The Year in Review for 2018

San Rafael Police Department

The Year in Review for 2018

January:

01/02/18 – With the legalization of marijuana, municipalities in Marin were considering adding marijuana to the Social Host Ordinance to keep all jurisdictions the same.

01/08/18 – San Rafael Police arrested a Sacramento man on suspicion of pimping an 18-year-old woman in the Cana area. The Street Crimes Unit contacted the woman in the Canal District and this led to the arrest of her pimp. Arrested was Laroyce Almartez Chew, 24 years. He was booked on prostitution related counts.

01/11/18 – This was a big day for the San Rafael Police Department as a ground-breaking celebration was conducted at the site of the new public safety building. Completion is scheduled for some time in 2020.

01/12/18 – Former Marin Coroner Darrell Harris plead guilty to child molestation charges in a deal that spared him prison. He could face six months in jail and he will have to register as a sex offender.

01/12/18 – Chaos took place on a Golden Gate Transit bus in the Canal District. A passenger, later identified as Cierra Marie Hix, 24 years. She attacked three people on the bus. She pulled one passenger’s hair, bit another passenger and placed a third person in a choke hold. The incident started when Hix kicked her own dog on the bus and passengers complained. She also fought with officers when they arrived.

01/16/18 – A Marin County Sheriff’s Deputy spotted a car with a smashed window traveling in the area of the Northgate Mall. When the deputy stopped the car, the driver foot bailed and ran into the Chipotle Restaurant. The deputy caught the suspect hiding in the business. SRPD later connected the suspect to a robbery case they were working. Booked for robbery was Brandon Eli Mazariegos, 19 years of San Rafael.

01/16/18 – Two East Bay women from Fremont were arrested after they broke into a display case at the Target store in San Rafael. A security guard got their license plate and several days later, Fremont Police apprehended them when they were attempting a theft there. Arrested for theft were Allure Breaux 18 years and Justyce Scott 22 years.

01/18/18 – Marin County Prosecuting attorney Barry Borden, 67 years, retired from the D.A.’s Office after a 38-year career. Bordon prosecuted all types of cases from murder to felony assault cases.

01/19/18 – The San Rafael City Council, by a vote of 5-0, approved a pilot medical marijuana licensing program. Details will be worked out in the future.

01/29/18 – Two San Rafael men were arrested on allegations they placed a fake 911 call to divert police from a burglary they were about to commit. Eric Nylin, 30 years and Theodore Prater, 18 years, placed the fake call and while police responded, they hit a store in the Canal area for phones. Officers reviewed surveillance tape from the store and recognized both suspects. They were located and booked.

01/29/18 – Dennis Peron, an activist for the positive use of marijuana died. He argued for how good marijuana was good for certain afflictions. Peron died at the age of 72 from Late Stage Lung Cancer.

01/31/18 – Authorities detained six suspects in a sex trafficking sting operation conducted by San Rafael Police and several other agencies. It was part of a broader statewide crackdown called “Operation Reclaim and Rebuild.” Officers placed adds on line to draw suspects and they also answered adds that had been posted. Several suspects were booked, and some were cited.

February:

02/04/18 – SRPD received a report of an in-progress burglary at a residence on Billou Street. A neighbor saw a female enter through a side door and called police. Officers arrived as the female was fleeing. She was apprehended a short distance from the house. Booked for burglary was Rebekah Callahan, 35 years of San Rafael.

02/08/18 – Offices responded to a report of a car driving on the sidewalk on Medway Road by the Seven Eleven store. Upon their arrival, several citizens were holding suspect Melquin Masariegos, 22 years on the ground. Apparently Masariegos drove from the road to the sidewalk and struck a pedestrian. The pedestrian received broken bones and a head injury. Masariegos tried to run but was held by some witnesses until police arrived. He was booked for felony DUI and driving with a suspended license.

02/07/18 – The San Rafael City Council voted to allocate $20,00 for a program to assist homeless people get returned to their original place of origin. The program, called “Return to Residence.” It is estimated that 30% of Marin’s 1,100 homeless come from out of the area. The program will run for 6 months.

02/11/18 – San Rafael Police arrested a recently released felon for burglarizing two electrical supply stores. The investigation revealed that similar burglaries had been going on throughout the Bay Area. Detectives were able to identify the suspect as Arthur Salvetti, 47 years, from Alameda. Hayward Police arrested him as part of the coordinated investigation.

