History Watch: The Year in Review for 2019

SAN RAFAEL POLICE DEPARTMENT

The Year in Review for 2019

January:

01/05/19 – Former SRPD employee and Deputy District Attorney Lori Frugoli was sworn in as Marin’s second female District Attorney after winning election to the office.

01/12/19 – SRPD arrested 50-year-old Paul Ebbert for possession and distributing child pornography.  A national child advocacy group alerted SRPD when they linked a child pornography photo on the Internet to Ebbert’s account.  SRPD served a search warrant on the suspect’s home and found thousands of explicit photos and videos of children stored on digital devices at the suspect’s home. 

01/15/19 – The San Rafael City Council approved a plan to make the intersection of Third and Hetherton safer for pedestrians to cross.  This intersection has been the scene of two fatal accidents in the past.  The plan was to remove the south crosswalk and move it to the north end of the intersection.

01/16/19 – A woman walking near the Civic Center at 1:00 am, reported that a man in a minivan pulled over next to her and she said that he attempted to kidnap her by forcing her into the van.  The victim said that she was able to fight off the attacker with her umbrella.  The suspect fled and police were investigating.

01/16/19 – The County of Marin asked for volunteers to help do a homeless count in the county.  The federal government provides funds for the count every two years.  The 2017 count reported that there were 1,117 homeless people in Marin with 318 of those in San Rafael.

01/21/19 – San Rafael and other cities received word that the U.S. 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in the case of Martin vs Boise that homeless persons could not be removed from public property if they were not committing a crime as it was a violation the eighth amendment, cruel and unusual punishment.

01/24/19 – A man suspected of committing five armed robberies in Marin County, three in San Rafael, was captured in San Francisco.  Arrested was Ricardo Hernandez, 27 years, who committed three robberies in San Rafael and two in Mill Valley.  The suspect was identified through surveillance footage and communication with other law enforcement agencies.  SFPD located him in their city and arrested him.  Evidence in his possession was found that linked him to some of the robberies.

01/29/19 – SRPD warned football fans to be responsible during the Super Bowl and not drive impaired.  SRPD was planning to increase patrols during the game day.

01/30/19 – San Rafael officers conducted a sex trafficking sting over three days dubbed “Operation Reclaim and Rebuild.”  Officers posted an internet advertisement to find men seeking to buy sex from adults or minors.  The men who responded were directed to meet at a hotel.  Three men were booked for felony counts of contacting a minor for sex. Arrested were Walter Diaz-Giron 32 of San Rafael, Maurico Barbosa-Martinez 36 of San Rafael and Edin Hernandez-Vasquez 26 of San Rafael. 

01/30/19 – SRPD issued a bulletin regarding a fraud alert.  SRPD reported that it had received reports that businesses in San Rafael were receiving phone calls from persons reporting to be their utility company and telling the victim company that they had not paid their bill.  The suspects then attempted to take payment over the phone using a pre-paid credit card.

February:

02/01/19 – Lt. Alan Piombo, a 27-year veteran of the San Rafael Police Department, was hired as Chief of Police for the City of Mill Valley.

02/14/19 – SRPD arrested an alleged freeway pedestrian after a prolonged standoff in the Canal area. It started when a CHP officer observed a man walking on Highway 101 northbound at the San Rafael Flats.  When the officer attempted to contact the subject, the suspect jumped the freeway fence and ran to the city pump station by the San Rafael Yacht Club. Officers negotiated with the man in a heavy rain and were also ready to rescue him if he jumped into the canal.  After several hours of negotiations, officers were able to take Zach Michael Dangelo, 40, into custody.

02/19/19 – SRPD offered its second Spanish Speaking Citizen Police Academy.  The free academy teaches residents about the workings of the police department.

02/21/19 – Ares, one of San Rafael’s police dogs retired after serving for six years with the department.  During his time with the department, he worked as a member of the SWAT team and assisted the Major Crimes Task Force among other duties.

March:

03/02/19 - Marin County Supervisor Damon Connolly, who was arrested for DUI by SRPD in December of 2018, plead guilty.  He will have to pay a fine of $1,983 and perform about 64 hours of community service.

03/05/19 – Juan Corona, who gained the nickname “The Machete Murderer” for hacking to death dozens of migrant farm workers in Northern California in the 1970’s died at the age of 85.  Corona hired many fruit and vegetable farm workers and authorities said that he killed 25 of them.  Their bodies were found along the Feather River north of Sacrament in 1971.

03/06/19 – The San Rafael City Council made San Rafael the first city in the county to allow recreational pot businesses to operate in the city limits. The new policy aligned local regulations with the state regulations.

03/11/19 – A former legal secretary in San Rafael pleaded guilty to stealing $319,520 from the law firm that employed her.  Shannon Marie Jones, 35 took checks from the law firm and cashed them into her own account according to SRPD investigators.  She could face five years in prison.

