Won’t be prosecuted because the cases are “compromised to the point they can’t be salvaged” – Ted Asregadoo, CCDA PIO

By Allen D. Payton

The Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office has dismissed 40 cases from prosecution as part of the investigation into crimes of moral turpitude by Antioch and Pittsburg Police Officers announced in March. As previously reported, several officers were placed on paid administrative leave due to the accusations against them. (See related articles here, here and here)

Asked for details about the 40 cases, CCDA Public Information Officer Ted Asregadoo said he could not provide it as “it’s still an active investigation of the Pittsburg and Antioch officers.”

“Out of a group of the cases, there are 40 cases that can go forward in the investigative process. Approximately 40 of those cases were dismissed,” he continued.

Asked how cases were from which agency Asregadoo responded, “I can’t talk about that.”

“The DA’s office is involved in ongoing evaluations of the cases to determine if the cases are compromised due to the criminal wrongdoing and misconduct,” he stated. “Those 40 have been compromised to the point they can’t be salvaged so they were dismissed.”

“The Antioch and Pittsburg Police Departments are cooperating with us and are assisting,” Asregadoo shared. “It’s a complex endeavor and is wide ranging. The scope of it is not a single incident.”

Chief Assistant District Attorney Simon O’Connell offered the following statement about the matter:

“There are multiple officers who are subjects of an ongoing criminal investigation involving a range of offenses which constitute crimes of moral turpitude. The Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office is actively engaged in evaluating these cases to determine whether the charged case is compromised or whether the case can proceed. Community safety remains paramount, and the District Attorney’s Office remains steadfast in preserving as many cases as possible.”

An estimated three or five Antioch Police Officers are under investigation for the allegations against them.

Antioch Police still won’t say how many Antioch officers are under investigation, APD Public Information Officer Darryl Safford said. But he did confirm they are still on paid administrative leave. Asked if the DA’s office shared how many of the 40 cases were from Antioch Saffold said, “they have not informed us.”

In addition, an effort to reach new Pittsburg Police Chief Steve Albanese for details from his department was unsuccessful prior to publication time. Please check back later for any updates to this report.

Wilson, Torres-Walker, Rocha up for re-election, Motts, Ogorchock plan to challenge incumbent councilwomen; Householder not running for re-election to school board

By Allen D. Payton

Who wants to run for and serve in public office in Antioch?

Filing for candidates in the November 8 election for two seats on the city council as well as two seats on the school board opens on Monday, July 18. That’s the first day candidates can obtain nomination papers to complete by gathering required signatures from registered voters within the council district or trustee area they’re running to represent. A filing fee is required but that can be reduced by gathering what are known as in-lieu of signatures.

Filing closes on August 12 in races where the incumbent is running for re-election and is extended until August 17 for races with an open seat.

In the city races, Districts 1 and 4 Councilwomen Tamisha Torres-Walker and Monica Wilson in are up for election in November, for four-year terms. So far, former Councilwoman Joy Motts has announced plans to run in District 1. Wilson and current District 3 Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock, after she was gerrymandered into District 4 during the redistricting process earlier this year, have announced plans to run in that district.

For the Antioch Unified School District Board of Trustees, Area 5 Trustee Mary Rocha is expected to seek re-election and there is no incumbent in Area 3, which includes portions of Oakley. Both seats are up for election on November 8 for four-year terms. Trustee Ellie Householder, whose term ends this year, moved into and when the new map was approved during redistricting in January, lived in Area 1 which is represented by Trustee Antonio Hernandez whose term runs through 2024. When reached for comment about her plans, Householder said, “I won’t be running for re-election for school board.”

The qualifications of a nominee and of an elective officer of the city or school board must be a citizen at least 18 years old, registered voter and resident of the council district or trustee area they want to represent.