02/28/18 – The San Rafael Police Department established its first Youth Academy. The attendees will be two dozen students from Davidson Middle School. The program will be similar to the Citizen Academy that the police department has held for many years. Students will be attending the classes for ten weeks.

March:

03/07/18 – Officer Chuck Tirre retired from the Department and moved to New York.

03/09/18 – The San Rafael City Council voted to set a proposed taxation structure and commercial zoning for a limited medical marijuana industry in the city. The council voted to place the tax measure for cannabis businesses on the June 5 ballot.

03/12/18 – San Rafael Police cited three people for purchasing alcohol for a minor decoy. The operation was funded by the California Department of Alcohol Beverage Control.

03/17/18 – Police were called to San Rafael High School after a non-specific threat was found written in a girl’s restroom. School was not shut down and the police continued to investigate.

03/30/18 – San Rafael Police arrested Nolberto Maldonado-Rodas, 22 years for molesting a girl younger than 10 years. As part of the investigation, Maldonado-Rodas was also charged for doing a series of commercial burglaries in the city. He was being held under $100,000 bail.

03/30/18 – San Rafael Police arrested a 21-year-old man for having sex with a 16-year-old girl. The girl reported the incident to her mother and police started an investigation. Arrested was Dani Nicolas Hernandez Gonzales for having unlawful sex with a minor.

April:

04/01/18 – SRPD received numerous reports of drug activity in the Gerstle Park area. An investigation was started by the Street Crimes Unit. Officers identified the suspect as Miguel Moises-Hernandez, 20 years. A search of his residence in the neighborhood revealed processed marijuana and $10,000 in cash. He was booked for selling to a minor and selling within 1000 feet of a school.

04/03/18 – A shopper at the Northgate Mall found a cell phone in a family restroom. The shopper called SRPD who determined that the phone was set up to record the toilet area. Police were able to identify the suspect from surveillance video the mall had. Officers contacted Uriel Maldonado, 27 and booked him for peeping and illegally recording. Maldonado had two similar priors in 2015 and 2017.

04/03/18 – SRPD received a report from the Ace Hardware store in Terra Linda that two subjects were stealing tools. The manager was pushed by the suspects in the parking lot. A short time later, SRPD received a report that a male tried to steal some meat from Smart and Final in the Canal District. The vehicle description matched in both incidents and officers spotted the car going over the Richmond Bridge. The suspects ran into a store on Cutting Blvd. but were apprehended. Booked for robbery was Zeteic Roberts, 40, out of Richmond and Neomi Shortridge, 49, also out of Richmond for conspiracy.

04/09/18 – Officers responded to Kohl’s Department Store at the Northgate Mall regarding a theft. A fight broke out between security and the two suspects, were reported to have stolen some items. The two suspects fled in a car. Officers spotted the car at the Terra Linda MacDonalds and contacted the two suspects. Enough evidence was gathered to arrest both suspects for robbery. Booked was Jamon Ward, 43 from Richmond and Patricia Daniels, 49 out of Vallejo.

04/11/18 – A man awaiting trial in a Corte Madera rape investigation was charged with exposing himself to an Uber driver in San Rafael. The suspect, Izell Lewis, 26 of San Rafael, ordered an Uber in San Rafael and took it to the Marin Heath and Human Services Department at 120 N. Redwood Highway in San Rafael. Upon arrival, the suspect asked the female driver to look back at him. When she did, she saw that he was exposing himself to her. Lewis was charged with Indecent Exposure.

04/23/18 – SRPD conducted a DUI checkpoint at Lincoln and Grand Avenue. They screened 1,333 cars and arrested four persons for DUI. An additional nine drivers were cited for not having licenses.

04/26/18 – Officers responded to a report of an in-progress burglary to a home at San Pedro Road and Summit Avenue. Upon arrival, officers observed a male fleeing the house. Officers then observed the suspect jump into the canal to avoid capture. The man began to struggle in the water and officers threw him a flotation device. An officer and a citizen then jumped into the water in an attempt to rescue the suspect, but the suspect disappeared beneath the surface. Divers recovered the man’s body a short time later. The suspect was identified as Albon Wagener, 49 years.

