By Lieutenant Don LaDue, Antioch Police Field Services Bureau

On Thursday, August 4, 2016 at approximately 4:19 am, the Antioch Police Department responded to a home in the 2500 block of Desrys Blvd. for a report of a female resident who was awakened by three unknown males in her home. The resident woke after hearing her dog barking so she got up and that’s when she saw the subjects in her house. The resident screamed and the males ran out a back door and went over the fence onto the Turner Elementary School property.

Officers conducted an extensive area search for the subjects that included the use of a police K9, but the males were not located. The resident had never seen the males before. They gained entry through an unlocked rear door. It does not appear anything was taken and there were no injuries.

This incident is still under investigation and anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to contact the Antioch Police Dept. at (925)778-2441. You may also text a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using key word ANTIOCH.

By Acting Sergeant James Stenger #3604, Antioch Police Field Service Bureau

On Wednesday, August 3, 2016, at approximately 1:33 PM the Antioch Police Department received a call from a citizen regarding a fire inspector having a subject at gunpoint on G Street and West 14^th Street. APD officers arrived and found there was a vehicle collision with injuries at the intersection.

A Contra Costa Fire Inspector had a 19-year-old male from Hayward detained. The fire inspector believed the 19-year-old male was attempting to flee the scene of the collision on foot.

It was learned the fire inspector was traveling southbound on G Street when the 19-year-old male passed him illegally. A 41-year-old female from Antioch was pulling off of West 14th Street when the 19-year-old struck her broadside. The 41-year-old female was transported to a local hospital for injuries sustained in the collision. A 19-year-old Antioch male who was a passenger in the responsible vehicle was also transported to a local hospital for complaint of pain. The 19-year-old male from Hayward was issued a citation for illegal passing and speed violations and was released on his signed promise to appear in court.

There will be no further information released regarding this case at this time. Anyone with information is asked to all 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.

By Allen Payton

Antioch residents have been getting phone calls over the last few weeks and asked to participate in a survey about issues affecting the city. Individuals have been commenting on social media wondering who was behind it. Some thought it might be the city, others speculated it might be City Ventures, the developer with whom city staff has been negotiating the sale of nine parcels in downtown, which are owned by the city. One of those parcels is the old lumber company lot.

“It’s ours,” City Manager Steve Duran admitted in a phone interview on Wednesday, August 3, 2016. “The survey is on all issues: crime, blight, homelessness, economic development…the whole issue of housing and the [downtown] event center on that site.”

The city did it “to help us with the messaging,” he continued.

The survey lasted about 15 minutes according to those who had been called and participated.

“It cost a little over $30,000,” Duran stated. “It’s a long one. It surveyed 500 people in English and 200 in Spanish. We wanted to get a good statistical sampling.”

Asked about the cost and length of the survey, Duran responded.

“If you’re going to go out with a survey, you want to get as much information as possible,” he added. “We’ll begin getting results probably next week.”

Asked if city staff will release the results of the survey to the public, Duran said he wasn’t sure. But, if so it will be after they provide it to the council members. He said he’ll check with the city attorney and get an answer. It’s a public record, so it probably will, Duran added.

Sale of Downtown City-Owned Parcels

The city staff’s negotiations with the City Ventures for the sale of the downtown parcels have resumed, now that the initiative effort for a park and event center on the lumber company lot, known as “The Yard” failed to gather the necessary signatures to place it on the ballot.

“We were waiting for the initiative on the yard to be decided,” Duran said.

Asked if the city could have sold the other eight parcels, and deal with the old company lot, later, he responded, “That’s the key parcel. It’s the biggest and best housing parcel.”

So, it didn’t make sense to move forward with just the other, smaller eight parcels.

He didn’t offer a date for when the proposed sale would be brought to the council for a decision.

Marketing Video

Duran also touched on the video the city paid to produce, to help promote the community and specifically the downtown, to outside interests.

“You want to put your best foot forward,” he stated. “It’s a vision of where we want to be.”

Some residents have been critical of the video for painting too positive of a picture of the community.

“We know we have some work to do,” Duran shared. “But you don’t go out pointing out the negatives.”

UPDATE, 8/5/16:

In an email response to later questions about the cost of and approval for the video, Duran wrote, “We contracted for two videos at $19,000. One is not done yet.  So that’s about $9,500 per video. The Council does not approve our marketing materials, so they did not approve the videos. The Council did not approve the survey.”