Forms for declaring candidacy for city races are available at the Antioch City Clerk’s office inside City Hall located at 200 H Street and for school board are available at the Contra Costa County Registrar of Voters’ office located at 555 Escobar Street in Martinez, beginning at 8:00 a.m. on July 18, 2022 and shall be filed no later than 5:00 p.m. on August 12, 2022 (except as noted above).

Male in his early 20’s; Coroner’s Office has not yet reached next of kin, so no ID has been released, possibly later Friday

Council recently increased speed limit to 45 MPH on roadway

By Antioch Police Department

On Thursday July 14th, 2022, at 10:23 AM, Antioch Police responded to a report of a car fire near James Donlon Blvd. and Contra Loma Blvd. As officers arrived, it was determined that a vehicle had collided into a tree, then into another vehicle traveling in the same direction. The collision caused one of the cars to catch fire. One of the drivers died as a result of injuries sustained in the crash. The other driver and a passenger were treated for minor injuries.

The Antioch Police Department Traffic Unit responded and took over the investigation. It was determined though witness statements that both vehicles were traveling at a high rate of speed on James Donlon Blvd., prior to the crash. Following a traffic engineer’s study, the Antioch City Council recently voted to increase the speed limit on the roadway to 45 MPH.

The case is still in preliminary stages and pending further investigation. Anyone who may have witnessed this incident is asked to call (925) 779-6864.

We extend our deepest condolences to the victims of this incident.

7/15/22 UPDATE: According to APD Public Information Officer Darryl Saffold, the driver was a male in his early 20’s. As of Friday morning, a spokesman for the Contra Costa County Coroner’s Office said they had not yet reached the next of kin and would not release the deceased’s identity but expects to have that information later today.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

 

Stubborn six-week-old peat fire in largely inaccessible areas of Bay Point and Pittsburg

By Steve Hill, PIO, Contra Costa Fire Protection District

July 12, 2022 – Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (Con Fire) today announced details regarding a peat fire that has been burning since May 28 in the waterfront areas of Bay Point and Pittsburg.

• The original fire began the early afternoon of May 28 in a homeless encampment near Suisun and Solano Avenues in Bay Point that burned to approximately 200 acres. The homeless encampment was completely consumed by the fire. No injuries were reported.
• The May 28 fire occurred in a largely inaccessible area with no structures or inhabitants and created a lingering and stubborn fire that has burned in the marsh since that date. The fire burned into large amounts of peat in the area throughout the ensuing six weeks, consuming additional vegetation and intermittently producing noticeable smoke, depending on weather conditions, but still threatening no structures or lives.
• On Saturday, July 9, driven by wind, the peat fire flared up extending into adjacent grassy areas of Pittsburg, threatening overhead high-voltage PG&E transmission lines and nearby decommissioned industrial sites.
• In spite of high winds at the scene, an overwhelming response from Con Fire, aided by Cal Fire, resulted in the fire being contained before it could extend into neighboring homes.
• Con Fire requested mutual aid from Cal Fire for water-dropping helicopters. Due to the threat to PG&E infrastructure, this request was granted.
• Before it was contained, the fire consumed an additional 74 acres, bringing the total area consumed by the fires to approximately 500 acres. As of July 11, the Marsh Fire is contained and continues to smolder in inaccessible areas of the Bay Point and Pittsburg waterfront.
• Peat fires are notoriously stubborn, can be virtually impossible to extinguish, and are often left, for lack of alternatives, to burn themselves out.
• Today, the remaining peat fire is producing significant smoke but presenting little fire danger to the surrounding area. It is NOT threatening structures; no evacuations are anticipated, as a result. The Fire has consumed most of the fuel adjacent to the community, increasing the margin of safety that would otherwise present a fire risk.
• The property owner has been cooperative, hiring contractors to mow and disk hundreds of acres to eliminate hazardous fuels.
• PG&E also provided resources to support the operation in the form of infrastructure protection teams and a large water-dropping helicopter.
• We share resident concerns regarding the smoke and are aggressively pursuing additional remedies for the situation with city and county officials, other jurisdictions, the property owner, and multiple regulatory agencies, in an attempt to mitigate the situation as soon as possible.
• Con Fire continues to monitor the fire scene and is prepared to immediately address any flare ups that may occur.
• We have coordinated with Contra Costa Health Services to monitor air quality in the fire area and, as a result, CCHS issued a health advisory late on July 11.
• For information on protecting yourself and your family from smoke, please visit cchealth.org/wildfire-smoke.

