Held on $11.7 million bail, has history of arrests
By Lt. Desmond Bittner #3252, Antioch Police Investigations Bureau
Antioch Police Department officers arrested a man wanted on a laundry list of charges, including attempted murder and animal cruelty. On August 7th, at approximately 11:52 PM, an Antioch police officer was patrolling the area of Buchanan Road and Contra Loma Blvd. when he observed an Infiniti doing donuts in the intersection. As the officer approached, the car took off at a high rate of speed and crashed into an unoccupied vehicle parked about a quarter mile down the road on Cortez Court. The collision disabled the Infiniti, and the officer was able to detain the driver, who was identified as 23-year-old Francisco Javier Hernandez, Jr. of Antioch (born 9/5/2000).
The officer discovered the Infiniti was reported stolen and found that Hernandez had two arrest warrants which were obtained by Antioch Police detectives several weeks prior. One arrest warrant was for attempted murder and the other was for animal cruelty. Over the course of about three weeks, Hernandez had been on a crime spree that involved multiple shootings and stolen vehicles. See the crime details listed below.
-July 15th, 2024, shot and killed a friend’s dog during a dispute. Fled the scene in a stolen vehicle.
On August 12th, Antioch Police Department detectives presented the above cases to the Contra Costa County District Attorney and the below felony criminal charges were filed against Hernandez.
Count 1) Attempted murder – Case 24-006227
Count 2) Attempted murder – Case 24-006736
Count 3) Assault with a firearm – Case 24-006756
Count 4) Animal cruelty – Case 24-006208
Count 5) Vehicle theft – Case 24-007002
According to the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office, the five-foot-four-inch tall, 200-pound Hernandez is being held in the Martinez Detention Facility on $11.7 million bail. His next court appearance is scheduled of August 27 at 1:30 PM in Superior Court Dept. 03.
According to localcrimenews.com, Hernandez was arrested in March 2019 by Antioch PD for driving without a license, in October 2022 for shooting at an inhabited dwelling, vehicle, etc., carrying a concealed weapon in a vehicle and carrying a loaded firearm when not the registered owner. He was again arrested twice on the same day, April 5, 2024, by Contra Costa Sheriff’s Department and Antioch PD for receiving stolen property – motor vehicle.
If you have any further information regarding these crimes, please contact Detective Cole Shaffer at (925)779-6944 or by email cshaffer@antiochca.gov.
In our ongoing effort to boost community engagement, we’re bringing the meeting to you!
Venue: Antioch Community Center at Prewett Family Park, 4703 Lone Tree Way
Date: August 19th
Time: 6:30 p.m.
About the Meeting:
The Antioch Police Oversight Commission, which typically convenes at Antioch City Hall, will hold this meeting at the Antioch Community Center. Twice a year, we change locations to make our meetings more accessible and to encourage greater community participation.
The Commission’s mission is to advise the City Council and Staff on the administration of the Antioch Police Department and public safety matters. Our goal is to ensure that our policies meet national standards for constitutional policing.
Your Voice Matters! Come share your thoughts and help us shape the future of public safety in Antioch.
Former Antioch Police Officer Morteza Amiri was convicted by a federal jury on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. Herald file photo
Morteza Amiri is last of six Antioch, Pittsburg officers convicted of conspiring to defraud their departments by obtaining payments and raises for university degrees they paid a third party to complete
Information provided on cases for four other former Antioch officers
By U.S. Attorney’s Office Northern District of California
OAKLAND – On Friday, August 9, 2024, a federal jury convicted police officer Morteza Amiri of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a scheme to obtain pay raises from the City of Antioch Police Department for a university degree he paid someone else to obtain in his name, announced United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey and FBI San Francisco Special Agent in Charge Robert K. Tripp. The felony verdicts follow a four-day trial before United States Senior District Judge Jeffrey S. White. Amiri is the sixth officer to be convicted in the conspiracy to commit wire fraud, along with former Pittsburg Officers Patrick Berhan, Amanda Theodosy a/k/a Nash and Ernesto Mejia-Orozco, former Antioch Community Service Officer Samantha Peterson and former Pittsburg Police and Oakland Housing Authority Officer Brauli Rodriguez Jalapa. (See related article)
Former officers who pleaded guilty this year: Pittsburg officers Amanda Carmella Theodosy (aka Nash), Ernesto Juan Mejia-Orozco and Patrick James Berhan. Photos: Pittsburg PD. Former Antioch Police Community Service Officer Samantha Peterson. Photo: Antioch PD. (No photo of Oakland Housing Authority officer Brauli Rodriguez Jalapa could be located).