May:

05/03/18 – Former Marin County Deputy Coroner Darrell Harris, was sentenced to six months in jail for a sexual abuse case that had been under investigation for some time. Harris entered a plea deal to avoid a trial.

05/07/18 – The Marin I.J. published an article reporting that the average pension payout to full-career retirees in Marin County was $96,401.

05/13/18 – With the election in June for District Attorney coming up, the Independent Journal announced that they were endorsing Lori Frugoli for the position.

05/25/18 – The City of San Rafael announced that it would expand its roster of medical cannabis business license categories from three to four when the program launches in June.

June:

06/06/18 – Lori Frugoli took the lead for District Attorney in the primary election. This set up a race between her and Anna Pletcher for November.

06/08/18 – Officers responded to a report of a boat fire at 555 Francisco Bvld. Upon arrival of the fire department and P.D. the boat was burning at a good rate. While battling the flames, officials saw that a dog was on board. SRPD Officer Travis Ruggles commandeered a nearby rowboat and he paddled to the burning vessel and rescued the dog.

06/10/18 – Marin officials were gearing up to do an environmental analysis of a proposed “next generation” radio system for emergency personnel. This plan has been a work in progress for a number of years to replace the current aging radio system. The plan is to add eight new sites to the current system with new equipment to be purchased.

06/10/18 – The Marin Civil Grand Jury issued a report backing police body-worn cameras for officers. The report stated that citizen complaints decreased with departments using the cameras. It was recommended that all departments in the county get them.

06/17/18 – Officers received a report of a man with a rifle at an apartment complex at Fifth and Lootens Place. Witnesses reported that the man went into an apartment. Police negotiators were called, and they were able to talk the man out of the apartment after he admitted that he had a rifle. The man was then taken into custody.

06/20/18 – Three men were arraigned in connection with an alleged gang attack at Pickleweed Park on May 26. The fight included knives and beer bottles. In custody for the incident were Edward Carroll, 36, Erick Ireta, 21 and Ricardo Alvarez, 23 years. After the attack the three suspects fled in a car and police were able to locate the car and make the arrests.

06/25/18 – The Marin County Grand Jury issued a report that Juvenile Hall should be closed as it was too costly to run it with so few inmates. They suggested that in custody juveniles should be housed in Sonoma or Napa County. Juvenile Hall has 21 full-time employees with a budget of 4 million dollars per year to run it. The County of Marin rejected a previous report issued in 2015.

July:

07/11/18 – San Rafael’s K9 Faro retired from police service after working for the department for five years. His handler was Corporal Christian Diaz, who had recently been promoted to Sergeant. Faro received a cake and toys at the City Council meeting celebrating his retirement.

07/14/18 – Officers received a report of a man destroying his apartment above the business at Fourth and Lincoln Avenue. Officers found Benjamin Ritter, 32 years, on the balcony of his apartment, who appeared to be under the influence. When officers approached him, he jumped to a neighbor’s balcony and then stood up standing on the balcony rail. Fearing that he was going to jump from the third floor, officers grabbed him, and he started fighting, injuring three officers in the scuffle. He was booked for assault on the officers.

07/16/18 – In order to try to improve the parking problems in the Canal District, the City put a new ordinance into effect allowing cars to only park on the street for 24 hours, instead of 72 hours. Citations will be written starting November 1, 2018.

07/18/18 – San Rafael Police officers and firefighters filled the council chambers at a council meeting to protest the fact that they were working without a contract since July. Both groups felt that the city’s offer was not acceptable. They read a statement to the council at the start of the meeting.

07/23/18 – Officers responded to multiple calls of a woman screaming in the downtown district. The woman, later identified as Nadia Silvershine, 57 years, broke out a window to a business using a wine bottle and cooking pot. Upon arrival of officers, the woman pulled out a 2 ½ inch knife and demanded that the officers kill her. She was taken into custody and booked for vandalism and obstructing officers. No one was injured.

07/25/18 – Officers arrested two men on suspicion of driving intoxicated in the same car. The first driver struck a parked car on Canal Street and got the car stuck between the car he hit and the curb. He was not able to free the car and his passenger, who was also intoxicated, got in the driver’s seat and freed the car. Police arrived and stopped the car a short distance away. Booked for DUI was Casildo Cialan-Cahuex, 41 and Demesio Orozco-Cahuex, 35 years.