03/13/19 – Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order halting executions in California for as long as he is governor, giving a reprieve to the 737 people on death row. The last person executed in California was Clarence Ray Allen, who was put to death on 1/17/06.

03/15/19 – A pedestrian walking in the Canal neighborhood, was repeatedly stabbed after resisting a pair of street robbers.  One of the suspects attempted to take a piece of jewelry from the victim and a struggle ensued resulting in the victim being stabbed.  The suspects fled without taking the jewelry.  Officers checked the area but were not able to find the suspects.

03/17/19 – Officers responded at 4:48 a.m. to the Loch Lomond Marina regarding a shots fired call.  Officers established contact with a man on a boat identified as Christopher Skaates, 40 of Sebastopol, who admitted to having a firearm and who also said that he had been drinking.  After an hour, Officer Mark Wilkinson was able to talk Skaates off the boat, leaving his firearm there.  He was determined to be the person who fired the shots and he was booked for willful discharge of a firearm.

03/20/19 – SRPD officers opened a sex abuse investigation when a girl reported to adults that Santos Velasquez-Gomez, 42 had been molesting her over a period of several years.  The suspect came to the police station and made potentially incriminating admissions and was booked at Marin County Jail.

03/21/19 – SRPD announced that people could now text 911 to notify the police of emergency situations. The new service went into effect after a month of testing.

03/21/19 – Officers responded to a parking lot at Third and Lindaro street, regarding two men fighting in a parked car.  Upon arrival, they determined that the two men were fighting over a drug deal gone bad.  Suspect Charles McCoy, 20 of San Rafael, apparently tried to buy drugs with fake money, which resulted in a fight.  During the struggle McCoy pepper sprayed Hadrian Rowen, 20 of La Honda, which resulted in Rowen pulling out a knife.  Both men were booked at Marin County Jail.

03/26/19 – It was reported that Marin’s new emergency radio system, which was planned to replace the current system was three years behind schedule.  The new 40-million-dollar system will now be delayed until 2022 at the earliest, as officials try to work out details of the design.

April:

04/05/19 – A man was sentenced to more than seven years in prison for randomly punching a female walking on Lincoln Avenue in June of 2019.  The suspect, Kehinde Jackson, 43, was arrested after he punched her in the face and dragged her across the street by her hair.  The victim did not know the suspect. He had a prior arrest for assault on a police officer.

04/08/19 – A San Rafael man charged with robbing pharmacies in Marin, including San Rafael, was sentenced to seven years in state prison.  Joseph Stewart, 26, was charged with 13 counts that spread over a period of three months.  He plead guilty to 5 counts.  The crimes occurred in 2018 and in those cases, Steward either jumped the pharmacy counter or used a demand note.  In his last robbery in Greenbrae, witnesses observed him leave in an SUV.  SRPD officers spotted the car later in the evening in the Canal area and arrested him.  Stewart’s defense attorney stated after the sentencing, “Mr. Stewart apologizes for frightening people in pursuit of his addiction to prescription cough syrup.”

04/14/19 – A man suspected of an armed burglary on Blossom Drive in San Rafael, was arrested at a hotel in Richmond.  While investigating this case, officers looked at the home surveillance camera system and they observed a male and female in the house with the male being armed with a handgun.  Det. James Dooley was able to identify the two as James Pizzagrini, 33 of El Cerrico and Morgan Baugh, 28 of San Rafael.  Officers received word that Pizzagrini was at a hotel in Richmond and when they observed him leaving, they boxed his car in and he rammed a police car.  He was booked for burglary and being a felon in possession of a firearm.  Baugh was located and arrested in Vallejo a week later.

04/25/19 – A traffic stop for a missing license pate in San Rafael let to the arrest of a pimping suspect and the rescue of a teenage victim. SRPD Cpl. Lilah Gavlick was on patrol in the Canal District when she pulled the car over the for the license plate violation.  She found three men in the car and a 19-year-old girl with a short dress and no shoes.  An investigation concluded that the girl was being trafficked for sex.  The driver, Jayvon Gunn, was booked on suspicion of pimping. The girl was returned to her family in Modesto.

May:

05/01/19 – Officers responded to a report of a possibly intoxicated driver in the Harbor Shopping Center at 555 Francisco Blvd.  Upon their arrival they contacted Gerald Sadler, 52 of San Pablo.  They started a DUI investigation, when they observed signs of intoxication.  When officers attempted to arrest Sadler, who was 6 feet tall and 330 pounds, fought the officers and managed to get in his car.  As officers continued to try to arrest him, he put the car in gear and ran over one officer’s foot and struck and dragged the other officer for a short distance.  He collided with another car and tried to run away but was taken into custody when other officers arrived.  He was booked for felony assault and DUI.