For stabbing near Antioch BART Station last Friday and shooting in Concord; has history of arrests

By Darryl Saffold, PIO, Antioch Police Department

On Sunday, July 10, 2022, Antioch Police Officers spent several hours looking for Mychal Allen Plew (3/25/91) who was wanted on a total of five felony warrants. Two of the warrants were for attempted murder (664/187PC) related to a shooting he committed in Concord and a stabbing he committed in Antioch on July 8 near the BART Station.

Officer Mulholland followed up on a lead and spotted Plew in the passenger seat of a vehicle leaving a house on the Antioch/Oakley border. He followed the vehicle until sufficient units arrived. At 8:39 pm a high-risk stop was conducted on Main Street in Oakley and Plew was taken into custody without incident. Plew was ultimately booked at the Martinez Detention Facility.

According to localcrimenews.com, Plew has a history of arrests by Antioch PD, Concord PD and CHP dating back to 2013 including drug possession, trespassing, receiving stolen property – vehicle, possession of burglar’s tools, false registration and auto theft.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

By Antioch Police Department

National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community relationships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, more caring place to live. It provides a great opportunity to bring police and neighbors together under positive circumstances.
On “National Night Out,” Tuesday, August 2, 2022, from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m., a representative from the Antioch Police Department, Antioch Police Crime Prevention Commission, Citizen Volunteer, and/or a member of the City Council may visit each participating neighborhood.

If your neighborhood would like to host a gathering and would like members of the Antioch Police Department to stop by, please contact Lt Vigil via email at jvigil@antiochca.gov or call 925-779-6993.

By Darryl Saffold, PIO, Antioch Police Department

While everyone was hopefully enjoying the holiday weekend, your officers have been extremely busy. In addition to addressing the various quality of life issues and helping those in need, your officers have been arresting people that have violated numerous laws and pose a threat to the welfare of our community.

Knowing this post doesn’t acknowledge the extensive work our officers have been doing, we want to paint a picture of the last seven days. Over the last week, eight arrests were made with four illegal firearms recovered, four stolen vehicles recovered that were returned to their rightful owners, as well as several warrant arrests were made.

We are extremely proud of how hard our officers work, considering the number of resources at our disposal. Despite some staffing challenges, at the Antioch Police Department we are committed to ensuring public safety. Thank you for your ongoing support, we couldn’t do what we do without it. #safestreets #noguns

Note: Placement of photos do not necessarily relate to the person(s) arrested or crime(s) committed next to them.

Details

DATE:  6/30/22                      TIME:  1631              CHARGE(S):  29800(a)(1) PC, 417(a)(2) PC – for Drive By Shooting, Felon in Possession of Firearm

LOCATION: Sycamore Drive

ARRESTEE(S): Therel Shurki Scott (5/31/79)

SYNOPSIS: Officers responded to the area of Sycamore Drive for a report of a drive by shooting. The VIC stated her apartment and vehicle were hit by gunfire and the unknown responsible fled the scene. While officers were investigating the incident, security at Sycamore Square reported being the victim of a brandishing from a firearm. The suspect description matched the suspect from the shooting and a vehicle license plate was obtained. The suspect vehicle was located on a nearby street and the driver, 43-year-old Therel Scott, was detained without incident.

A loaded 9mm pistol was located tucked between the driver’s seat and the center console. Officers were able to develop enough evidence to charge Scott for the shooting as well as the brandishing. Scott was found to be a convicted felon and prohibited from possessing the firearm located in his vehicle. Scott was later booked at Martinz Detention Facility (MDF) aka county jail.