“We expect integrity and honesty from every police officer, every day, in the police departments across this country,” said U.S. Attorney Ismail Ramsey. “Amiri failed to uphold these basic responsibilities, and a federal jury has convicted him of defrauding his employer, the Antioch Police Department. He, along with the other officers he conspired with, now face the consequences of violating the rule of law that they swore to uphold.”
“Amiri engaged in a calculated conspiracy to defraud his police department of taxpayer funds. His actions were a violation of the law and a grave betrayal of public trust,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Tripp. “Amiri and his co-conspirators’ deception has no place in law enforcement. With this conviction, he now faces the consequences of his actions.”
Amiri, 33, was employed as a Police Officer with the Antioch Police Department. At trial, the evidence presented showed that the City of Antioch and City of Pittsburg’s Police Departments offered reimbursements toward higher education tuition and expenses, along with pay raises and other financial incentives upon completion of a degree. However, instead of completing higher education coursework on their own, Amiri and his co-conspirators hired someone to complete entire courses on their behalf at an online university to secure a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. Amiri and his co-conspirators then represented they had taken those courses and earned the degrees from the university when requesting reimbursements and financial incentives from their police department employers, the City of Antioch and the City of Pittsburg. They were in turn paid additional financial incentives, calculated as percentages of their salaries, while they remained employed by their police departments.
In a span of two years, the conspiracy included numerous other officers and former officers, including Berhan (Pittsburg PD), Amiri (Antioch PD), Theodosy a/k/a Nash (Pittsburg PD), Peterson (Antioch PD), Mejia-Orozco (Pittsburg PD), and Rodriguez Jalapa (formerly Pittsburg PD).
The evidence at trial showed that Amiri texted the person who took his classes for him, writing among other things: “can i hire you [ ] to do my … classes? ill pay you per class”; “don’t tell a soul about me hiring you for this. we can’t afford it getting leaked and me losing my job”; “if i submit my request for the degree on time by the end [ ] of the month i can coordinate my raise in a timely manner”; and “I’m gonna rush order my degree to get my pay raise jump started.”
On the basis of courses taken by this person, Amiri “earned” a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. Amiri applied for and thereafter received financial incentives from the City of Antioch for having completed university courses and earning a bachelor’s degree.
The jury convicted Amiri of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349, and one count of wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343.
U.S. Senior District Judge Jeffrey S. White scheduled Amiri’s sentencing for November 12, 2024. Each of the two counts of conviction carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The Court may also order a fine, restitution, and supervision upon release from prison as part of any sentence. However, any sentence will be imposed by the Court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
A federal grand jury in San Francisco returned multiple indictments on August 16, 2023, that collectively charged ten current and former officers and employees from the Antioch and Pittsburg police departments with federal crimes. Amiri is the last officer to be convicted in the conspiracy to commit wire fraud case.
Amiri is scheduled for trial in another related case in February 2025.
Former Antioch officers arrested on Thursday, August 17, 2023, are Eric Allen Rombough, Devon Christopher Wenger, Timothy Allen Manly Williams and Daniel James Harris. Photos: APD
Here is the status of the cases: (Rombough, Wenger, Manly Williams and Harris are former Antioch Police Officers).