05/06/19 – A man who was shot by a San Rafael officer when he attempted to assault a sheriff’s deputy during a standoff last year in San Rafael, was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to assault on an officer. Faramarz Aghazadeh,49 of San Rafael appeared in court for the sentencing in a wheelchair.  Also present was Officer Kevin MacDougald, who shot Aghazadeh when he went after a sheriff’s deputy and several other officers who were involved in the incident.

05/06/19 – The San Rafael Police Department held its annual awards ceremony.  A total of 25 awards were given out.

05/09/19 – Every two years a count is done to try to determine how many homeless persons live in Marin.  The count this year revealed that Marin’s homeless population decreased by 7%. The count showed that there were 1,034 homeless living in Marin.

05/13/19 – A San Rafael man who knocked an 81-year-old woman to the pavement during a robbery attempt last year was sentenced to four years in prison.  Camilo Arias-Marroquin, 26 attacked the woman as she was leaving the Country Club Bowl after attending her granddaughter’s birthday.  While going to her car, Arias attacked her in an attempt to get her purse.  She fell to the ground and he fled without the purse.  He was identified by surveillance camera footage and interviews.  At sentencing, defense attorney Roxane Mosley stated, “He really made a poor decision.

05/16/19 – Four San Rafael men were charged in a suspected gang attack that involved pounding on an occupied vehicle with bats and tools.  The incident happened on Francisco Blvd. in the Canal District.  The clash involved sets of rival gang associates in two vehicles.  Both vehicles pulled into a hotel parking lot where the altercation continued.  Four suspects in one car fled prior to officers arriving, however after an investigation, four suspects were arrested.  They were Alexis Rafael-Delgado, 20, Cristian Torres-Perez, 19, Francisco Belloso, 19 and Francisco Cerra-Guevara, 21 years.

05/22/19 – SRPD swore in two new K-9 officers.  Officer Anthony Scalercio and his K-9 Harry were sworn in as well as Officer Zach Brickell with his K-9, Achilles.

05/27/19 – SRPD arrested an alleged methamphetamine dealer after investigating a suspicious vehicle on Kerner Blvd.  Officers contacted a male and female in a parked car in the commercial district at 11:40 pm.  Officers conducted a search as one of the occupants was on probation and they found a large quantity of suspected meth in the possession of Michael Harris, 48 of San Rafael.  He was booked on drug charges.  His occupant, Caroline Ruiz 34 of San Rafael, was booked on outstanding warrants.

05/31/19 – Two San Rafael men, including a Boy Scout volunteer, were arrested in a child pornography bust involving the San Rafael Police Department and regional task force investigators.  Lorenzo Tambriz, 30, was booked on allegations of possession of child porn.  The scout volunteer, John Blecka, 64, was booked on similar allegations.  Officers served search warrants at five residences based on leads from the Silcon Valley Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.  Electronics were seized at each house.

June:

06/17/19 – SRPD arrested a robbery suspect who allegedly pointed a loaded revolver at a store clerk and pulled the hammer back.  The incident occurred at the Walgreen’s store on Third Street, when suspect Thomas Pratt 42 of San Rafael, made a purchase and his credit card was declined.  He then pulled the gun on the clerk and demanded the items he had purchased.  Pratt then walked around the store stealing other items while the clerk called police.  Officers found the suspect as he was leaving the store.  The revolver had been reported stolen in a burglary in Novato.

06/25/19 – Officers responded to a report of a fire at a homeless encampment under the Merrydale overcrossing in Terra Linda.  The fire broke out at 3:00 a.m. and forced several occupants to evacuate their home-made structures.  There were reports that the fire might have been deliberately started.

06/29/19 – A dramatic pursuit of an armed burglary suspect on Interstate 580 in San Rafael ended with an arrest after a hit and run, a chase across the freeway and an attempted carjacking.  Concord Police notified SRPD that suspect Adam Workman 29, of Benicia, might be coming to San Rafael in a red Mustang to commit a crime.  Officers spotted him on Francisco Blvd. and when they tried to pull him over, he hit a parked car and ran across Highway 580 and attempted to carjack a vehicle.  He was taken into custody after a foot pursuit.  He was booked on multiple charges and on 13 outstanding warrants.

July:

07/03/19 – Officers were investigating a smash and grab heist at Villa Jewelers on Fourth Street. Video surveillance showed three subjects smashing out a window to the store and removing items.  The crime occurred at 3:40 a.m. and the suspects fled in a gold Mercedes.

07/04/19 – County drug investigators disrupted an alleged methamphetamine sales network in San Rafael.  Officers acted on reports of blatant drug dealing in the Cana District.  Investigators linked the source of the sales to an encampment that was nearby, and they sent undercover officers posing as newly arrived meth users, who made 11 sales over a three-month period.  The main dealer was identified as Michael Earl Harris, 48 of San Rafael.  He was booked on various drug charges.

