To see photos of some of the graduates click here. See below the video of the DLMHS Class of 2020 virtual graduation.

All photos by Leslie Reano.

By Leslie Reano and Antioch Police Department

“What a wonderful day today has been,” Lesli Reano an Instructional Aid for Special Needs with the Antioch Unified School District’s Community-Based Instruction program wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday, May 28, 2020. “Our AUSD CBI team had a parade for ALL our graduating young adults today. Our CBI teamed up and brought graduation signs, candy necklace and balloons to all 12 of our graduates. We then did a Graduation parade to each of their homes. The smiles that we saw from our students was priceless! We in CBI all want to thank our wonderful Police force for guiding us on our route to our kids’ homes! They went over and beyond! Thank you, Officer Calvin Prieto, Officer Andrea Rodriguez and Officer Ben Padilla you all were so fun, and your kindness will never be forgotten!! Thank you, Sergeant Smith for reaching out to Lieutenant Mendez and made this all happen. Shout out to our AUSD CBI Team!!!”

“Congratulations to our AUSD CBI graduates!!!” wrote the Antioch Police on their Facebook page. “APD was honored to be part of the graduation parade for the AUSD CBI program. The CBI Program, located on the Deer Valley High School campus, is a community-based instruction (CBI) program for 18- to 22-year-old students with special needs. The program is designed to assist students after earning their certificate of completion, transition into adult life, by helping them to become more independent within the community in the following four basic directions – Vocational Training, Community Access, Independent Living Skills, and Personal Development.

Please join us in congratulating these amazing graduates!”

The program also offers job coaching, Reano said.

Photos by APD.

By Antioch Police Department

On Sunday afternoon, May 24, 2020 one of our officers attempted to make contact with a subject in the area of Buchanan Road and Gentrytown Drive. For unknown reasons, this person decided they didn’t want to talk to us and fled on foot. When our officer caught up to them, they quickly found out that the 60+ prescription pills the person had in their possession may have been the reason they didn’t want to stick around, as well as the fact they were on juvenile probation.

We then paid a house call to conduct a probation search to make sure there wasn’t anything else going on that he shouldn’t be doing. To our surprise, we not only found metal knuckles in his bedroom, but also found a loaded AR-15 rifle. We were fortunate to find this firearm in the fashion in which we did and while it was unfortunate it was in the hands of a juvenile, we are happy to have taken it off the streets before it could be used in any sort of violent crime!

For his troubles, he was eventually given a ride to juvenile hall by our jailer for multiple weapons charges and probation violations.

Photos by APD.

By Antioch Police Department

Good morning Antioch and fans of APD!!! We wanted to let you know about another proactive gun arrest:

Friday, May 22, 2020 at about 2 pm, an #APDDayShift officer patrolling Sycamore Drive and Spanos Street spotted a 17-year-old juvenile he knew had two active warrants. The juvenile was placed under arrest and found to have a loaded semi-automatic pistol in his waistband, with 14 rounds in the magazine. Things didn’t end there, because a gold necklace the juvenile was wearing was traced back to a previously reported theft. He was brought to Juvenile Hall for his warrants, along with the firearm and stolen property possession charges.

APD remains committed to reducing violent crime in our neighborhoods through proactive patrols, instead of sitting back and waiting for bad things to happen. This gun will NEVER be used to harm anyone and we hope this young offender will learn that crime doesn’t pay!

#AntiochPD #AntiochStrong #ProactivePolicing

Photos by APD.

By Antioch Police Department

Lesson Plan: Crime isn’t the ticket to a successful future.

On Wednesday, APD was alerted to a burglary that had just occurred at Deer Valley High School. Officers learned multiple suspects broke into classrooms and stole electronics, laptops, along with drinks and snacks. After viewing video of the incident, our diligent officers began an extensive area search, and located three matching suspects. They attempted to test-out their social distancing skills by sprinting away from the law, but all were captured by our new speedy Officer Carpenter. A search revealed ski masks, a replica handgun, along with some of the stolen loot. The school yard thieves, who ranged in ages from 14-17, were arrested, with two sent to Juvenile Hall, and a third released to a parent.

Working in partnership with our community helps us put a stop to crime. If you spot something unusual, please give us a call at (925) 778-2441, or 9-1-1 if you think it’s an emergency. Be our extra set of eyes and leave the tough stuff to us!

By Antioch Unified School District

We have good news to share!!

Any AUSD student who signed up for an Advanced Placement (AP) exam this school year will have their exam costs paid in full by Antioch USD. This decision was the result of our awareness that due to COVID-19 many students may have stressors – including, but not limited to, not having the same level of access or support for exam preparation due to the virus and school closures. We want our students to take the exams as we feel the experience of the exam itself is a college-readiness activity.

However, we understand that many may be hesitant to move forward with their exams and seek refunds due to feeling they may not be prepared. By picking up all costs, students can now confidently take the exams, knowing that if they do not achieve their desired scores, their families have not come out of pocket for their efforts, thus eliminating unnecessary pressure or worries.

Please note that the refund process for families who have already paid is under way. We ask for your patience as it may take a bit longer than usual to process the anticipated $50,000 in refunds due to the current closure and limited staffing. However, please know that your refund is on the way and we wish you the very best on your exam.

We are rooting for you and you’ve got this!! #WeAreAUSD

Suspect Daiveon Allison. Photo source unknown.

By Sergeant James Stenger #3604, Antioch Police Violent Crimes Unit (Investigations Bureau)

St. Patrick’s Day turned out to be a lucky day for the family of Jonathan Parker and Antioch Police. On March 17, 2020, the 15-year-old suspect, Daiveon Allison of Pittsburg wanted in the shooting death of the Deer Valley High student on Jan. 31, turned himself in with an attorney to Antioch Police Detectives and Deputies from the U.S. Marshals Service. The arranged surrender took place at the Oakland Police Department. The suspect was transported and booked into the Contra Costa County Juvenile Hall in Martinez.

Allison was identified by police to the public on Friday, March 13 over a month after the case was presented to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office on but on February 7, 2020. Allison was charged in juvenile court with murder and having a firearm on school grounds. (See related article)

The shooting occurred in the Deer Valley High School parking lot following a basketball game against cross-town Antioch High School.

Jonathan Parker DVHS shooting victim posted on Instagram by chris27ul.

The Antioch Police Department would like to thank the public and U.S. Marshals Service for their assistance with this case.

According to one of Parker’s family members a wanted poster was created and a $10,000 reward was going to be offered for information that led to Daiveon’s whereabouts and arrest, using the funds from a GoFundMe effort. However that didn’t turn out to be necessary.

No further information will be released regarding this case.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.