“My contractual approval authority is $50,000 per contract,” he continued. “The City Council approved the City’s budget and staff implements the City’s strategic plan within the approved budget.  Contracts over $50,000 are taken to the City Council for approval.  This is pretty standard practice for cities.”

A link to the four-minute video is available on the city’s website or can be viewed on YouTube by clicking here.

In July, Governor Brown signed a bill by Assembly Member Jim Frazier (D – Oakley) to remedy an inconsistency within the State Highway Operation and Protection (SHOPP) by stating that projects relating to operational improvements on state highways are eligible for inclusion in the program.

“I commend the Governor for signing AB 2289 into law,” said Frazier. “This bill adds another layer of transparency to ensure that these funds are used in the appropriate manner. As we increasingly look to traffic operation improvements to provide greater efficiencies in the operation of the state highway system, AB 2289 makes it abundantly clear that these operational improvements are to be included in the SHOPP.”

For nearly 20 years, investments in state highways, bridges, and projects to improve traffic operations facilities have always been included in the SHOPP. Oddly, current law governing the preparation of the SHOPP does not explicitly include operational improvement projects in the list of projects to be included in the SHOPP. AB 2289 puts the ‘O’ in the SHOPP.

“The Commission appreciates Assembly Member Frazier’s leadership to ensure that operational capital improvements are included as an eligible component for asset management planning and capital expenditure through the SHOPP,” stated Susan Bransen, Executive Director of the California Transportation Commission.

AB 2289 had the support of the California Transportation Commission, Automobile Club of Southern California, San Diego Association of Governments, Associated General Contractors, Transportation Agency for Monterey County, and San Francisco County Transportation Commission. This bill passed through the legislature with widespread bipartisan support and will become effective on January 1, 2016.

Assemblymember Frazier represents the 11^th Assembly District, which includes the communities of Antioch, Bethel Island, Birds Landing, Brentwood, Byron, Collinsville, Discovery Bay, Fairfield, Isleton, Knightsen, Locke, Oakley, Pittsburg (partial), Rio Vista, Suisun City, Travis AFB, Vacaville and Walnut Grove.

On Tuesday, July 19, 2016 at 9:45 PM, Richmond police officers responded to calls of multiple shots fired in the city’s Central District – North Richmond, with a possible victim of a shooting. Officers arrived and found 32-year-old Paul King, of both Richmond and Antioch, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to his upper torso.  Mr. King was lying in the middle of the roadway in the 200 block of Gertrude Ave. where he succumbed to his injuries.

Homicide Detective M. Castillo along with other detectives responded to the scene and began their investigation.  Detectives learned that the incident was about an argument between Paul King and the suspect.  The disagreement escalated and the suspect shot Mr. King multiple times before he fled from the scene.  Detective Castillo identified the suspect as 39-year-old Kendrick Barfield of Richmond.

On Friday, July 29th, 2016, Detective Castillo, along with RPD’s Special Investigations Section (SIS) detectives located and arrested Barfield in an apartment in the city’s Southern District.

On Tuesday, August 2nd, 2016, Kendrick Barfield was charged for the murder of Paul King and multiple enhancements.  His bail is set at $5.8 million.

Congressman Mark DeSaulnier (D, CA-11) will host five more town hall meetings in the communities of Danville, Orinda, Rossmoor, Concord and Pittsburg during the month of August. He held his first in Richmond on Monday night. One of DeSaulnier’s top priorities is to be accessible to his constituents. Since being elected to Congress in January 2015, Mark has hosted 23 town hall meetings and mobile district office hours throughout Contra Costa County.

“Hearing directly from the residents of Contra Costa County helps make me a better representative. It is my hope that these town hall meetings will serve as a place for constituents to share their thoughts and opinions on issues important to our community. I invite you to join me at a town hall meeting to listen to a Congressional update on key policy issues, learn about our legislative work in Congress, and discuss the broad range of services we can provide,” said Congressman DeSaulnier.

