The City’s sandbag distribution site is up and running. Located at the City’s corporation yard at 1201 W 4th Street (Please enter from N Street). The station is located just before the chain link gate on the right-hand side and is stocked with bags, shovels, and a sand funnel.

The Sandbag Station is a 24-hour self-serve station and is free to residents while supplies last.

To report flooding:

▪️ Monday – Friday, 7 AM – 4 PM, call (925)779-6950

▪️ After Hours, please call Non-Emergency Police Services at (925)778-2441

Gun and magazine confiscated from suspect on Jan. 3, 2023. Photos: APD

By Antioch Police Department

You can run but you can’t hide!

On January 3rd, in the late-night hours, officers received a call regarding a suspicious vehicle on Oakley Road. When officers arrived, they observed the pictured firearm in the vehicle. The occupant ran from the vehicle.

Officers Downie and Fachner immediately deployed their Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (drones) and located the suspect hiding nearby. Having an eye in the sky is invaluable with the work we do. Not only did it assist in locating the suspect, but it helped guide officers to the suspect’s location safely.

One of the drone operated by officer during search for and arrest of suspect.

He was taken into custody safely and was arrested for weapons violations and trying to evade arrest. We are proud of our officers and their ability to resolve this as safely as possible for them, the community, and the suspect. Also, our highly trained dispatchers did a wonderful job communicating during this rapidly evolving incident.

Bail set at $2 million

By Ted Asregadoo, PIO, Contra Costa Disrict Attorney’s Office

Booking photo of suspect Serico Justice. Source: APD

An Antioch woman faces a felony murder charge with an enhancement for the shooting death of a neighbor. (See related article)

37-year-old Serico Justice is currently in the Martinez Detention Facility awaiting arraignment for a felony murder charge [PC187(a)] with an enhancement of personally and intentionally discharging a firearm [PC12022.53(d)]. Justice’s use of a handgun caused the injury and death of 31-year-old Hannisha Jamilah Willis on December 27, 2022. The incident occurred on the 2300 block of Mandarin Way in Antioch, where the women lived next door to each other.

Antioch Police Department investigated the incident and reported that the shooting happened during a verbal and physical fight between the women around 2:15 pm. Justice was in possession of a handgun at the time of the altercation – a gun she armed herself with prior to the confrontation. Willis suffered a single shot to her head after Justice fired her weapon. She died later from her injuries at a local hospital.

The case was referred to the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office by Antioch Police on December 28th. Charges were filed against Justice on December 29th. She’s scheduled to be arraigned on January 13, 2023, at 1:30 pm in Martinez. Her bail has been set at $2,000,000.00.

However, her arraignment was “put over” to a later date after her attorney filed a 977 Form which waived her right to a speedy trial.

04-22-01440 | The People of the State of California vs. Serico Justice

Seek help of nearby residents with surveillance cameras

By PIO Ashley Crandell, Antioch Police Support Services Division

On January 3, 2023, at approximately 2:17 pm, the Antioch Police Department Dispatch Center received a call reporting a person shot on Deer Valley Road near Asilomar Drive. Officers immediately responded and found a female victim suffering from a gunshot wound to the leg. She was transported by ambulance to a local hospital and is listed in stable condition. Through investigation, officers believed the female victim was not the intended target but was shot while driving through the area.

A second gunshot wound victim arrived at a local hospital reporting he had been shot near the same location. The male victim – who was believed to be the intended target – was found to have a gunshot wound to the leg and is also in stable condition.

Officers located multiple spent shell casings in the intersection of Deer Valley Road and Asilomar

Drive. Investigators are asking residents near Deer Valley Road and Asilomar Drive to check their surveillance cameras for anything suspicious around the time of the incident. There is no suspect information at this time. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Detective Gerber at (925) 481-8297 or via email: rgerber@antiochca.gov. You may also text an anonymous tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using the key word ANTIOCH.

Josh Hill

By Josef Britschgi, Marketing & Communication Administrator, BAC Community Bank

December 29, 2022 – Stockton, Calif – Josh Hill has joined locally-owned BAC Community Bank as Senior Vice President and Retail Banking Officer. Hill is a results-driven financial services professional with more than 28 years of extensive leadership experience.  He has most recently led and grown retail banking teams within the BAC Community Bank footprint and Northern California.

“We are excited to be working with Josh,” said Jackie Verkuyl, Chief Administrative Officer, “the skills and insight he brings complement BAC’s future-focused strategic path.”

Working with other seasoned members of management, Hill is responsible for the overall success of the relationship banker and deposit service specialist teams, as well as leading BAC’s branch operations and ensuring consistent delivery of high-quality customer banking experiences.  He also assists in developing and overseeing retail policies and strategies while working with team members to improve and implement new retail products and services.

Hill holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration – Financial Management and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics.