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DATE:7/1/2022            TIME: 1442                    CHARGE(S): CVC 2800.2 & PC 496(d) – for Stolen Vehicle

LOCATION: Lemontree Way/Sycamore Drive

ARRESTEE(S): Tayshaun I’maike Scott-Hunter (8/23/2003)

SYNOPSIS: Officer Mulholland located a gold Honda sedan that been reported a stolen. The vehicle was taken after a robbery in Oakland. Officer Mulholland attempted a traffic stop, but the driver fled. The driver immediately got onto SR-4 westbound and the pursuit ended when the Honda grazed a commercial vehicle. This sent the Honda into a spin and it collided with a K-rail. The Honda came to rest after impact and the driver, 18-year-old Tayshaun Scott-Hunter, was taken into custody without further incident.

Officer Morris called the victim and found out he was robbed of his keys, wallet and cell phone when the vehicle was taken. During a search incident to arrest, Scott-Hunter was found to be in possession of the victim’s keys. He was ultimately booked into MDF for the above listed charges after medical clearance.

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DATE:  7/1/22                        TIME:  1630          CHARGE(S):  10851(a) CVC – for Stolen Vehicle, Weapons Charges

LOCATION: 7-11 Century Blvd

ARRESTEE(S): Josue Torres (12/17/75)

SYNOPSIS:  Officers were circulating the Sycamore Drive searching for a reported stolen Mercedes SUV. The vehicle was located parked at the 7-11 on Century Blvd and the driver, 46-year-old Josue Torres, was arrested without incident. Torres was found to be on AB109 for weapons charges and was later booked at MDF.

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DATE:  7/1/22                        TIME:  1823        CHARGE(S): WRNO – for Shooting in Santa Cruz

LOCATION: San Jose Drive and Buchanan Rd

ARRESTEE(S): Terry Robinson (6/13/96)

SYNOPSIS: Officer Nutt conducted a traffic enforcement stop and the passenger, 26-year-old Terry Robinson, was found to have a warrant for his arrest in relation to a shooting in Santa Cruz. Robinson was detained without incident. Robinson was booked at MDF on his outstanding warrant.

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DATE:  7/1/22                        TIME:  1842                               Armed Robbery in Danville

LOCATION: San Jose Drive

SYNOPSIS: Danville PD sent a BOLO for an armed robbery vehicle in which a Rolex was stolen from a subject at gunpoint in their city. The suspects were reportedly armed with an AR-15 rifle and a pistol. A short time later, they requested Code 3 cover for their plain clothes detectives who were following the suspect vehicle into the apartment complex at 2005 San Jose Drive. Several APD officers were clearing a call on San Jose Drive and arrived within seconds and located the vehicle inside the complex. Two passengers foot-bailed but the driver was arrested without incident. The AR-15 and pistol were located on the back seat of the suspect vehicle. The front passenger was taken into custody by APD officers after a short foot pursuit inside the complex. Star 3 was overhead and maintained visual on the third suspect as he ran south through the lot and onto Buchanan Rd. He was challenged by APD officers and a Contra Costa County K9 and was arrested after a brief struggle. (See related article)

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DATE: 7/3/2022                     TIME: 2231                CHARGE(S): CVC 10851 – for Stolen Vehicle

LOCATION: 19th Hole, E. Tregallas

ARRESTEE: Justin Griffin, 35

OTHER INVOLVED: N/A

SYNOPSIS: Officer Angelini watched an occupied stolen vehicle pull into the parking lot of the 19th Hole. He conducted a stop and took the driver, Justin Griffin, into custody without incident.