Danville Town Hall
Wednesday, August 3, 2016
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
(Check-in begins at 6:30 p.m.)
Veterans Memorial Building
Community Hall
400 Hartz Avenue, Danville

Orinda Town Hall
Saturday, August 6, 2016
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
(Check-in begins at 10:30 a.m.)
Orinda Library Auditorium
26 Orinda Way, Orinda

Rossmoor Town Hall
Saturday, August 6, 2016
1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
(Check-in begins at 12:30 p.m.)
Rossmoor, Fireside Room
1001 Golden Rain Road, Walnut Creek

Concord Town Hall
Monday, August 8, 2016
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
(Check-in begins at 6:00 p.m.)
Concord City Council Chambers
1950 Parkside Drive, Concord

Pittsburg Town Hall
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
(Check-in begins at 6:00 p.m.)
Pittsburg Senior Center
300 Presidio Lane, Pittsburg

For more information or to request ADA accommodations, please email CA11.RSVP@mail.house.gov or call (925) 933-2660

Antioch Award Program Honors the Achievement

Contra Loma Estates Home Owners Association has been selected for the 2016 Best of Antioch Award in the Condominiums category by the Antioch Award Program. The Contra Loma Estates are located at 1203 Sycamore Drive in Antioch.

Each year, the Antioch Award Program identifies companies that we believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the Antioch area a great place to live, work and play.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2016 Antioch Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the Antioch Award Program and data provided by third parties.

About Antioch Award Program

The Antioch Award Program is an annual awards program honoring the achievements and accomplishments of local businesses throughout the Antioch area. Recognition is given to those companies that have shown the ability to use their best practices and implemented programs to generate competitive advantages and long-term value.

The Antioch Award Program was established to recognize the best of local businesses in our community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to recognize the small business community’s contributions to the U.S. economy. For more information about the Antioch Awards Program visit www.awardconnect.org.

For more information about the Contra Loma Estates Home Owners Assocation, visit www.contraloma.com.

 

Antioch Police calls for service highlights as published in City Manager Steve Duran’s Weekly Report dated July 29, 2016 and provided by Chief of Police Allan Cantando.

Calls for Service & Arrest Data Summary:

Time Period: 07/21/16 00:00:00 – 07/27/16 23:59:59

Number of Calls for Service: 1,698

Number of Case Reports: 289

Number of Arrests: 81

Felony: 38

Misdemeanor: 43

Arrests with DUI charge: 1

The data is based upon unaudited CAD/RMS data at time of report generation.