August:

08/03/18 – SRPD started to received reports of widespread vandalism from the Miracle Mile to Loch Lomond. Officers located nine businesses that had been tagged with spray paint, causing damage of at least $6,500. The Special Operations Unit canvassed the area looking for surveillance cameras and in one case a camera picked up the vandalism and the suspect and the vehicle he was driving. Officers were able to read the license plate number and an investigation lead to the arrest of 20-year-old Timothy Goetz of San Rafael. He was booked on charges of felony vandalism.

08/05/18 – At 9:04 p.m. officers responded to a report of a man standing on Market Street holding two knives. The subject was waving the knives in a threatening manner as officers tried to negotiate with him for about 30 minutes. The man started to move down the street and when he would not drop the knives, a Marin Sheriff’s Deputy fired less lethal rounds from a shotgun at him, but they were ineffective. When the suspect charged a sheriff’s deputy, SRPD Officer Kevin MacDougald shot the suspect with his duty handgun. The suspect survived and was arrested for attempted murder. The suspect was identified as 48-year-old Faramarz Aghazadeh.

08/20/18 – Officers received a report of shots fired at 3 a.m. at a residence in the Sun Valley area. Upon arrival at the 2100 block of Fifth Avenue, officers found one man injured by a gunshot. They also found other people in the yard where an argument apparently started. Officers arrested Washington State resident Kristopher Batayola, 30 years, for being a felon in possession of ammunition. It was unclear at the time of the arrest if he was the shooter.

08/20/18 – After several months of negotiations with the City, SRPD Association members settled with the city for a new two-year contract. The old contract had expired at the end of June.

08/28/18 – Investigators arrested three suspects and seized suspected methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine after a bust at Trevor’s Pub at 927 Tamalpais Avenue. Officers had received reports of drug sales at the business and undercover officers were sent in to make drug purchases. The three arrested were Dru Devoe, 59 years of San Rafael on one count of drug transportation or sales; Michael Shaker, 57 years who lived in an apartment above the bar and Gerald Yaklic, 47 years of Novato. He was reported to be an employee of the bar.

08/31/18 – Marin drug investigators arrested a San Rafael man on allegations of selling opioids from his home. Officers received complaints of a lot of activity at a residence on Windsor Avenue in the Sun Valley neighborhood. Undercover detectives were sent to the home and they were able to purchase drugs. Arrested for felony drug sales was Trystan Quashnick, 22 of San Rafael.

08/31/18 – SRPD Police Lieutenant Ralph Pata retired from the department. He had served there since 1985 working many different assignments.

September:

09/12/18 – Central Marin Police responded to a robbery at the CVS store at the Bon Air Center. The suspect, armed with a gun, jumped the counter and took a number of controlled substances. Witnesses obtained a vehicle description and SRPD officers spotted the car in the Canal District a short time later. They stopped the car and arrested Joseph Stewart 25 of San Rafael. He was arrested for vehicle theft, robbery and resisting arrest. A BB gun was recovered in the car.

09/16/18 – Police arrested Shannon Marie Jones, 35 for embezzlement after an investigation. Jones worked for a law firm as a legal secretary. It was discovered that she embezzled about $319,000 from the firm in San Rafael over a two-year period by taking incoming checks and putting them into her own account.

09/19/18 – SRPD announced that it would be conducting another Citizen’s Academy starting on Oct. 10, 2018. The 10-week program has been very successful in the past and many people sign up for it.

09/28/18 – Officers responded to the Country Club Bowl after receiving a report that an 81-year-old woman had been attacked in the parking lot. Officers determined that the victim was attending a birthday party, when a man tried to grab her purse as she was entering the building. He knocked her to the ground but was not successful in getting her purse. Officers reviewed video surveillance and identified the suspect as Arias Marroquin, 25 years. He was located and arrested for attempted robbery.

October:

10/25/18 – Officers received reports of drug dealing on Lincoln Avenue. The Major Crimes Task Force served a search warrant on the apartment after an investigation and seized a trove of narcotics, a stun gun and a handgun. Arrested on drug charges was 18-year-old Michael Wong.

10/30/18 – The race for Marin County District Attorney heated up with a report that candidates Lori Frugoli and Anna Pletcher were nearing the 1-million-dollar mark in campaign contributions.

