Corruption? Contra Costa County

[songline]

Found what I was looking for, but can't access it without having to pay...
This last June, there was a series of articles in the Contra Costa Times titled:
Gus Kramer: "The Bad Boy Assesor".

MAYBE don't know
You can appeal to one of the attorneys on our site her...sometimes they can access sites that others can not.
Not all sites, but worth a try.....
This is what I found...

http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_12623680 BEEN ARCHIVED

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20090618/ai_n32087639/?tag=content;col1
http://www.martinezgazette.com/news/story/i438/2009/08/24/gus-kramer-loses-home-foreclosure

 

[Tizzle]

Found what I was looking for, but can't access it without having to pay...
This last June, there was a series of articles in the Contra Costa Times titled:
Gus Kramer: "The Bad Boy Assesor".

Do these help?

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20090614/ai_n31993279/

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/scavenger/detail?blogid=111&entry_id=41978

 

[LinasK]

Do these help?

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20090614/ai_n31993279/

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/scavenger/detail?blogid=111&entry_id=41978

Yes! That's it! You found him. He's a real piece of work... took revenge on his daughter-in-law and brought down the assessment heat on her, then claimed he didn't know about it.
Some of his other activities:One issue involves a disputed deed to his home and an alleged marriage proposal to the former owner. He and the city of Concord have tussled over a behemoth mound of dirt and access to a pipeline on one of his properties. Kramer was fined for razing a house that contained asbestos. A former worker sued him for racial discrimination and sexual harassment

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/scavenger/detail?blogid=111&entry_id=41978#ixzz0U1lDIFT4
​

 

[songline]

I woke up this morning with this song in my head about this place...


WHAT A TOWN WITHOUT PITTY CAN DO...

 

[time]

Linas... thank you so much and the other who tracked the Assessor stuff down. I will be back to read more about if for sure!

 

[time]

I am putting this here because as I have expressed elsewhere, I do not know exactly who besides Michael Cardoza is claiming the isolation nor if it is being claimed to be such complete isolation that this would effect people questioning the 1992 sighting of Jaycee. Furthermore, I do not think Michael Cardoza is the best to be commenting on this case, esp if he is claiming confidential sources because he represents Contra Costa County Sex Crimes Prosecutor Michael Gressett ...

http://www.mercurynews.com/crime/ci_11044936

MARTINEZ — State authorities charged a Contra Costa County sex crimes prosecutor with 12 felony counts Friday, claiming he raped and sodomized a fellow deputy district attorney at his Martinez home in early May, tying and binding her and using a handgun and an ice pick.

Michael Gressett, a 21-year veteran of the county district attorney's office, pleaded not guilty Friday morning and then proclaimed his innocence outside the same courthouse where he tried cases before his Oct. 2 arrest. His lawyer says the sex, if rough, was consensual.

My disclaimer: I am just placing these references and my current concerns here because of possible connections to misconduct and corruption and have not further researched to track down everything connected.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2163889/jaycee_dugard_kept_in_isolation_for.html

Tonight, Michael Cardoza, criminal defense attorney was on the Nancy Grace Show and discussed the case. Michael was also on the CBS Early Show this morning and discussed the Jaycee Dugard case.

According to Michael Cardoza's report, Phillip Garrido and his wife, Nancy, were looking for a child to kidnap the day before Jaycee went missing. They spotted Jaycee as she was standing in a crowd of girls and Phillip Garrido proclaimed that she was the 'one' he wanted. He thought she was cute and had decided to come back the following day to see if they could abduct her. Cardoza states that they saw Jaycee alone, grabbed her, and forced her to get down on the car's floor. It was approximately a three hour drive back to their home in Antioch, California. Once there, they put Jaycee in one of the tents and kept her locked up for three ½ years. Though they aren't sure who is releasing the information, it is suspected that it is Nancy Garrido, in an attempt to gain leniency in the case.

Frankly, I'm having a lot of trouble keeping track of who 'they' is referring to and why the suspicion is on Nancy when it could be someone in LE. Maybe others have watched the TV shows with Cardoza, I don't watch TV. I would love to see any other sources for this "isolation" stuff. Being true or not true is one concern but of further concern is if it is being used for some political purpose, if it is LE leaking info via Cardoza or anyone else, and just exactly what it means - I assume by the way this article reads, Cardoza would just answer, "We don't know that" or someone making these claims the way he is could allow people to make assumptions and he could be promoting assumptions through lack of information since he can not say what this 'isolation' really entailed. I'm not accusing him of anything thing here, I'm just saying this is something that sets off my hinky meter and we should all be aware of subtle manipulation.