• ·On 7/21/16 at 12:31 pm 42 year old Morris Jack came to the APD lobby to attempt to do his yearly PC 290 sex registration. It was determined that not only was he 11 days late doing his yearly registration but he had moved from Stockton to Pittsburg in June and failed to register the move with Stockton PD and Pittsburg PD. Jack was arrested and sent to county jail.
• ·On 7/21/16 at 8:03 pm an officer made a vehicle enforcement stop on 18^th Street. 28 year old Jessie Zupancic was contacted inside the vehicle. It was discovered Zupancic had an outstanding Ramey warrant for his arrest. He was taken into custody without incident and later transported to county jail.
• ·On 7/21/16 at 10:03 pm citizens from CVS on Buchanan Rd called to report shots heard in the area. Officers checked 3421 Hudson Ct where they located a total of 8 .45 caliber expended shell casings in the south portion of the parking lot near the trail. During a neighborhood canvass, officers located several bullet holes into an apartment. The apartment was a considerable distance from where the casings were located and did not appear to be the intended target. The resident was contacted inside of the apartment and he advised he was home at the time of the shooting. No bullets were located and it did not appear the rounds actually penetrated the exterior walls. Officers were unable to locate any witnesses or other victims. It appeared the shooting took place directly underneath a camera on the exterior portion of the building. Officers attempted to contact security and the apartment manager to view the video; however, dispatch was unable to contact either. No further leads or suspect information.
• ·On 7/21/16 at 10:22 pm a delivery driver for Pizza Guy’s had just completed a delivery on West 5^th Street and was walking back to his car when he was confronted by two adult males. One of the males brandished a pistol and demanded the driver’s property. He complied and the other male went through his pockets taking his phone, cash, and car keys. An area check was made for the responsibles with negative results. The victim’s car keys were located a block away on the ground.
• ·On 7/22/16 at 4:53 am officers responded to a hold up alarm at the Valero Gas Station on Somersville Road. On arrival it was learned an adult male entered the store holding a Mac-10 style gun. He demanded cash and fled on foot towards CVS after getting a small amount. No one was injured and an area check was made with negative results.
• ·On 7/22/16 at 10:25 am officers were dispatched to Garden Court for a report of an unwanted guest. 46 year old Brian Scott was the unwanted guest and a name check revealed an outstanding warrant for his arrest. He was taken into custody without incident and transported to county jail.
• ·On 7/22/16 at 12:42 pm officers were dispatched to the 10^th Street Dollar General on a loitering complaint. 49 year old Christopher Cordero was contacted and a name check revealed he had a warrant for his arrest. He was arrested without incident and transported to county jail.
• ·On 7/22/16 at 2:25 pm a 60 year old female was seated in her vehicle with the door open while her husband was in a Credit Union located on Lone Tree Way. An adult male approached her and forced her purse from her grip and fled into a white Infinity SUV occupied by 2 more adult males. She was able to obtain the license plate which returned to a stolen Infinity SUV. The vehicle fled in an unknown direction on Vista Grande Dr. This is at least the third incident with the same modus operandi in the past week. It appears the responsibles are targeting elderly females in parking lots. An area check was met with negative results. A county wide BOLO was sent for the stolen vehicle.
• ·On 7/22/16 at 9:30 pm officers responded to the railroad tracks to the rear of 2200 Sycamore Dr on a report of a transient male setting several fires along the railroad tracks. Upon arrival, several fires were located along the tracks. Witnesses in the area provided a description, which matched a 53 year old known transient who is known to frequent the area and per the witnesses, was seen walking away from the fire. An area check for him met with negative results. ConFire Arson Investigator was notified and responded to the scene.
• ·On 7/22/16 at 10:15 pm officers were dispatched to Knollcrest Drive on a report of glass breaking and subjects going in and out of the residence. Upon arrival, Officer Harger and his K-9 observed a 17 year old juvenile and another male exit the side residence carrying items. When the subjects saw Officer Harger they immediately fled to the rear of the house and began to jump the rear fence. K-9 Donna was deployed and was able to detain the 17 year old in the neighboring rear yard. Officer Harger attempted to detain the second male; however, the male was able to break free from Harger’s grasp. Officers located a shattered rear sliding glass door and shattered downstairs window. A search of the victims’ residence showed the home to be completely ransacked. Officer White and his K-9 attempted to track the second responsible. During the track some of the victim’s property was located several blocks away. The second suspect was not located. Officers were unable to locate the victims who appeared to be out of town camping. We had the board up company respond to the scene to secure the residence. The 17 year old was treated at an area hospital and later sent to Juvenile Hall.
• ·On 7/23/16 at 12:06 am officer observed a vehicle travelling at a high rate of speed eastbound on W. Tregallas Rd. The officer called in the license plate which returned as a lost/stolen plate. The driver pulled into the 19^th Hole parking lot where the officer conducted a traffic stop. Upon contacting the driver a loaded 9mm semi auto handgun was in the driver’s door pocket. All three juvenile occupants were arrested without incident. During a search of the vehicle another loaded 9mm semi auto was found underneath the passenger seat. A computer check on the guns revealed one of them as reported stolen out of San Francisco. All three juveniles admitted knowledge of the guns. All three were booked into Juvenile Hall.