Convicted at trial 8/8/24, sentencing set for 11/12/24
Amanda Theodosy a/k/a Nash
Pleaded guilty 7/30/24, sentencing set for 11/5/24
Samantha Peterson
Pleaded guilty 1/9/24, sentenced 4/23/24
Ernesto Mejia-Orozco
Pleaded guilty 6/11/24, sentencing set for 9/17/24
Brauli Rodriguez Jalapa
Pleaded guilty 6/25/24, sentencing set for 10/22/24
23-cr-00267
18 U.S.C. §§ 1519 (Destruction, Alteration, and Falsification of Records in Federal Investigations); 1512(c)(2) (Obstruction of Official Proceedings); 242 (Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law)
Timothy Manly Williams
Pending
23-cr-00268
21 U.S.C. §§ 846 (Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Anabolic Steroids), 841(a)(1), and (b)(1)(E)(i) (Possession with Intent to Distribute Anabolic Steroids)
Daniel Harris
Status set for 8/13/24
21 U.S.C. §§ 846, 841(a)(1), and (b)(1)(E)(i) (Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Anabolic Steroids); 18 U.S.C. § 1519 (Destruction, Alteration, and Falsification of Records in Federal Investigations)
Devon Wenger
23-cr-00269
18 U.S.C. §§ 241 (Conspiracy Against Rights), 242 (Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law); § 1519 (Destruction, Alteration, and Falsification of Records in Federal Investigations)
Morteza Amiri
Trial set for 2/18/25
18 U.S.C. §§ 241 (Conspiracy Against Rights), 242 (Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law)
Eric Rombough
18 U.S.C. §§ 241 (Conspiracy Against Rights), 242 (Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law)
Devon Wenger
24-cr-00157
21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(E)(i) (Possession with Intent to Distribute Anabolic Steroids)
Patrick Berhan
Pleaded guilty 3/26/24, sentencing set for 9/3/24
This prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI and the Office of the Contra Costa County District Attorney.
By Lt. Desmond Bittner #3252, Antioch Police Investigations Bureau
On 01-07-2024, at 9:45pm, Antioch PD patrol officers in conjunction with Contra Costa County Fire responded to a report of an assault that just occurred on the 1900 block of D Street, Antioch. When officers arrived, they located the victim, a 39-year-old male, who was down and unconscious. Officers rendered aid, and the victim was transported to a local hospital.
After speaking with several witnesses and obtaining video surveillance, it was discovered the victim was struck at least one time knocking him unconscious and causing him to fall to the ground. The victim was later pronounced deceased at the hospital pending a coroner’s investigation.
On 07-30-2024, the Antioch PD Investigations Bureau received the coroner’s report, which indicated the cause of death was ruled a homicide. The Investigations Bureau is investigating all evidence at this time in the hopes of identifying additional witnesses and leads. Based on the information obtained, this appears to be an isolated incident, and there is no threat to the public. This is an active investigation, and no further information will be released at this time.
If you have any information regarding this crime, please contact Detective Becerra at abecerra@antiochca.gov or (925) 779-6937.
Burglary suspect Joshua Michael Spain-Cue was arrested in Walnut Creek on July 30, 2024. Photo: WCPD
Bail set at $250,000; has previous arrest record
By Lt. Bruce Jower, Walnut Creek Police Department
On July 30, 2024, around 11:00 a.m., an alert citizen called Walnut Creek Police to report a suspicious person entering their neighbor’s backyard. WCPD officers responded to the 1100 block of Flowerwood Place and found the suspect, Joshua Michael Spain-Cue, (34-year-old from Antioch, born 7/6/90) inside the residence.
WCPD officers took him into custody and linked him to another burglary in the 800 block of Bancroft Road. Spain-Cue was then booked at the Martinez Detention Facility on burglary charges of: PC 460(a)- First Degree Burglary (Residence) and PC 460(b)- Second Degree Burglary (Commercial)
WCPD Detectives presented the case to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office, which filed two counts of burglary against Spain-Cue. His bail is $250,000, and he remains in custody.
