County-Wide Child Exploitation Investigation Results In Local Arrests
Martinez, Calif. – Investigators with the Contra Costa County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force recently participated in Operation Broken Heart, a nationwide effort to investigate technology facilitated crimes against children, including those who receive and distribute child pornography. Throughout April and May, the team conducted investigations of subjects who distributed child pornography over the internet…
Modesto Man Gets 16 Years 8 Months In State Prison After Trafficking Women For Sex
Martinez, Calif. – On June 20, 2019, Timothy Townsel of Modesto, California was sentenced to 16 years 8 months in state prison for two felonies related to human trafficking of an adult and minor while a gang member. He was sentenced (Thursday) by the Honorable Judge David Goldstein in Department 6. Townsel is a member of…
Mother Of Man Killed By Danville Police Sues The Town, County, Deputy Who Opened Fire On Him
The mother of a 33-year-old Newark man shot and killed by Danville police at the end of a police pursuit in November of last year is suing the town, county and the deputy who opened fire on her son – alleging that Laudemer Arboleda’s civil rights were violated when he died in a hail of…
Concord Man Found Guilty Of Stalking, Threatening Victim In Walnut Creek Case
Martinez, Calif. – Last week, a Contra Costa County jury found defendant Jason Laughlin of Concord guilty of three misdemeanors, including making criminal threats and stalking the victim Jane Doe. During a 42-day period earlier this year, Laughlin called the victim over 1,300 times, left over 1,000 menacing voicemails and threatened to kill her. The case…
Estate Of Pleasant Hill Spokesman Killed In Lafayette Truck Accident Sues Driver, Truck Company, Contractors
The family of Martin Nelis, the 54-year-old resident Pleasant Hill man who was struck and killed by a commercial truck last year while bicycling on Reliez Valley Road during his lunch break, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the truck’s driver and several related companies. According to a press release issued through Business Wire,…
Former Lamorinda Youth Soccer Coach Charged With Trying To Meet Underage Minor for Sex
Martinez, Calif. – The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office charged 28-year-old Martinez resident Alejandro Sanchez for attempting to meet who he thought was an underage girl for sex. Earlier this year in January, Sanchez entered an online chat room and began to communicate with an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a 14-year-old girl.…
Sacramento Man Found Guilty Of 4 Murder Counts After 2017 Fatal DUI Collision
From the Contra Costa County Office of the District Attorney: Martinez, Calif. – On March 4, a Contra Costa County jury found defendant Fred Lowe of Sacramento guilty of seven felonies, including the murder of four victims from a collision caused by Lowe in 2017. After the fatal crash, Lowe fled the scene of the incident…
Martinez Resident Sentenced for Child Molestation
Martinez, Calif. – On Tuesday February 26, 2019, 21-year-old Martinez resident Aaron Mikkelsen pleaded guilty to one count of child molestation and was sentenced to six years in state prison. The sentence was handed down by the Honorable David E. Goldstein. Through his guilty plea, Mikkelsen admitted that he sexually molested a child under the age…
Martinez Man Found Guilty Of Trying To Meet Minor For Sex
From the Office of the District Attorney, Contra Costa County: On February 8, a Contra Costa County jury found defendant William Butte of Martinez guilty as charged of three felonies, including his attempt to meet a 15-year-old girl for sex. Butte, 50, communicated with who he thought was a minor on the mobile application Kik…
Concord Man Found Guilty Of Attempted Murder After Shooting Outside Wren Avenue Home
A Contra Costa County jury found defendant Guido Ginochio of Concord guilty of two felonies, including the attempted murder of the victim, following a shooting outside a Wren Avenue home on Feb. 7, 2017. In a verdict delivered Jan. 30, the jury found that Ginochio used a firearm to fire two shots into the back…