07/09/19 – Officers responded to Rite Aid in the Montecito Shopping Center regarding a robbery that had occurred there.  Two suspects entered the store and one jumped the counter saying that he had a gun.  He then demanded Oxycontin, Promethazine and Codeine. The suspects then fled in a car that was parked across the street.  Other similar robberies had been reported throughout the county.

 07/12/19 – Marin immigration supporters prepared for possible ICE raids after it was announced that the federal government was going to do raids over the weekend.  Lisa Bennett, a board member of the Multicultural Center of Marin, stated “We have to respond with power, not panic. No raids were reported over the weekend.

07/17/19 – Officers assigned to the Special Operations Unit were dispatched to the area of Fourth and Tamalpais Avenue on a report of a male possibly selling drugs from a vehicle.  Officers arrived and contacted two males sitting in a car.  During a search of the car, officers found a loaded Glock 17 pistol under the driver’s seat. Marijuana, cocaine and other drugs were also found.  Booked on drug charges were Sean Stell of San Rafael Shaun White of Novato.

07/19/19 – A San Rafael officer who stopped a vehicle for speeding Wednesday linked the occupants to a robbery that happened two weeks earlier. The robbery occurred on July 4 in the Canal area.  A man was walking on the street, when a car pulled up being driven by a woman.  The male passenger got out of the car and punched the victim in the face.  The victim’s son tried to intervene, and the male got a stick from the car and beat him.  Officer Elisha Adams stopped a speeding car on Front Street that contained a male and female.  Adams found I.D. in the car that belonged to the victim.  Jabarie Galvin, 22 of Pittsburg was booked for robbery and Megan Montanez, 19 of Oakland was also booked on suspicion of robbery.

07/22/19 – More than 54 million opioid pills were prescribed in Marin County from 2006 through 2012, according to a new study of federal data.  The new data base is maintained by the DEA. It was also reported that in 2014 there was one opioid related overdose in Marin every two weeks.

August:

08/02/19 – SRPD issued a Community Alert regarding residential daytime burglaries that had been occurring in the city for the last month.  It was reported that there had been 14 burglaries over the month-long period, with eight in Terra Linda and the rest in various parts of San Rafael.

08/06/19 – At 1:30 a.m. patrol officers heard screeching in the area of Francisco and Bellam Blvd. Upon searching the area, they observed a vehicle with a flat tire get onto Highway 101 northbound.  Officers got involved in a low speed chase until the suspect took the Central San Rafael exit and he was stopped at Fourth and Grand Ave.  An investigation revealed that the suspect, Courtney Foster 24 of Sunnyvale was intoxicated, and he was arrested for DUI.  His blood alcohol level was .24%.

08/06/19 – The San Rafael Police Department, along with many other departments across the country, celebrated National Night Out by having officers visit various neighborhood groups throughout the city.

08/08/19 – SRPD intercepted a suspected drug dealer during a patrol near the downtown.  Officers saw a male in a car make a drug transaction on Tamalpais Avenue and they contacted him.  During a search of the car officers found 3.5 pounds of marijuana, 52.12 grams of psychedelic mushrooms and two pints of prescription of cough syrup.  Booked on drug charges was Jean-Paul Acheritogaray, 28 of Corte Madera.

08/16/19 – A woman who police said was brandishing knives was arrested after a standoff with officers.  Officers were called to an apartment complex in the Gerstle Park neighborhood to assist a mental health counselor who was dealing with a female client.  When officers arrived, the woman brandished two knives, one in each hand.  The Crisis Negotiations Team was called, and the woman put the knives down after a 15-minute standoff.  Sherry Petrakis, 51 of San Rafael was booked for threatening officers.

08/19/19 – A registered sex offender was arrested in San Rafael after allegedly accosting several women and then engaging in a lengthy standoff with officers.  Over a period of three hours, the suspect chased three women in the downtown area.  Officers located the suspect on Fourth Street under the overpass and cornered him, until he grabbed a ladder and climbed onto a roof of a business.  Officers negotiated with the suspect, Willie Jesse Jones, 39 for two hours before taking him into custody.  He was arrested for various charges including violation of probation. His most recent arrest was for masturbating in front of Starbucks in Marin City.

08/23/19 – At 12:27 a.m. officers received a report from a witness that a man had just removed a boat from a dock on Canal Street and rowed away down the canal.  Officers went out in the department’s small rescue boat and after 25 minutes heard a boat hitting a dock at 240 Canal Street.  Officers arrested the suspect, Hector Gramajo-Diaz, 28 of San Rafael for theft of a boat.  Officers determined that he acted alone and apparently, he wanted to take a midnight cruise on the canal.

08/25/19 – Officers responded at 11:00 a.m. to a residence on Union Street regarding a dispute between neighbors.  Officers contacted a woman, who had a restraining order against her neighbor.  During an altercation, the male, Gary Daniel Corvello, 52 threatened to burn the victim’s house down and he then told her not to call the police.  Officers contacted the suspect, who ran back into his house to avoid arrest.  Officers kicked down the door to his residence and arrested him for violation of probation and making threats.