November:

11/01/18 – Officers received reports of drug activity in the Contempo Marin Trailer Park on Yosemite Road. The Major Crimes Task Force investigated and serviced a search warrant on the residence. Booked for various drug offenses were Johnny Henderson, 58 and Timothy Melchior, 32 years. One half pound of suspected meth and an ounce of cocaine were confiscated.

11/09/18 – SRPD announced that they received a $175,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety for a year-long enforcement and public awareness program.

11/10/18 – SRPD arrested a wanted felon after finding him with an unregistered machine gun and a loaded high-capacity magazine. An officer observed a parked car in the Gerstle Park neighborhood with 21-year-old Tyler Revels sitting inside. The officer recognized the subject and he was aware that the suspect was wanted on a warrant. The weapons were found in the car during a search. He was booked at Marin County Jail on an outstanding warrant and weapons violations.

11/16/18 – A San Rafael man was charged with molesting a girl when she was 5 years old. The suspect was a former roommate in the victim’s apartment. The victim disclosed to her parents and an investigation was started. Officers located Pedro Perez-Chom, 37 years, and he was booked at Marin County Jail.

11/19/18 – Officers arrested a man on arson allegations that he started a vegetation fire in the marsh area at the east end of Kerner Blvd. It was reported that the suspect, Manu Fesili, 54 years, got into an argument with another person in the marsh and he threw some hot barbecue coals into the grass, that started the fire. About 400 square feet were burned.

11/30/18 – San Rafael High School reported that someone broke into their baseball batting cage and took $3,000 worth of equipment that consisted of generator, outdoor lighting and batting tees. The school district was working with SRPD on the case.

December:

12/01/18 – SRPD started its annual Santa Cop program, which gives presents to families in need. The program was started in 2000 by two SRPD officers who saw a need that was not being met.

12/01/18 – After several weeks of counting ballots, the Marin County Department of Elections declared Lori Frugoli the winner over Ann Pletcher for District Attorney. Frugoli won by 386 votes. Pletcher decided not to ask for a recount.

12/04/18 – In September a man, who was at the Circle K gas station in the Canal District, had his iPhone stolen from him by a male armed with a hatchet. The suspect was not caught at the time, however on 12/02/18, the victim spotted the suspect at the Seven Eleven store on B Street. Officers responded and arrested William Lindsey 48 years, for robbery.

12/06/18 – Two inmates on San Quentin’s death row died in the same week of drug overdoses. Prison officials were investigating how the drugs got into the prison.

12/08/18 – During the past several months, businesses in San Rafael were reporting that someone was breaking out windows to their buildings. A total of 30 cases were reported. Police were able to obtain a high-quality video surveillance photo of the suspect as he broke out a window to a business and they were able to identify him. Officers located Miguel Parra, 47 years and arrested him on 12 counts of felony vandalism. He was also arrested on a warrant for making annoying phone calls to 911.

12/11/18 – For the past several weeks, construction crews had been working on the Marin Islands removing two structures that had been there for years. Officers received an emergency call that one of the workers was trapped under some debris. Fire department boats and a helicopter were dispatched; however, they were not able to revive the victim. Officials identified the victim as Shawn Frederick Moore, 39 years, from Woodland Ca. It was determined that a wall had fallen on him while he was working on the project.

12/11/18 – City officials reported that the new public safety building, currently under construction at Fifth and D Street, was on schedule and within budget. Construction on the 36-million-dollar building was started in 2017 and the completion date is estimated for the spring of 2020.

12/13/18 – Hundreds of volunteers dubbed the “First Responder Elves” worked for two days at the National Guard Armory wrapping presents for the Santa Cop program. More than 800 Marin children will receive presents as part of the 18^th annual program.

12/20/18 – Officers received a report that a car hit a stop sign on Las Gallinas Avenue and then left the scene of the crash. Officers arrived on scene and started an investigation. They were able to find the car parked in front of a house in Terra Linda. They then contacted the resident, Marin County Supervisor Damon Connolly, and determined that he was the driver and that he was under the influence of alcohol. He was booked at Marin County Jail for DUI.

12/27/18 – For the first time in 18 years, a prisoner escaped from San Quentin Prison. Inmate Shalom Mendoza, 24, was serving time at the prison for carjacking. He was on a work crew outside the prison walls when he was discovered missing several hours later. At about that time, SRPD received a report that a woman had been carjacked in the parking lot of Home Depot. Evidence pointed to the fact that Mendoza was responsible. An all-state alert was put out and Mendoza was spotted by an alert citizen in Paso Robles several days later where he was taken into custody.