However, according to the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office, the is six-foot, two-inch tall, 175-pound and blonde-haired, blue-eyed Hispanic man is being held on no bail and his next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 13th in Superior Court.
According to localcrimenews.com, Spain-Cue was also arrested by Walnut Creek Police on March 22nd for resisting, obstructing, delaying a peace officer and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was also arrested by Martinez Police on July 19, 2021, on warrants or holds only.
If you have any information about this case, please contact the Walnut Creek Police Department at 925-943-5844 or the Anonymous Tip Line at (925) 943-5865.
National Night Out (NNO) is a national community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships. NNO culminates annually, across the United States, on the first Tuesday in August. The goal of agencies and communities across the nation is to enhance relationships and bring back a true sense of community. This year, NNO will be held on Tuesday, August 6 and we will be visiting block parties around the city between 6 PM and 9 PM.
The following communities are hosting NNO block parties at the below locations:
– South Lake/ Alhambra Drive
– Sycamore Drive
– Village Point HOA
– Strasbourg Lane
– Gazelle Court
– Deer Ridge Way
– Ivy Lane
– Julpun Community Park
– Eagleridge Park
– Fallow Way
– Rivertown Apartments
If you are hosting an event and would like us to visit, please email: hansho@antiochca.gov
Eagleridge Park National Night Out Event
Organizers invite you to join them for a fun-filled afternoon at Eagleridge Park National Night Out event in Antioch, CA!
Save the date: August 6, 2024
Time: 4pm – 8pm
It’s a FREE event! Enjoy:
Free Snow Cones and snacks
Bounce Houses
Face Painting
Games
Live Musical Entertainment
Don’t miss out on the excitement! Bring your friends and family for an unforgettable evening of community celebration. See you there!
Eagleridge Park is located on Eagleridge Drive and Greystone Drive.
According to Antioch Police Lt. Matt Koch, “Officers responded at 1:28 p.m. on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, to the 3800 block of Rockford Drive on a report of a male trying to steal a vehicle in front of a homeowner’s residence who came out to confront the suspect. There was some sort of altercation between the homeowner and the suspect, and the suspect shot the homeowner. He received non-life-threatening injuries.”
The case is still under investigation and the suspect has not yet been apprehended,” Koch added.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Antioch Police non-emergency line at (925) 778-2441.
At this location, an adult male was driving a burgundy Toyota Tacoma, occupied by himself and four other adult female passengers. At the same time and location, an unknown driver was traveling in an unknown dark pickup truck, with a trailer in tow, directly to the right of the Tacoma in the number two lane. The dark pickup made an unsafe lane change into the number one lane and crashed into the right side of the Tacoma. This crash caused the driver of the Tacoma to lose control. The Tacoma subsequently veered left and traveled into the grassy center divider where it overturned multiple times. The dark pickup truck was last seen fleeing the area on SR-4 westbound.
While the driver of the Tacoma was uninjured, the four passengers were injured from the crash, some seriously. One was airlifted to the hospital and the other three were transported by ambulance. All are expected to make full recoveries.
Upon initial investigation it was determined all occupants within the Tacoma were properly seat-belted. It is unknown whether the driver of the dark pickup truck was seat-belted during the crash and it is unknown if the crash is DUI related.
Asked for an update on a possible suspect, CHP-Contra Costa PIO Dan Gilmore said, “We’ve had a couple people reaching out. But no major leads and no one in custody, yet.”
This crash is still under investigation. If anyone witnessed the crash, the events leading up to, or has information/dash-cam footage of the crash/suspect, please contact CHP Contra Costa in Martinez, (925) 646-4980 or email your contact information to 320Investigations@chp.ca.gov to be contacted by the investigating officer.