08/31/19 – SRPD Officer Finerty pulled over a vehicle when he observed the driver throw a lit cigarette out the window.  It turned out that the driver was a parolee at large with an outstanding warrant.  A search of the car revealed ammunition, narcotics and drug paraphernalia. He was booked on the warrant and narcotics charges.

September:

09/13/19 – An environmental report on the planned new public safety radio system pointed out that several tall antennas planned for the 40-million-dollar system, could not be hidden well and would cause some significant and unavoidable aesthetic issues.  The system is already two years behind schedule.

09/16/19 – A former legal secretary who embezzled $319,520 from a San Rafael firm was sentenced to three years in jail.  The crimes occurred from January 2016 to January of 2018.  The suspect, Shannon Jones, 36 took some of the company’s checks and deposited them into her own personal account.

09/17/19 – A new report by the Marin County Council of Mayors and Councilmembers, concluded that Marin’s eleven cities urgently needed to adopt a 10-year plan to cope with rising costs of employee pensions.

09/17/19 – After dealing with 14 residential burglaries in the city over a period of several months, SRPD detectives and the Marin Major Crimes Task Force, were able to identify and arrest two Richmond men for six of the burglaries.  Arrested were Deshawn Williams, 19 and Francisco Cervantes-Vasquez, 19.  The investigation was reported to be on going.

09/27/19 – While on patrol, an officer conducted a license plate check on a car that was traveling on Francisco Blvd.  The car came back stolen and the officer followed the car onto Highway 101 northbound where the officer stopped it at San Pedro Road.  Booked for vehicle theft and possession of stolen property was Gianntre Weatherspoon-Tovar, 22 of San Rafael.

October:

10/01/19 – For those of you who worked when we used the E. F. Johnson radios, October first, was dubbed E.F. Johnson Radio day, because if you used them, you said 10-1 a lot, and  if you told the sergeant that you did not hear the transmission, everyone would believe you.

10/08/19 – Officers responded at 12:58 a.m. to a business on Fourth Street, when the owner called SRPD to report that he was watching surveillance footage of a burglar in his business.  Officers responded and observed a man walking to a motorcycle in the area of the business.  He was questioned and it was discovered that the motorcycle was stolen.  Officers then found nearly $4,000 worth of electronics in the suspect’s possession.  Booked for burglary was Christopher Siegle, 36 of Vallejo.

10/10/19 – A traffic stop by Officer Adams resulted in two arrests and the seizure of methamphetamine.  The car was pulled over on Freitas Parkway in Terra Linda for having a broken brake light.  The passenger in the vehicle, C.J. Solorano, 21 of San Rafael, was on probation and was arrested for an outstanding warrant.  A search of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of 136 grams of meth, which belonged to the driver, Michael Felix, 27 of Richmond.  Both were booked at Marin County Jail.

10/10/19 – Lateral officers Jessica Trujillo and Brandon Nail were sworn in.  Trujillo served in Suisun City and Nail came from Sausalito.

10/10/19 – In support of cancer research, officers wore the pink shoulder patch during the month of October.

10/15/19 – The following employees retired from the department; Marc LaPlant, Rebecca Kuga, Shelly Cade, Leslie O’Toole, Mike Byers and Kelly Mauel.

10/18/19 – At 12:45 a.m. officers received a report of strange noises coming from a laundry room in the 1700 block of Lincoln Avenue.  Upon their arrival, they found the laundry room door shut, but when shinning flashlights in the room, they observed a man wearing a mask inside.  Officers detained the man and found burglar tools.  They arrested Kenneth Paul Metcalf, 38 of San Rafael.  He was booked for burglary and possession of meth.

10/25/19 – From April through October, a female was reported to be going into various stores at the Northgate Mall, taking items and running out of the business.  There were so many instances, that officers set up at the Mall in an attempt to catch the female suspect.  While officers were watching, they observed suspect Amirah Dennard, 19 of Suisun City, enter Kohl’s and she started to remove clothing from a rack.  When officers approached, she ran for the door, but was stopped by an employee.  During the arrest, the suspect pulled out pepper spray and sprayed the employee and a detective.  She was booked for burglary, robbery and using tear gas.  It was estimated that she took a total of $18,000 worth of merchandise during her crime spree.

10/31/19 – Officers arrested a suspect after he allegedly threw his bicycle at a car in a dispute over a cigarette.  The incident occurred in the 1300 block of Francisco Blvd, where the suspect threw his bike in anger at the car, causing $600 in damage.  Booked for felony vandalism was Andrew Dawson, 46 of San Rafael.

November:

11/01/19 – SRPD initiated no shave November to raise $5,000 for cancer research.

