By Allen Payton

According to eyewitnesses about 10 or 12 police vehicles had another car stopped on Laurel Road near the Highway 4 offramp at about 8:15 p.m. Sunday night. It turned to be the end of a high-speed police pursuit of a stolen vehicle.

“It was a vehicle that got carjacked last night in Oakley,” said Oakley Police Sgt. Rick Grubaugh,

“Today he was driving through Pittsburg on Highway 4 eastbound,” he continued. “Pittsburg PD began pursuing it. The vehicle took the Laurel Road offramp and that’s where the vehicle pursuit ended, and we took the guy into custody.”

It was a high-speed pursuit on Hwy 4, Grubaugh confirmed.

Oakley PD was there near the Laurel Road offramp waiting for the driver, he explained.

The “30-year-old black male” is “from somewhere on the west end of the county” and “is fine and in custody,” Grubaugh added.

Armed robbery of BAC Bank branch; Antioch Police assist in arrests.

From Brentwood Police Facebook page

On November 9, 2017, at approximately 12:57 p.m., Brentwood officers responded to a “hold up” alarm at BAC Community Bank located at 740 First Street. The suspect, described as a light skinned male, in his 30’s, 6-foot, 180 lbs., produced a dark colored handgun and demanded cash, receiving an undisclosed amount. The suspect fled the bank on foot last seen running westbound across First Street towards Diablo Alley. Nobody was injured during the robbery.

During the course of the investigation, Brentwood officers and investigators quickly developed a solid lead that ultimately led to the arrest of three suspects.

Surveillance footage and good witness statements confirmed there was more than one suspect involved. The surveillance footage and statements offered a detailed description of the suspects and their getaway vehicle.

Approximately three hours after the robbery, Antioch patrol officers located the vehicle on a surface street and detained all three suspects without incident. Evidence from the robbery was recovered during the investigation including an amount of cash taken during the robbery.

The suspects were identified as:

1. Donte Davis, 35-year old, male, Clearlake, CA resident – This suspect entered the bank and committed the robbery.
2. Eddie Starks, 29-year old, Pittsburg resident.
3. Maquetta Sanders, 39-year-old, Antioch resident.

Davis, Starks and Sanders were booked into the Martinez Detention Facility charged with First Degree armed robbery and Conspiracy. Starks and Sanders were also charged with being Accessories in the robbery, all felony charges.

The Brentwood Police Department would like to extend a special thanks to the witnesses involved in this case as well as the Antioch officers involved in the apprehension.

Anyone with information related to this investigation is asked to contact Detective Head at 925-809-7734 during regular business hours or 925-809-7911 after 5 p.m. Callers can remain anonymous.

The building where Humphrey’s on the Delta restaurant was located at 1 Marina Plaza, foot of L Street in Antioch. Herald file photo by salliegoetsch.com

By Allen Payton

Rumors circulating through Antioch this week, that Zephyr Grill & Bar will open a third location at the former site of Humphrey’s on the Delta, were somewhat confirmed Thursday night by Lizeht Zepeda, the city’s Economic Development Manager.

Asked if the rumors were true, Zepeda responded, “It’s an item on the November 14th council meeting, staff report should be posted on the website.”

However, the agenda including the staff report had yet to be posted on the City’s website as of publication time, Thursday night.

Zephyr Grill & Bar’s two other locations, in Brentwood at 613 1st Street and in Livermore at 1736 1st Street, have menu items which are hard to find at restaurants in East County, including free-range chicken, grass-fed beef and wild-caught fish. See more photos and information about their food on their Facebook page, here. The owners of Zephyr recently sold a third location in Seattle.

The city currently owns the building as well as the land, located at the Antioch Marina with the address of 1 Marina Plaza, and has been seeking a buyer or tenant since the former restaurant closed for business on December 24, 2012.

