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Koda and His Partner in Action
For those in the Downtown this evening, there was a little bit of action. OPD Officers were advised that a stolen vehicle had passed one of our Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs). The device is essentially a camera that takes a photo of a license plate and then checks it against the state-wide stolen vehicle list. When it finds a vehicle that is wanted by police, it alerts our dispatch center and the dispatchers alert the officers. Turns out Koda (and his partner Officer Del Prado) were in the right place at the right time to see the car headed toward Downtown on Main Street.
Because stolen vehicles are used in so many other serious crimes, officers typically have the occupants of the car exit the car and come back to officers. Once everyone is out, it’s Koda’s job to make sure no one else is hiding in the car that could injure the officers.
The vehicle was reported stolen out of Alameda County. Officers initially detained the three occupants of the vehicle. A search of the vehicle found a number of items with security tags still affixed to them. Officers also found a number of large bags that appear to have been used to conceal merchandise and prevent security systems from detecting the merchandise (commonly referred to as “booster bags”). Officers seized the bags and merchandise from the vehicle and the vehicle was impounded. One of the three occupants, Joachim Miller, 68 year-old from Antioch, was arrested for possession of stolen property and booked at the jail. The other two occupants were released to family members who later arrived at the scene.
Koda and Officer Del Prado always seem to be in the right place at the right time. He’ll get a nice scratch, some extra play time, a quick snack - then it’s back to work. Koda lets Officer Del Prado handle the paperwork, Koda hates paperwork and none of us are going to argue with him. Grrrrrrreat job by both of them.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact Oakley Police at OPD@ci.oakley.ca.us
UPDATE ON PORCH PIRATE - Why we work together . . .
Shortly after posting about this crime, we received a tip about the location of the vehicle from this morning’s package theft. OPD Officers responded to the area and located the vehicle parked in a driveway of a home. Officers made contact with the residents of the home and were able to identify the woman who had stolen the packages from the porch of the home. OPD Officers were also able to locate the packages that were taken during the theft. The thief now finds themselves on a different naughty and nice list - the court docket. OPD Officers will now be bringing the packages back to the home where they were taken from.
Thank you to everyone who helped us solve this case and get Christmas back on track for this family. The value of a security camera or a quick thinking neighbor proves again that we can solve these things when we work together. A tip of the hat to members of the Posse, you brought another one in for justice.
CALLING ALL CARS, BE ON THE LOOKOUT . . .
That’s the broadcast that we are making this evening -- we need some help. This morning one of our neighbors on Chianti Way called to report a Package Thief (AKA “Porch Pirate”) in his neighborhood. The neighbor told officers he saw a strange vehicle parked in front of their neighbor’s home. The neighbor watched as the driver of the car went up to the porch, picked up a package and then returned to her car. The neighbor confronted the female driver, who replied that the home belonged to her grandparents (not true). The driver then got into the car (CA License 6XFF451) and drove away. As the driver was leaving, the neighbor quickly snapped photos of the driver and her car. While the photo of the driver is not the typical style we put on a wanted poster, it’s what we have in this case. When Officers arrived in the neighborhood, they were unable to find the vehicle. Officers have since learned the packages that were taken off of the porch were the Christmas gifts for the children at the home and had been left 20 minutes prior.
The identified car comes back as not registered. We are looking for help from members of the community in locating this vehicle and the person who stole the packages. If you can help us identify the suspect (AKA “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas”) or locate the vehicle, please contact the OPD Tip Line at OPD@ci.oakley.ca.us. Let’s find those gifts and get them back home!!!
Last week Troop 152 Boy Scouts Nolan Lozano and Frank McNulty Beede were honored by the Oakley City Council for their accomplishment of attaining the rank of Eagle Scout.
For his Eagle Scout project, Nolan led a team to construct three picnic tables for his “Breaking Bread” homeless outreach church small group. He also raised money to feed 60 people the day the table were delivered.
For his Eagle Scout project, Frank led a team in the construction of eight benches at Delta Vista Middle School which will serve thousands of students over their lifespan.
Congratulations to Nolan and Frank!
POLICE INVESTIGATORS ARE RECOGNIZED
At Tuesday Night’s Council Meeting, the Mayor recognized the work of OPD Detective Minister and DA’s Investigator Holcombe by awarding them the Oakley Police Department’s "Medal of Merit". Both of these investigators worked on the investigation of a series of computer threats that were initially made to several students and then expanded to include the entire student body and members of the School District Administration. These two investigators dedicated hundreds of hours in investigating the threats by interviewing dozens of witnesses and researching the computer networks that were used to transmit the various threats. Through their investigation, the detectives were able to identify a suspect who was currently residing in Texas. These two investigators traveled to Texas where they worked with local authorities to locate and apprehend the suspect. Our detectives were able to recover a significant amount of evidence linking the suspect to all of the threats that had been made. The suspect was later extradited back to California and has been charged with a series of crimes. The efforts of these two investigators resolved an incident that had significantly impacted our community. The Mayor was joined by Superintendent Volta, Principal Manke, and DA’s Chief Inspector Mulligan in recognizing the investigators for their outstanding work. We’re lucky to have them on the OPD Team!!!
Photos by Steve Nosanchuk