• ·On 7/23/16 at 9:26 pm 54 year old Khitsamone Kenyatta was contacted during a disturbance call on Sycamore Drive. Kenyatta had a warrant for her arrest and was arrested without incident and transported to county jail.
• ·On 7/24/15 at 3:25 pm officers were dispatched to the Desrys Blvd. for transients trespassing in a vacant residence. 37 year old Horatio Toure was contacted in the residence and found to have a warrant from San Francisco County. Toure was arrested and booked at county jail.
• ·On 7/24/16 at 6:16 pm an officer conducted a pedestrian stop on 33 year old Tiphanie Hill on G Street. The officer noticed a portion of a plastic baggy protruding from Hill’s bra and asked her to remove the baggy, which was found to contain methamphetamine. Hill was released from the scene with a citation.
• ·On 7/24/16 at 7:25 pm officers were dispatched to Sears on a delayed report. We learned three male suspects entered Sears on several other occasions and took stacks of Levi Jeans from the store. There have been confrontations between Loss Prevention Officers and the suspects where they have made threats to shoot the Loss Prevention Officers if they intervened. The same style theft occurred yesterday (7-23-16) and the incident was caught on video. The Loss Prevention Officers tried to stop the theft when they saw the suspects enter the store, but additional suspects stepped in the way. The employees followed the suspects out of the store where the suspects made additional threats to shoot them if they called the police. Store employees estimate over $10,000 in jeans have been stolen to date. Officer McDonald watched the video and recognized the main suspect. Officers attempted contact with him but he was not home. The investigation is on-going.
• ·On 7/24/16 at 9:35 pm 32 year old Shay Butler was involved in a traffic collision on Hillcrest Avenue and found to be DUI. Butler was arrested without incident and sent to county jail.
• ·On 7/25/16 at 1:04 a.m., 38 year old Damien Adams broke a window at a business on East 18^th Street, filled up his shopping cart with tools and money and fled. Officers located Adams and he was arrested without incident. Adams was sent to county jail.
• · On 7/25/16 at 6:10 pm an officer observed 25 year old Charles Johnson in the passenger seat of a vehicle and knew that he had warrants for his arrest as well as probable cause for a recent armed robbery. The vehicle was stopped and Johnson was detained without incident. 29 year old Deshun Levingston was a rear passenger in the vehicle and also had probable cause for his arrest for a robbery from Sears where several thousand dollars in jeans were stolen. Levingston was also arrested without incident. No weapons were located in the vehicle. Both subjects were booked at county jail.
• ·On 7/26/16 at 2:16 pm a male called APD to report he located his company security guard patrol car in front of 128 E. 7^th Street. The male saw a subject inside the car and the occupant was possibly engaged in hand to hand drug dealing. We arrived a short time later and located the fully marked Black Charger with 24 year old Roger Joseph in the driver’s seat. He was arrested without incident and booked in county jail. The car had the VIN numbers removed.
• ·On 7/27/16 at 12:05 am 20 year old Alexis Oberg was contacted during a traffic stop enforcement stop on Cavallo Road. Oberg was found to have two warrants for DUI. She was arrested and booked at county jail.
• ·On 7/27/16 at 1:00 am, 26 year old Durrell Anderson was contacted during a dispute. He was found to be in possession of prescription medication (Alprazolam) and a .45 cal magazine. A search of Anderson’s residence on 19^th Street revealed 9 grams of heroin and a .45 cal firearm. Anderson was arrested without incident and he was sent to county jail.
• ·On 7/27/16 at 5:42 pm a 30 year old female arrived home and pulled into her driveway on Spire Street. As she opened her door and stepped out of her vehicle, two males grabbed her and shoved her down in an attempt to take her purse. She struggled with the males and eventually lost the grip on her purse. The males fled the scene on foot. The take was her purse, wallet, keys and cash. Later in the evening we arrested two males associated with similar crimes from Walmart. The victim suffered minor abrasions from the fall.
• ·On 7/27/16 at 10:06 pm Walmart employees contacted APD regarding two males inside the store. They explained that detectives were in the store looking for the males earlier in the day related to a string of purse snatching cases in both Antioch and Pittsburg in the last few weeks. The males were actively purchasing gift cards using the victim’s credit cards. When they saw officers approaching them they began to flee the store but were detained without incident. The investigation led us to Koala Ct where we located a stolen vehicle used in several purse snatch cases over the last week. Detectives were called out and took over the investigation. Pittsburg PD was also informed and will be conducting a parallel investigation for their cases. A 17 year old male and 20 year old male were arrested. We will not be releasing the names right now based on the on-going investigation.
• ·On 7/27/16 at 9:58 pm a Subaru was reported stolen. At 2:48 am, an officer spotted the stolen vehicle parked on West 19^th Street near Joe’s Liquor. It was occupied by 20 year old Robert Wickham and 20 year old Savaughna Heneby. Both were taken into custody without incident. Heneby was later released and Wickham was booked into county jail. The vehicle was returned to the owner.
• ·On 7/28/16 at 3:00 am a 40 year old female called to report she was being followed by a subject. When officers arrived, they contacted a 17 year old male walking away from her. He was detained and found to be in possession a loaded stolen pistol. He was taken into custody and later booked into Juvenile Hall. The gun was stolen out of a Reno.