11/10/17 UPDATE: The transaction the Antioch City Council will be considering is the sale of the building and land for $1.2 million to Sean McCauley Investments, Inc. (SMI), a Brentwood-based business which owns other real estate in East County including the old Casino Building at Waldie Plaza in Antioch’s downtown, Rivertown District. It is item #4 on the council’s agenda. ACC mtg agenda 111417 – Humphrey’s sale Item #4

According to the staff report on the agenda item, “SMI has invested millions of dollars in development and revitalization of several blighted buildings, bringing additional businesses and entrepreneurs into downtown and other areas of Antioch.”

The staff report further explains SMI’s plans, which are a joint effort with the owners of Zephyr Grill & Bar, Randy and Lynn Tei.

“In an effort to bring the site back to a working restaurant, SMI submitted to the City a signed Letter Of Intent (LOI) between SMI and a restaurant operator for the site. The LOI (Attachment C) describes the operator lease terms, and scope of work between SMI and Randy Tei and his wife Lynn Tei, DBA RLW Properties (RLW) for the operation of a Zephyr Grill & Bar restaurant at One Marina Plaza. SMI will be doing extensive repairs and improvements to deliver a “vanilla shell” to the tenant, RLW. Once the PSA is executed the estimated timeframe for SMI’s delivery of improvements is about two months to complete. Additional work, kitchen and interior design will be made by the tenant after SMI completes their work.”

“RLW has over 30 years of experience in the restaurant industry. They currently own and operate two restaurants in the Bay Area, Zephyr Grill & Bar in Brentwood and Zephyr Grill & Bar in Livermore; Ca. RLW is committed to revitalizing the site and operating an elegant upscale restaurant. SMI was instrumental in RLW’s decision to launch this endeavor in the Rivertown District of Antioch. This will be their 3rd location in the Bay Area. They look forward to operating this 3rd restaurant for many years to come in Downtown Rivertown Antioch.”

However, according to Sean McCauley, owner of SMI, if the Tei’s become the tenant then it will have a different name than Zephyr Grill & Bar, so as not to compete with their Brentwood location.

“This has been in negotiation for over a year,” he said.

The purchase includes the land, as well as the building, McCauley explained. He estimates there will be about $1 million of tenant improvements needed for the restaurant to open.

The address of the restaurant may also change as the city has plans to rename L Street to something with Marina in the name such as Marina Way or Blvd. The new address would then be 1 Marina Way or Blvd., making it easier for people to find the restaurant from Highway 4.

The council meeting is at 7:00 p.m. in the Antioch Council Chambers at 200 H Street in historic, downtown Rivertown. You can also watch the meeting live on local cable channel 24 or via livestream on the city’s website at http://www.ci.antioch.ca.us/CityGov/citycouncilmeetings.htm.

Stolen gun, bullets, drugs and body armor found on the suspect and in his car by Antioch Police 11-3-17. Herald file photo from APD

Kelsey Jackson age 25

On Thursday, Nov. 9, Antioch Police released the name and photo of the man they arrested on Friday, November 3, 2017, during a traffic stop on Texas St. for vehicle code violations. The 25-year-old Oakley resident was identified as Kelsey Jackson.

They contacted the driver, a 25-year-old Oakley resident, and a subsequent search of the occupant and his vehicle revealed methamphetamine, cocaine base, drug paraphernalia, stolen checks, a fully loaded 10mm pistol that had been reported as stolen, and body armor. The subject was arrested and sent to County Jail.

A two-car eBART train undergoes testing in the middle of Highway 4 between Hillcrest Avenue and A Street/Lone Tree Way on Friday evening, July 1, 2016 for the Pittsburg and Antioch extension. Herald file photo by Allen Payton

BART Director Joel Keller. Photo from BART.gov

By Joel Keller, District 2 Director, Bay Area Rapid Transit District

The BART Board will consider both BART to Antioch fares and BART to Antioch parking fees at a public hearing on November 16th meeting. On December 7th, the Board will be asked to approve the BART to Antioch fares and parking fees.

The proposal will extend BART’s distance-based fare structure for the Pittsburg Center Station and the Antioch station, resulting in a 15 cent increase at Pittsburg Center and an 80 cent increase at Antioch.