11/05/19 – At 2:30 a.m. officers responded to the 2400 block of Fifth Avenue regarding a report of glass breaking.  Upon arrival, the resident reported that his rear glass door was broken, and a man was standing in the living room.  Officers arrested a heavily intoxicated Jose Chan-Guzman, 21 of Novato.  He was booked for burglary and vandalism.

11/06/19 – SRPD celebrated Law Enforcement Records and Support Services Day.

11-07-19 – Police received a report at 8:30 a.m. of a man stealing a wallet and keys from a business in the 700 block of Andersen Drive.  As officers arrived, the man fled in a car and he eluded police in the Cana area.  An officer spotted the car a short time later going north on Highway 101 at 100 mph.  The suspect’s car was found abandoned by Civic Center Drive a short time later with the suspect missing.  Officers started a search, and a detective observed the suspect coming down from a hillside.  As the officers approached the suspect, he attempted to throw the stolen wallet into the bushes, but apparently in all the excitement, he threw his own wallet away.  Officers arrested Gonzalo Luna-Hernandez, 43 of Salem, Oregon for burglary and evading police, and located the stolen wallet on his person. The car he was driving had been reported stolen in Clackamas County, Oregon.

11-07-19 – At 1:00 p.m. Macy’s reported that three people were taking clothing and putting the property into their backpacks.  They fled the store but were intercepted by officers in front of the business.  They were detained and $650 worth of stolen clothing was recovered.  Booked for shoplifting and conspiracy were Keontay Haliburton-Sparks, 21 of Richmond, Shamari Hill, 21 of Alameda and Florence Lawson, 32 of Richmond.

11/13/19 – Officers received a report from parents at San Rafael High School that someone had made threats against the school using You-Tube and Instagram.  An investigation was started, and officers were able to identify a juvenile who was responsible.  He was booked at Juvenile Hall.

11/12/19 – SRPD took on a new employee named Blue Bayou (Blue for short) as the department’s first comfort dog.  Blue will be part of the department’s outreach efforts in the downtown and be a nerve soother in dispatch.

11/16/19 – Police arrested a woman accused of attacking a woman who was walking in the Bret Harte neighborhood.  The suspect, Sandra Klee, 48 of San Rafael, approached the victim and demanded her phone and then punched the victim in the mouth.  The suspect then demanded the victim’s purse and wallet and struck the victim several more times.  The suspect was located and arrested for attempted robbery and battery.  The victim was taken to the hospital for treatment of her injuries.

11/16/19 – A woman suspected of stealing nearly $1 million dollars from a San Rafael toy company was arrested in New York after a year’s long investigation.  When confronted by the toy company in 2016 regarding the thefts, the suspect, Shelly Breshears, 53 changed her name and went to work for a company in Alameda where she was suspected of taking $100,000.  She was also accused of stealing $40,000 from a New York company.  San Rafael detectives located her in New York, and she was arrested.

11/26/19 – SRPD welcomed K-9 Jesko to the department.  He is a dual-purpose K-9 for narcotics detection and apprehension.  His handler is Officer Anthony Scalercio.

11/28/19 – A man from Tennessee was arrested by police after he tried to extort nearly $1 million from a relative in San Rafael.  The suspect, Robbins Thornhill, 47 was arrested in Marin after traveling from out of state.  He threatened to shoot the relative or post articles about him being a child molester if he did not pay.

December:

12/02/19 – The latest crop of lawyers to pass the state bar examination included 25 participants from Marin.  One of those successful participants was our former SRPD Officer Anthony Augustyn.  He is currently employed by the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office. Congratulations Anthony!

12/11/19 – At 12:45 a.m. officers responded to the 1800 block of Second Street regarding an intruder in the residence.  Upon arrival they found Jacklyn O’Connor, 21, of Kentfield, who promptly barricaded herself in the bathroom.  Officers took her into custody after she kicked an officer. She caused $1,000 damage to the residence.  She was booked for violating a restraining order that the resident had previously obtained, and on a variety of other offenses.

12/11/19 – Officers received reports of a bow-and-arrow toting man riding a bike erratically near Second and B Street.  The suspect, Miguel Aguerrebere, 38 of San Rafael, rode to the Seven Eleven Store on B Street and turned off the power to the store.  He then went to the downtown parking garage where he threatened two pedestrians with an arrow.  Officers caught up with him and booked him for assault with a deadly weapon.

12/12/19 – SRPD participated in their annual Santa Cop program.

12/13/19 – SRPD graduated two new officers from the Santa Rosa Police Academy.  Congratulations to Officers Noemi Rossotti-Gallo and Alison Ager.

12/16/19 - At 1:30 a.m. officers responded to a report of gunfire at a house on C Street.  Officers arrived and contacted suspect David Simonini, 71 years.  A holiday party was in progress in the house when Simonini became involved in an argument with a male and pulled a gun on him and ordered him out of the house.  The victim told Simonini that he did not think that Simonini would shoot him and the suspect proved him wrong by shooting him in the foot.  Simonini was booked for assault with a firearm.