 

[not_my_kids]

I didn't know where else to put this, so I decided here has the law enforcement info, it was as good a place as any.
I have been looking through the radaronline.com photos of the (supposed) inside of PG's house. There is stuff strewn everywhere, and I can't help but ask, when his PO would visit, even with the kids and jaycee hidden in the soundproofed room, couldn't they notice the kids items and realize they were out of place? Was his PO blind?

I don't understand. You would think that a sex offender on federal parole would be questioned about children's items in a home where no children are thought to be living.
Link to the set of pictures I am looking at.
http://www.radaronline.com/photos/image/21203

 

[songline]

Well, I don't want to get in trouble for this and it is pure speculation, but I have wondered if there is more of a connection given the dead prostitute found at their place of business years ago. They claim to have been friends with Garrido for 10 years. I have already mentioned that many of the unsolved murders were in similar locations. The corruption (broadly) end comes in if anyone knew these people should have been investigated and weren't or if they could have simply put 2 & 2 together and didn't. Maybe Garrido had a connection with some people they hired too - not that the Molinos knew or didn't know. Garrido also had to have had some connections in the area in order to attract those men to those backyard parties - what were those connections and who were those men. They didn't just materialize out of thin air.

First: I am glad to see you back :clap:
Secondly - Your post. :waitasec:
I had no idea about the dead prostitute found in the Molino place of business...
It has infuriated me from the very start that police is so very lax at investigating these people, and as far as PG ever telling and rating on his cronies...Well I am afraid not...I am afraid that these kind of people stand up for each other.
I am afraid that talking is not what they do there.
I am still of the opinion that a major part of the LE agency needs to be changed completely. That place is a cesspool.

 

[kbl8201]

First: I am glad to see you back :clap:
Secondly - Your post. :waitasec:
I had no idea about the dead prostitute found in the Molino place of business...
It has infuriated me from the very start that police is so very lax at investigating these people, and as far as PG ever telling and rating on his cronies...Well I am afraid not...I am afraid that these kind of people stand up for each other.
I am afraid that talking is not what they do there.
I am still of the opinion that a major part of the LE agency needs to be changed completely. That place is a cesspool.

its hard to catch people like garrido when the head of the sex crimes unit is a freaking rapist himself. the wolf investigating the hen house if you will

 

[songline]

its hard to catch people like garrido when the head of the sex crimes unit is a freaking rapist himself. the wolf investigating the hen house if you will

that is why I had hopes to see a crack down in t entire force over there.

 

[kbl8201]

that is why I had hopes to see a crack down in t entire force over there.

we'll need in independent investigation to do that imo. no way they are gonna police themselves.

 

[LinasK]

I didn't know where else to put this, so I decided here has the law enforcement info, it was as good a place as any.
I have been looking through the radaronline.com photos of the (supposed) inside of PG's house. There is stuff strewn everywhere, and I can't help but ask, when his PO would visit, even with the kids and jaycee hidden in the soundproofed room, couldn't they notice the kids items and realize they were out of place? Was his PO blind?

I don't understand. You would think that a sex offender on federal parole would be questioned about children's items in a home where no children are thought to be living.
Link to the set of pictures I am looking at.
http://www.radaronline.com/photos/image/21203

I didn't pick out a whole lot of kids items in the photos I glanced at, but perhaps the PO didn't go in the house, didn't see the things, or dismissed them as his grandkids...:banghead::banghead::banghead:

 

[kbl8201]

I didn't pick out a whole lot of kids items in the photos I glanced at, but perhaps the PO didn't go in the house, didn't see the things, or dismissed them as his grandkids...:banghead::banghead::banghead:

lol
i notice when the officers were on oprah they left that detail about the "grandkids' out of the topic of that phone converastion

 

[time]

I didn't know where else to put this, so I decided here has the law enforcement info, it was as good a place as any.
I have been looking through the radaronline.com photos of the (supposed) inside of PG's house. There is stuff strewn everywhere, and I can't help but ask, when his PO would visit, even with the kids and jaycee hidden in the soundproofed room, couldn't they notice the kids items and realize they were out of place? Was his PO blind?

