Former Acalanes High School Teacher Arrested In Walnut Creek

On Tuesday September 1st, 2015, the Contra Costa County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force arrested 66-year-old Walnut Creek resident Marshall Pfeiffer for possession of child pornography, a violation of California Penal Code section 311.11(a). The arrest stems from an investigation conducted by members of the task force which consists of detectives from the Walnut Creek,…

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Nation-Wide Sex Trafficking Ring Busted; Danville/San Ramon Focus

In the culmination of an investigation going back to 2001, the San Ramon Police Department, in a joint operation with the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office, and the F.B.I. Safe Streets Task Force, arrested three suspects in a large scale human trafficking operation, police and prosecutors announced Tuesday. Police arrested James Joseph Jr., 50, and…

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From “Train Wreck” To Legal Lightning Rod; Lafayette’s Terraces Get A Green Light

Lamorinda's latest big housing project gets a new look.

Re-drafted and re-released under a new name and softened new look after it was peppered by criticism both public and architectural, the bloodied “Terraces” project – now known as the Homes at Deer Hill – finally met with approval from the Lafayette city council last Monday. The unanimous decision – with Vice Mayor Traci Reilly recusing herself after lending her signature…

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Governor Brown Signs “Right To Record” Act

In our time covering breaking news events the Old Guard here at NEWS24/680 have covered thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of crime scenes and breaking news scenarios – with participants often unfriendly and hostile to our very presence. In many cases, unfortunately, this hostility has led to conflict between those sworn to uphold the law, those pledged…

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Perpetrator In Walnut Creek Murder-Suicide Built His Own “Ghost Guns”

Questions about the origin of the weapon used by a Lafayette man and Stanford engineering student to murder a friend and then take his own life were partially answered Tuesday after investigators in Walnut Creek determined that Scott Bertics had secretly built two untraceable weapons from parts he ordered through the mail. In a release issued…

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Rare Four-Alarm Fire Scorches Hillsides In Moraga

A stubborn 4-alarm grass fire came a little too close for comfort for some homeowners on Natalie Drive in Moraga Thursday, Moraga-Orinda Fire Protection District firefighters moving swiftly to rebuff encroaching flames. The rare 4th alarm was called in the area around 2:30 p.m. Thursday as the fire, in the neighborhood across the street and to…

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Martinez Man Dies After Wife Drives Car Through Garage Wall

An elderly Martinez man has died of injuries suffered when his wife accidentally accelerated their car through their garage Wednesday, trapping him under the vehicle and punching out the rear wall of the garage as the car surged forward. CHP Officer John Fransen said the man, later identified as Glenn Cottrell, 89, was attempting to help his wife reposition…

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Fire Damages Home On Augusta Drive In Moraga Monday

Firefighters responded to a blaze reported at a home in the 700 block of Augusta Drive in the Moraga Country Club Monday – the second structure fire Moraga-Orinda Fire District personnel have faced in a week. Monday’s blaze was reported at 787 Augusta at around 8:23 p.m., the occupants evacuating the residence as firefighters arrived…

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Burglars Give Lafayette Homeowners “Welcome Back” Present

Five burglaries/attempted burglaries in three days in Orinda, Lafayette.

Lafayette police were sent to the 1300 block of Sunset Loop in the city Tuesday after a vacationing homeowner returned to find the residence burgled and extensively ransacked. Police found that the unknown thief or thieves had used a tool taken from a shed on the property and forced open a rear solid-core door. After…

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