About BAC Community Bank

BAC Community Bank is California’s 10th oldest state-chartered bank. Established in 1965, BAC operates branch offices throughout San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Contra Costa counties, including a branch in Antioch at 3448 Deer Valley Road, and is identified as “one of the strongest financial institutions in the nation” by BauerFinancial, Inc.

The bank is centrally headquartered in Stockton, California, and is continuously recognized for banking excellence through local awards and banking industry accolades.

BAC Community Bank is an Equal Housing Lender and Equal Opportunity Employer. Member FDIC. More information is available online at www.bankbac.com.

Photo: CHP

Maximum Enforcement Period Friday night 12/30/22 – Monday night 1/02/23

Multi-state DUI Enforcement Campaign 12/30/22-1/01/22

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The California Highway Patrol (CHP) urges everyone to ring in 2023 responsibly by designating a sober driver.

The CHP will conduct a Maximum Enforcement Period (MEP) starting at 6:01 p.m. on Friday, December 30, 2022, continuing through 11:59 p.m. on Monday, January 2, 2023.  During that time, all available CHP officers will be out on patrol with a focus on removing impaired drivers.

“Every year, people’s lives are impacted forever by making the decision to get behind the wheel while under the influence,” CHP Commissioner Amanda Ray said. “Driving impaired is never worth it and certainly not the way to ring in the new year – always designate a sober driver.”

During the previous new year’s MEP, 29 people were killed and CHP officers arrested 495 impaired drivers.  Additionally, the CHP issued over 2,300 citations for speeding and 26 citations for seat belt violations during the same time period.

To help bolster this year’s holiday traffic safety effort across state lines, the CHP will again coordinate with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration and law enforcement partners from all over the Western United States.  With this year’s “Eyes on the Interstates” initiative, officers from Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, Idaho, and Montana will be teaming up with the CHP to increase awareness about driving under the influence and removing impaired drivers from the roadways.

The mission of the CHP is to provide the highest level of Safety, Service, and Security.

Don’t drop the ball on safety, savings or convenience

By John Goodwin, MTC

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and Bay Area transit agencies encourage residents and visitors planning a night on the town to celebrate the new year this weekend to:

• Travel by bus, train or ferry. Several Bay Area transit agencies — including BART —will extend their usual operating hours Saturday night and early Sunday morning to accommodate New Year’s Eve revelers.
• Avoid long lines at the station by adding a Clipper card to your phone’s digital wallet ahead of time. No app fee is required, and customers can instantly load cash value with their Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. For those who already have Clipper, make sure you have your round-trip fare loaded before boarding.
• Go to clippercard.com and visit Clipper’s Apple Pay or Google Pay pages for more information, including step-by-step instructions on how to add a new Clipper card to your iPhone or Android system phone running Android 5 or later.

Clipper will waive the standard $3 new-card fee for customers who choose Clipper on their mobile phone. The $3 fee will be charged to customers who opt for a traditional plastic card. MTC reminds travelers riding on BART that each rider age 5 or older needs their own Clipper card to pay the BART fare.

MTC is the transportation planning, funding and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. MTC operates the Clipper system on behalf of the region’s transit agencies.

Booking photo of suspect Serico Justice. Source: APD

City’s 10th homicide of the year

By Antioch Police PIO Ashley Crandell

Mandarin Way in Antioch. Source: Google maps

Following multiple 9-1-1 calls to Antioch Police Dispatch Center Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022, at 2:13 pm, officers immediately responded to the scene of a shooting in the 2300 block of Mandarin Way in the Sycamore neighborhood. They located an adult female, 31-year-old Hannisha Willis, lying on the sidewalk, suffering from a single gunshot wound to the head. During a press conference Crandell said the victim was transported to an area hospital and was later pronounced deceased.

The Antioch Police Department’s Investigations Bureau responded to the scene and took over the investigation. They learned prior to the shooting, there was a physical altercation that ensued between Willis and the suspect, Ms. Serico Justice, age 37.

Prior to the physical altercation, Justice armed herself with a firearm, which she retrieved from her residence. During the fight, the firearm discharged and struck Ms. Willis in the head. Investigators recovered the suspected firearm used in the homicide.

Detectives arrested Justice for murder, and she was incarcerated at the Martinez Detention Facility. This case will be presented to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution. This was an isolated incident and there is no threat to the public.

The members of the Antioch Police Department extend their deepest condolences to the family and friends of Hannisha Willis.

It’s the city’s 10th homicide of the year according to the Antioch Police Crime Statistics which don’t currently show the shooting death of the gas station convenience store clerk in November nor last week’s shooting death of the 16-year-old boy in a park.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Detective Gerber at (925) 481-8297 or via email: dgerber@antiochca.gov. You may also text an anonymous tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using the key word ANTIOCH.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.