12/26/18 – Fire and police responded to a two-alarm fire at an apartment complex at 120 Larkspur Street in the Canal District. Two upstairs units burned, and the two lower units suffered sever water damage. Four families were displaced by the fire. Several days later, fire, police and the Salvation Army contacted the families and through the Santa Cop program, they were able to replace presents that had been destroyed in the fire.

12/27/18 – SRPD dispatch received a report of a robbery at the Subway sandwich shop on Irwin Street. Officers responded and learned that the suspect, a Hispanic male, 30 to 35 years entered the store and used the bathroom. Upon exiting, he ordered a sandwich and when the sandwich was ready, he displayed gun in his waistband and had the clerk empty the register. Officers checked the area but were not able to locate the suspect.

Homicides:

07/24/18 – San Rafael recorded its first homicide in seven years. At 8:21 a.m. SRPD dispatch received a 911 call from a resident in the 700 block of Penny Royal Lane in Terra Linda. The male caller reported that he had just shot his wife and he intended to shoot himself. SWAT was called, and a robot was sent into the home when no communication could be made with anyone inside. The robot showed that there were two deceased people inside. The case was declared a murder-suicide. The victim was identified as Doreen Bentley-Bearham, 91 years and the suspect was identified as her husband, James Bearham, 73 years.

12/03/18 – At 6:00 p.m. SRPD received a report of a possible shooting at Pickleweed Park. Upon arrival, officers found a young male inside a vehicle with an apparent gunshot wound. The victim was confirmed deceased at the scene. An unknown male was seen running from the area. The victim was identified as Errol Friedman, 21 years of San Anselmo. Officers conducted an investigation and were able to identify a suspect. On 12/06/18, officers arrested a 17-year-old juvenile who resides in Fairfax for the shooting. He was booked into Juvenile Hall on one count of murder.

Marin County recorded a total of six homicides for the year including the San Rafael ones.

In Memoriam

03/15/18 – Marin County Deputy Ryan Zirkle, 24, was dispatched to a 911 call in West Marin. While en route to the call, his patrol car ran off the road and struck a tree, killing him. Zirkle was a 2011 graduate of San Marin High School where he was a standout athlete. Zirkle had been a deputy for 2 and a half years. He was survived by his parents, two older brothers and a fiancée with whom he had recently purchased a house in Petaluma.

03/15/18 – Jack Lucey, an award-winning Marin Independent Journal illustrator and cartoonist for 32 years died at the age of 89. His favorite assignment was doing courtroom drawings, covering high profile cases of the day. Such drawings included Angela Davis, the San Quentin Six and the Trailside killer David Carpenter as well as Patty Hearst.

03/19/18 – John Lufrano died at his home in Novato. He attended schools in San Francisco and served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. In 1955 he went to work for the Golden Gate Bridge District starting as a toll collector and retiring after 33 years as Captain of the Bridge Police. He was 88 years old.

04/15/18 – Diana Lynn Diller passed away in April. Born Iowa, she moved to San Rafael with her family in 1962. Diana was employed by the Marin County Sheriff’s Department as a medical secretary in the nurse’s department. She retired in 1997.

04/25/18 – Former Novato police chief Robert J. de Grazia, who once worked as the Boston police commissioner, died at his home office in Fort Myers Florida. de Grazia worked for the Novato Police Department from 1961 to 1969, working as chief for his final four years there. He was 90 years old.

05/06/18 – Thomas (Tom) Forster, passed away suddenly in Reno, Nevada after a brief illness. Forster was the Fire Chief of the Skywalker Ranch Fire Brigade for over 20 years. He was instrumental in the development of the ranch and also served as Director of Facilities. He hosted many police agencies over the years that trained there. He was 59 years old.

05/26/18 – Matthew Odetto, whose long law enforcement career in Marin County included terms as police chief in Tiburon and San Rafael, died at the age of 57 after a long illness. Odetto joined the Marin Sheriff’s Department in 1981 rising to lieutenant. Tiburon hired Odetto as interim chief in 2000 and named him chief in 2001. Odetto served as San Rafael’s chief from 2006 to 2011.