Sample BART to Antioch Fares:

Pittsburg/Bay Point to Embarcadero: $6.70

Pittsburg Center to Embarcadero: $6.85

Antioch to Embarcadero: $7.50

There will be 262 parking spaces on Bliss Avenue near Railroad Avenue serving the Pittsburg Center Station and 1012 parking spaces at the Antioch Station.

The parking fees are proposed to be effective upon commencement of operation of the Pittsburg Center and Antioch stations as follows:

Daily Fee Parking: $3.00 per day

Permit Fee Parking:

Monthly Reserved Permit: $105 per month

Single Day Reserved Permit: $6.00 per day

Airport/Long-Term Permit: $7.00 per day

Your opinion is valued and you can contact me directly at Joel.Keller@bart.gov or 510-915-7925 or you can let the entire Board know your thoughts by emailing BoardOfDirectors@BART.gov or calling 510-464-6095.

District 2 includes Antioch, Brentwood, Oakley, Pittsburg and portions of Concord and unincorporated Contra Costa County.

Between the 12-cent-per-gallon increase in the gas tax and being able to earn $2 credit each trip, there’s never been a better time to trade your solo commute for a shared ride. Whether you fill an empty seat in your car or catch a ride as a passenger, carpooling is a great way to save money.

Thanks to a partnership between 511 Contra Costa and Scoop, when you use the Scoop app to match with another commuter for your ride to work, you get a $2 credit. As long as your trip starts or ends in Contra Costa, each person in the carpool will receive a $2 credit. Passengers will see the credit automatically applied to their trip, while drivers can cash out the credits they earn.

If you commute to Concord, Pleasant Hill/Contra Costa Centre or Dublin/Pleasanton BART using Scoop, you also get guaranteed parking! (Passengers: use the code CCTA05 to get an additional $5 in Scoop credit – the combined $7 in credit covers the cost of most first rides.)

As part of a carpool, you’ll have access to the HOV lanes and can use the I-680 and I-580 Express Lanes toll-free. (Note: If you’re crossing the Bay Bridge, the Scoop app will match you with two other commuters so you can use the HOV lanes.) If you’re driving to Pleasant Hill/Contra Costa Centre BART, Concord BART or Dublin/Pleasanton BART Stations you’re also guaranteed parking if you arrive before 10am and parking is free.

It’s time to give sharing the ride to work a try.

Earning the $2 credit is easy:

1. Download the Scoop app

2. Enter your account information

3. Use the Scoop app to carpool

$5 SCOOP CREDIT: Enter the code CCTA05 in the Scoop app to get a $5 credit towards your first ride.

To download the Scoop app and get a $5 first-time rider credit, visit our Scoop Special Offer page.

12″ dagger and sheath found on felon who ran and was arrested with the assistance of APD K9 unit Donna on 10-31-17.

Driver stopped by APD traffic enforcement officers on Lone Tree Way near Davison 10-31-17.

On Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2017 several Antioch Police officers conducted a proactive traffic enforcement detail in various areas of the city. They focused primarily on violations that are some of the most common causes of traffic collisions we respond to in the City of Antioch.

Officers issued 38 citations for moving violations, 1 parking citation, and handled a non-injury collision that was observed while in the area of Lone Tree Way and Davison Drive.

In addition to the traffic enforcement, officers also made three arrests for various offenses, one of which included an assist from Cpl. Harger and his K-9 partner, “Donna,” for a subject that fled with a felony warrant, and was found to be armed with a concealed 12” dagger.

Antioch Police Captain Diane Aguinaga at the DOJ conference.

Successful program in Antioch reduces failures to appear in court

Captain Diane Aguinaga recently had the honor of speaking at the Right 2 Counsel conference held by the Department of Justice in Washington D.C. She highlighted the unique partnership between the Antioch Police Department, Contra Costa County Office of the Public Defender and the county Office of Reentry and Justice.

APD entered into this program in July 2016 with the goal of reducing failures to appear (FTA’s) in court. Since then, the FTA percentage has dropped from 57% to 27% in Antioch on low level misdemeanors. The program’s success has been expanded to West Contra Costa County, and is soon to be expanded to Central County.