I don't understand. You would think that a sex offender on federal parole would be questioned about children's items in a home where no children are thought to be living.
Link to the set of pictures I am looking at.
http://www.radaronline.com/photos/image/21203

Good question. Someone else also mentioned to me that there were bikes and/or some bigger toys visible outside (of course, these could have been moved when knowing the parole office was coming, but they also came unannounced?). I can't verify that, but maybe neighbors could have or possible these in the photos.

So many different agencies being at the house - fireman, sheriff's office, ambulance?, etc. and some unexpected (like during one of the fires) - I would think that these calls to the house, the public record, would have been looked at, esp by the Contra Costa County Sheriff's office after that call that clearly stated Garrido was a sex offender. Anyone in official capacity that had responded to a call at his house could have been questioned or at least the records reviewed.

How could no one along the line connect to this record of that call and hence it's contents. The Sheriff's office had a duty to do more on the records end given what they were told and I cannot see that it was only the officer that responded who was bereft in their duty - the record is there. That brings me to another question. Given there is a record there of a RSO having children on the property, whether anything more was done or not at that time, are we to believe that records like this are not considered (county wide) when something subsequently happens to a child, e.g., missing or found dead or even if it was reported some unknown pervert/pedophile was hanging around? And, what about any work being done on cold cases such as Lisa Norrell who was murdered very near where Garrido lives.

What makes me really angry is that Garrido did not simply rape a woman earlier, he kidnapped her and drove her across state lines with elaborate plans in place. He had other offenses, had parole violations, and was fairly sent back to prison. Garrido and his address should have had a HUGE red flag tagged on his file with both the parole officer and the Sheriff's office and any other agencies that might connect.

 

[kbl8201]

Good question. Someone else also mentioned to me that there were bikes and/or some bigger toys visible outside (of course, these could have been moved when knowing the parole office was coming, but they also came unannounced?). I can't verify that, but maybe neighbors could have or possible these in the photos.

So many different agencies being at the house - fireman, sheriff's office, ambulance?, etc. and some unexpected (like during one of the fires) - I would think that these calls to the house, the public record, would have been looked at, esp by the Contra Costa County Sheriff's office after that call that clearly stated Garrido was a sex offender. Anyone in official capacity that had responded to a call at his house could have been questioned or at least the records reviewed.

How could no one along the line connect to this record of that call and hence it's contents. The Sheriff's office had a duty to do more on the records end given what they were told and I cannot see that it was only the officer that responded who was bereft in their duty - the record is there. That brings me to another question. Given there is a record there of a RSO having children on the property, whether anything more was done or not at that time, are we to believe that records like this are not considered (county wide) when something subsequently happens to a child, e.g., missing or found dead or even if it was reported some unknown pervert/pedophile was hanging around? And, what about any work being done on cold cases such as Lisa Norrell who was murdered very near where Garrido lives.

What makes me really angry is that Garrido did not simply rape a woman earlier, he kidnapped her and drove her across state lines with elaborate plans in place. He had other offenses, had parole violations, and was fairly sent back to prison. Garrido and his address should have had a HUGE red flag tagged on his file with both the parole officer and the Sheriff's office and any other agencies that might connect.

when stuff so obvious is overlooked, you have to wonder when it crosses the line from incompetence to plain corruption. maybe he was giving thise po's and cops something they wanted or needed. :sick:

 

[time]

Video: Caller Reported Missing Girl In Oakley
http://www.kcra.com/video/21222973/index.html

At the end of the video it says the Sheriff's Office "is not going to make the report available"... this is after the reporter says they asks how quickly police responded after they got the tip.

I'm disappointed that the majority of the video is about the lack of info the tipster gave. Although I think it is important for people to know, I wish they had focused on what the Sheriff's Office could have done.

 

[Natal]

Video: Caller Reported Missing Girl In Oakley
http://www.kcra.com/video/21222973/index.html

At the end of the video it says the Sheriff's Office "is not going to make the report available"... this is after the reporter says they asks how quickly police responded after they got the tip.