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DATE: 7/4/2022                     TIME: 1740           Post Release Community Supervision violation warrant

LOCATION: J Street

ARRESTEE: Terry Domino Ferguson 4/16/1985

OTHER INVOLVED: N/A

SYNOPSIS: Several SWAT officers were on foot patrol in the downtown area and noticed 37-year-old Terry Ferguson working on a vehicle in front on J Street. They were familiar with Ferguson from a prior SWAT operation in which Ferguson was arrested for weapons manufacturing. A record check showed Ferguson to have an outstanding Post Release Community Supervision (PRCS) violation warrant. Ferguson was contacted and attempted to flee but was quickly apprehended and taken into custody without incident. A PRCS search was conducted on Ferguson’s apartment and a loaded Sig Sauer 9mm pistol was located in a backpack that belonged to Ferguson. Ferguson was later booked at MDF.

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DATE: 7/4/2022                      TIME: 1650                CHARGE(S): CVC 10851(a) – for Stolen Vehicle

LOCATION: 2540 Verne Roberts Circle

ARRESTEE: Richard Charles Lewis, 8/22/1991                                VICTIM: Antioch Resident

OTHER INVOLVED: N/A

SYNOPSIS: Officers responded to the report of a vehicle theft that occurred about 4:50 pm at 2540 Verne Roberts Circle. The victim caught the suspect (later identified as, Richard Lewis) in the act of stealing his vehicle. Lewis was unsuccessful in his attempt to steal the car and fled the scene on foot. Officers quickly arrived and set up a perimeter. Eventually, Officer Pedreira located Lewis hiding behind a large bush and was taken into custody. Lewis, age 30 was positively identified as the responsible during an in-field show up. He was booked into MDF.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

Back Together!

After a two-year hiatus the California State Fair & Food Festival is back July 15-31 at the Cal Expo. It will include exhibits, programs, competitions, thoroughbred horse racing, carnival rides, freestyle motocross shows, concerts and lots of food! We’re excited to be BACK TOGETHER with everyone!

SPECIAL FAIR DAYS

$2 Taste of the Fair – Wednesdays & Thursdays, 11 am – 4 pm – Sample a variety of fair foods with $2 menu specials from your favorite food vendors.

Senior Savings Friday – Discount admission of $10 for seniors 62 & better.

Tuesday Kids Free Day & $2 Rides for All – July 19 & 26 FREE admission for kids 12 and under. Rides cost $2 each for all fair goers.

Military, Veteran & First Responder Appreciation Day – Thursday, July 21 – FREE admission all day for active duty, reserve and veterans from all branches of the military, active first responders.

SMUD Giving Mondays at the Fair – Monday, July 18 & Monday, July 25 – BRING 3 non-perishable, non-expired food items to the Fair Gates before 3 p.m. and receive FREE admission. The collected food items will benefit the Elk Grove Food Bank.

FOOD FESTIVAL

Over thirty food vendors will have a special Food Festival item for you to eat by yourself or share! There’s something delicious for every palate.

From savory – like sweet BBQ pulled pork, to sweet – like the bacon and pecan cinnamon roll and fried of course! – deep fried apple pie anyone?

Come visit all of our award-winning Food Festival Pass participants, see their well-deserved ribbons displayed at their booths and taste their delicious entries!

• Tickets now available!
• Toyota Concert Series on the Golden 1 Stage
• Competitions
• Programs & Exhibits

Main Gate Hours

• Monday – Thursday: 11 am – 10 pm
• Friday – Sunday: 10 am – 10 pm

Carnival Hours

• Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday: Opens at 2pm
• Tuesday, Saturday, Sunday: Opens at 11am

Kids Park Hours

• Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday: Opens at 1 pm
• Tuesday, Saturday, Sunday: Opens at 11 am

The California State Fair & Food Festival is located at the Cal Expo, 1600 Exposition Blvd. in Sacramento. For more information and details on all events, activities and competitions visit http://calexpostatefair.com/event/ca-state-fair/ and for the programs and exhibits visit https://calexpostatefair.com/fair/.