12/17/19 – The Marin Emergency Radio Authority approved plans for a $68.3 million dollar overhaul of the county’s radio system, marking an end to the review process. The new system has been in the planning stages since 2012 and was scheduled to be operational by 2018.  Due to various problems and delays, the system is now expected to be put into service no sooner than 2022.

12/17/19 – Cities in Marin will have less power to police encampments on public lands following a recent U.S. Supreme Court action.  The Supreme Court denied a petition to review the 9^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling in the Boise v. Martin case in September of 2018.  The appellate court’s ruling bars local governments from preventing someone from seeping on public land if there is not enough shelter space.

12/19/19 – After being arrested earlier in the year, registered sex offender Willie Clinton Jones, aka: Curry, 39 of San Rafael, was arrested again.  In this incident he followed a female Terra Linda High School student into a hallway on the school campus.  The student notified the administration of the incident, who in turn called SRPD.  Upon arrival, officers discovered that the suspect apparently inappropriately touched two victims.  Officers located him on Lincoln Avenue and booked him for battery and annoying a child.

12/21/19 – Former SRPD Lt. Alan Piombo, who was appointed Police Chief of Mill Valley earlier in the year, was appointed by the Mill Valley City Council to be interim City Manager while they did an executive search for a replacement for City Manager Jim McCann, who is retiring.

12/21/19 – Officers responded to Mark Day School in Terra Linda regarding an accident involving a 6-year-old student.  Officers discovered that a rolling fence came off its track and hit the boy.  He was taken to Kaiser Hospital where he died from his injuries.

12/31/19 – At 10:43 p.m. officers responded to a report of a rollover vehicle accident on Fifth Avenue between Grand and Irwin Street.  The driver struck a parked vehicle causing the car to flip over.  Police had to break through a windshield to remove the driver. Resuscitation attempts failed and the driver died.  The driver, who was a nun from Los Gatos, was later identified as Sister Colleen Kern, 90 years old.

Homicides:

There were no homicides reported in San Rafael for 2019.  There were two homicides recorded in San Rafael in 2018. The last homicide recorded in San Rafael was in December of 2018, when Errol Friedman, 21 years, of San Anselmo, was found shot in his car by Pickleweed Park.  A 17-year-old juvenile was arrested for his murder.  There were two homicides recorded in all of Marin County for the year 2019, one in San Anselmo and the other at China Camp. In 2018 there were six homicides recorded in throughout Marin.

In Memoriam:

01/04/19 - Retired San Anselmo Police Officer Robert Del Santo passed on 01/04/19 after a long bout with cancer. He started his law enforcement career as a San Anselmo police officer in 1968 and was promoted to sergeant in 1976.  He retired in 1999 after serving 31 years with the force.  His brother, Bernie Del Santo was Chief of Police during the time that Bob worked there.  Bob was 76 years old.

01/07/19 – Retired Marin County Undersheriff William “Buzz” Keaton passed away at home in San Rafael.  Buzz joined the Marin County Sheriff’s Department in 1963.  In 1977 he headed up the Major Crimes Task Force.  He finished up his career as Undersheriff under Sheriff Charles Prandi.  He retired in 1989 after 25 years of service. Keaton was 85 years old.

02/25/19 – Retired Ross Police Sgt. Doug Parkhurst passed away from COPD.  Also known as Clint, because of his Eastwood-like mannerisms, he served in Vietnam and after completing his military service he was hired as a Belvedere officer and then transferred to Ross P.D. where he served for 30 years, also having been assigned to the Major Crimes Task Force.  He was 78 years old.

02/26/19 – FBI Special Agent Mac Crumrine, who served in the San Francisco area passed away.  During his 19-year career with the FBI, Crumrine served in the San Francisco Bureau and at the Santa Rosa R.A. office.

02/27/19 – Susan Hunt-LeMay, who convinced county supervisors to enact the Social Host ordinance, died unexpectedly of cardiac arrest at the age of 57.  After losing her 19-year-old son, Alex, to a drunk driving accident in Novato in 2005, Hunt-LeMay worked with county supervisors to enact the Social Host ordinance in 2006, which penalizes parents who allow their children to hold alcohol parties at their homes.  Today, every city in the county has enacted such an ordinance.  

03/25/19 – Former San Anselmo Police Sergeant and Inspector Donald Nelson passed away from natural causes.  Nelson joined the San Anselmo Police Department in 1959 where he was employed for 30 years.  Nelson was known as an old-time police officer as he frequently walked the downtown talking with merchants and citizens.  He had a reputation for friendliness and approachability.  He also earned many awards during his career.  He was 84 years old.