06/09/18 – Retired Police Officer Andy Grimes passed away in June. He started his police career in the Sausalito Police Depart and then transferred to the San Anselmo Police Department. He then finished his career with the Fairfax Police Department, retiring in 1987.

06/19/18 – Bernard “Bernie” Del Santo, a longtime San Anselmo police officer who rose to become the town’s popular chief died at his home after a long illness. Del Santo started his career in 1962 when he joined the San Anselmo Police Department as a reserve officer. He was hired as an officer two years later. He rose through the ranks serving as a traffic officer, inspector sergeant and captain. He was named Police Chief in 1979, where he served for 20 years. He was 79 years old.

07/08/18 – Retired MCSO Deputy Rick Russell passed away this month after a short illness. Russell was a resident deputy in west Marin in the 1960’s. He is not to be confused with retired Deputy Rick Russell who served with MCSO in the 1980’s.

07/13/18 – Retired SRPD Captain Richard Douglas passed away at his home in Paradise, Ca. after a long illness. Dick started his career in 1959 as an officer, he was promoted to Inspector in 1965. He worked many assignments during his years with SRPD, attaining the rank of Captain. After retirement, he was hired back by SRPD as a fraud investigator in the 1990’s. Dick attended the FBI Academy and was instrumental in moving the department from Social Security to the current 1937 Retirement Act, which benefits all employees.

07/23/18 – Retired Sgt. Ward Hayter passed away at home after a sudden illness. Ward attended San Rafael High School and was hired by SRPD in 1969. He worked several assignments including traffic where he served as the Traffic Sergeant. After leaving SRPD Ward worked in the Redwood City Communications Department and then transferred to Marin County Communications Center where he was a supervisor. He was 70 years old.

08/12/18 – Retired Marin Sheriff’s Deputy Vic Carreea passed away in August. Carreea worked for the Sheriff’s Department in the 1960’s. One of the areas where he worked was in Southern Marin.

08/28/18 – Word was received that retired Marin Sheriff’s Deputy J. J. McBride passed away in August. He was a long-time deputy who worked the coast for many years. He passed away at his home in Glen Ellen after a long illness.

10/12/18 – Robert C. “Bob” Tong, who became an award-winning photojournalist and head of the Marin I.J.’s photo department died at after a long illness. Tong started his career with the Marin I.J. as a paperboy. He became interested in photography and he started taking photographs, winning many state awards over the decades. He had been in ill health and he suffered a stroke about six weeks earlier. He was 58 years old.

10/31/18 – Retired SRPD Officer John Mandler passed away at the end of October after a long illness. John was an old school street cop who knew how to deal with difficult people and get things done. It was reported that he managed to wreck 7 patrol cars during his career in the pursuit of justice. John retired from SRPD in 1982 after 15 years of service. He was 74 years old.

11/29/18 – Word was received that Christine Rossi passed away after a long illness. Christine worked for SRPD from 1965 to 1980. She was assigned to the Detective Division as their secretary. Christine was known at the unofficial Commander of Detectives. She managed to keep all of the detectives in line during her tenure and she was not a bit bashful about sharing her views about events of the day in the office. Christine was 91 years old.

12/14/18 – Retired San Rafael Fire Captain Peter Turrini passed away after an illness at the age of 87. Turrini was born in San Rafael and attended local schools. He served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. He then went to work for the San Rafael Fire Department where he served for 30 years. He was the last living of 10 siblings.

12/24/18 – Retired FBI Agent Patrick Webb passed away after a three-year illness. Webb served in the FBI for 34 years. During that time, he worked cases involving the Unabomber to domestic terrorism, from IRA fugitives to the white supremacist “The Order.” He was a supervisory special agent who spent his entire career in the Bay Area. After retirement in 1999, he worked for Lucasfilm as a security executive. He was 73 years old.

12/24/18 – Former SRPD Reserve Officer Daniel Dufficy passed away on Christmas Eve. In the late 1960’s Dan worked as a part-time dispatcher at the old Com Center located on the second floor at 519 Fourth Street to earn extra money for college. He then became a reserve officer and served for several years. He founded Marin Pacific Insurance located at 1430 Fourth Street in San Rafael and ran it until his death. He was a big supported of the police department. Dan was 77 years old.

End of Report

Copyright 2019 Harry Barbier – All Rights Reserved