex crimes
By Brentwood Police Department
Around 1:00 AM Sunday morning August 4th, 2024, Brentwood officers responded to an armed robbery at 50 Sand Creek Road. While officers were interviewing the victim, Oakley PD spotted the suspects’ vehicle in their jurisdiction and attempted a traffic stop. The driver fled at a high rate of speed, leading to a pursuit. The suspect vehicle eventually crashed into an embankment off Highway 160.
Brentwood officers arrived at the crash scene and confirmed that the vehicle matched the description of the suspects’ car. Both occupants were detained, and a loaded handgun, along with the stolen property from the victim, was found in the vehicle. The suspect, 28-year-old Orey Azniam Douglas of Antioch, was positively identified and placed under arrest. Douglas was transported to the Martinez Detention Facility for booking.
This quick and coordinated response not only led to the arrest of the suspect but also likely prevented further crimes.
According to a report by crimevoice.com, they robbed Los Mexicanos Market and the second suspect Sam Donte Gray, 38 (born 11-10-85), of Concord, remained at large until he was arrested on August 8. Douglas was charged with second-degree robbery and three firearms-related charges and was held in the West County Detention Facility on $160,000 bail pending his Oct. 7th court hearing.
On March 3rd, 2025, the suspects, Douglas and Gray, were found guilty of armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon, along with numerous firearm charges and enhancements.
This case highlights the collective efforts of everyone involved, including patrol officers from both Brentwood PD and Oakley PD, along with our Detectives. Their dedication and teamwork played a critical role in this successful conviction while also ensuring the safety of our community.
According to localcrimenews.com, the six-feet, three-inch tall, 215-pound Douglas is Black and has a history of arrests dating back to 2014 by multiple agencies including police departments in Antioch, Hayward, Fremont, BART, Oakland, San Jose, Vacaville, as well as Sheriff’s Departments in Contra Costa, Alameda and Solano counties, and Contra Costa CHP. Charges include murder, inflicting corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant, assault with any means of force likely to produce great bodily injury, multiple gun crimes, sex with a minor and unlawfully causing a minor to engage in a commercial sex act by force, carjacking, vehicle theft, receiving stolen property, false imprisonment, threatening a witness, evading police and resisting arrest.
According to the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Department, the five-feet, nine-inch tall, 217-pound Gray is Black and being held in the Martinez Detention Facility on $140,0000 bail. His next court appearance is scheduled for May 9, 2025, at 8:30 AM in Superior Court in Martinez.
According to localcrimenews.com, he was arrested for conspiracy to commit a crime, robbery, assault with a firearm on a person, felony parole violation and addict in possession of a firearm. Gray was previously arrested on Sept. 8, 2023, by the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department on order for a person’s removal from prison to appear in court.
Contra Costa County— Caltrans’ scheduled one-way traffic control on the Antioch John A. Nejedly Bridge (SR-160) to continue Monday March 17th from 7 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Southbound SR-160 from the North End of the bridge to the Antioch Toll Plaza will be closed daily from from March 17-21, 2025. Traffic will be able to flow Southbound in the Northbound Lane when clear by flaggers holding traffic coming Northbound at the South End of the Bridge. The closure will extend the entire length of the bridge.
A pilot car will be implemented and the speed will be restricted to 25 mph in the work zone.
Caltrans will turn on Changeable Message Signs (CMS) to notify the public ahead of time. For real-time traffic, click on Caltrans QuickMap: http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/