03/26/19 – Lilli Anne Johnson passed away after a courageous fight with cancer.  She worked as a dispatcher for the San Anselmo Police Department and later she was a supervising dispatcher for the Marin County Sheriff’s Office Communications Center.  She was 59 years old.

03/28/19 – Former Belvedere Police Chief Gary Lester, who served from 1984 to 1993 died in Washington state where he had retired.  Prior to the Belvedere job, Lester worked as chief in Cotati and Paradise.  He also worked as an administrative officer for FEMA.  He was 78 years old.

05/24/19 – Former San Rafael Police Officer Ernie Iaconetti passed away after a long battle with cancer.  He served with SRPD from 1984 to 1988.

06/15/19 – Sylvia Nash passed away from a rare form of cancer.  She was born in Ohio and moved to Marin at the age of 18.  She worked for the County of Marin as a Superior Court Clerk.  She was 85 years old.

07/26/19 – Leland Jordan, who led a long career as a municipal attorney in Marin and who was the first appointed Marin County Counsel at the age of 30, died after a brief illness.  Jordan started his career as a Marin County Deputy District Attorney in 1951.  After a few years he rose to the position of Chief Deputy District Attorney.  He left to go into private practice three years later where he served as City Attorney for Mill Valley, Sausalito and Fairfax.  He was 92 years old.

08/11/19 – Our beloved retired City Clerk Jeanne Marie Leoncini passed away after a courageous battle with brain cancer. Jean was hired to work in the city clerk’s office in 1972 and in 1977 the San Rafael City Council appointed her as City Clerk.  She was elected to that office in 1979 and was re-elected 6 more times, until retiring in 2007.  She had a reputation for making sure that the public had access to the city’s records.  She was 86 years old.

08/12/19 – Former Marin County Deputy District Attorney Michael Anthony passed away after a brief illness.  He served with the county for 10 years and then became a private practice General Practitioner.  He also served in the National Guard for six years.  He was 81 years old.

08/13/19 – Dorthy Lobedan died at her Terra Linda home where she had lived since 1962.  Dorthy was a long-time employee of the City of San Rafael, having finished her 20-year career as Executive Assistant for both the City Manager and Mayor’s office, proudly retiring at the age of 72.  She was 91 years old.

08/25/19 – Former San Rafael Police Officer Greg Savelli, passed away after an illness.  Savelli started his law enforcement career with the Mill Valley Police Department as a reserve and dispatcher.  He became a fulltime Mill Valley officer in 1979 and worked there until 1984 when he transferred to the San Rafael Police Department until 1987.  After leaving SRPD he was employed by Cathedral City P.D., where he worked until 2002, leaving as a Lieutenant.  He then transferred to the Modesto P.D. where he worked from 2003 to 2006, managing the Laci Peterson murder investigation.  He then served as Hermosa Beach Police Chief from 2006 to 2012. 

10/07/19 – Former San Rafael City Attorney Edmund Duggan passed away after an illness.  Duggan started his career with Pacific Bell after serving in the Army.  He was appointed to the San Rafael Planning Commission and then elected to be City Attorney for San Rafael in 1979.  He was 83 years old.

10/19/19 – Retired California Correctional Officer Aleah Jordan passed away in San Jose.  She attended San Rafael High School and started her career some years later with the Department of Corrections.  She was 61 years old.

10/27/19 – Retired Marin Sheriff’s Deputy Norman Johnson passed away after an illness.  He served in the Navy and was then hired as a deputy for the County of Marin.  He served for 22 years, retiring in 1987 as a sergeant.  He was 84 years old.

11/16/19 – Former San Rafael Police Officer and City Councilman Gary Frugoli passed away after a long illness.  Frugoli attended San Rafael High School and graduated from Chico State.  He started his San Rafael career working for the City’s Parks and Recreation Department and then transferred to the police department.  While with the department, he served as a motor officer, a detective with the Major Crimes Task Force and he was also a SWAT member.  He met his wife, Lori who worked as a meter enforcement officer for San Rafael.  In 1981 Frugoli left the department when he was elected to the city council in 1981.  Gary’s wife Lori is the Marin County District Attorney, they were married for 39 years.  Frugoli was 72 years old.

11/17/19 – Former Municipal Court Judge Hadden Roth passed away.  He grew up in Marin, graduating from Tamalpais High School and he then earned a degree from U.C. Berkeley.  He attended Hastings Law School and passed the bar in 1957.  He worked as a Deputy City Attorney for the City of San Rafael and then transferred to the Marin County District Attorney’s Office as a Deputy D.A.  In 1966 Governor Edmund G. Brown appointed Roth as a Municipal Court Judge.  He served until 1970 when he went into private practice.  He was 89 years old.

12/11/19 – Michael Robak, who worked for the Marin County Probation Department, died suddenly while skiing with his wife.  His career was spent in juvenile probation in Contra Costa, Solano and Marin County until he retired in 2005. He was 70 years old.

End of Report