I'm disappointed that the majority of the video is about the lack of info the tipster gave. Although I think it is important for people to know, I wish they had focused on what the Sheriff's Office could have done.

According to the People article, LE did ask Jaycee about that incident, and she didn't recall anything like that happening. So the tip was likely someone playing games, especially considering that the tipster dissappeared before the police got there. That said, if they had investigated and reviewed the local sex offenders even though it was probably a fake tip, they likely would have found her, except that PG wasnt on the RSO list at that time due to an oversight (so they wouldn't have looked at him).

The really big failure of the system that everyone seems to overlook was actually a small thing, PG falling through the cracks and not registering as an RSO. Which meant that when all the intensive investigation/searching immediately after the kidnapping was going on, none of the investigators would have known about him. He did become an RSO when the California parole office assumed responsibility for him, but by then it was too late since that sort of investigation in the case was long over at that point.

 

[time]

Well, I honestly have a difficult time believing that was a hoax and here is why.

It would be an incredible coincidence that only 10 months after Jaycee disappeared that someone in that area actually reported seeing a girl that fit her description only 2 miles from where she was being held captive AND with someone in a van that fit the van's description. I think the van is somewhat unusual being a distinct body (Dodge) and color (Yellow). Additionally, since Garrido doesn't exactly live close to where Jaycee was kidnapped, this would make it even more of an incredible coincidence that this was a hoax. Are you saying the caller just happened to get lucky and Jaycee WAS actually only two miles away and they just got lucky on the make and color of the vehicle?

I think it's entirely possible though that someone had seen Jaycee somewhere other than the gas station or knew exactly who she was with. That would have to be someone who could connect her with that van. That could be someone like Nancy, an acquaintance of Garrido's, a family member, or a neighbor. I wonder if they kept or passed on a recording of the 911 call or what the notes on that say.

One thing that would make me think otherwise is if Garrido didn't have that van back then. I suspect this is not true. While the El Dorado Sheriff's office was flooded with tips about Jaycee... how many were the CCC Sheriff's office getting and what were they if they did get some?

I think there is really no reason for the CCC Sheriff's office to NOT release those records. If there is nothing damning in them, then this would be to their benefit. I can see no reason they need to withhold those due to the ongoing investigation of Garrido. I think it's suspect that they have cut off all conversation about this and arrogant (in my eyes).

I do wonder if an open records request would either get access to those records or force them into giving some specific reason and valid for withholding them.

I don't necessarily think Jaycee would remember. She could have been drugged or in a state where her world was filled with all kinds of strange stuff. On the other hand, it could have been like I said and she wasn't ever at the gas station, but the call was still made.

I think it is further suspect precisely because Michael Cardoza made the media circuit rounds claiming some unknown source said that Jaycee was held in complete isolation for 3 1/2 years. Talk about media leaks or planned media leaks??? One has to wonder.

 

[time]

I'm not happy with this explanation regarding the 1992 sighting.

In response to the man's tip, the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office sent a deputy to the Chevron station. Police said the caller did not remain to be interviewed and left no contact information. With no license plate number or further leads, nothing came of the reported sighting, the newspaper said.

http://news.aol.com/article/tipster-may-have-spotted-jaycee-dugard/706316

I believe this is the location of that 1992 Chevron gas station sighting

101 E Cypress Rd, Oakley, CA 94561

This is just off Main Street/Hwy 4 and it appears to be within about 5 miles of the attempted kidnapping that was reported

A license late number would of course be excellent or the direction they traveled, but that does not mean you take no action given you have a description of a fairly unusual vehicle that would stick out like a sore thumb.

The bigger concern here is how the Contra Costa County Sheriff's office responded to other tips for missing persons/children. If there was ever any coordinated effort to cross-reference cases and what was known, and so on. Why are there so many unsolved cases in this very limited area.

On November 6, 1998, a 15 year-old Mexican-American girl named Lisa Diane Norrell disappeared from a party at a dance hall in the East Bay town of Antioch. Eight days later, her asphyxiated body, hands bunched into fists, was found face down in the yard of a landscaping firm in Pittsburg, her hometown.

It was the first of four murders of young women occurring over the span of two months in Pittsburg

http://journalism.berkeley.edu/projects/lisa/home.html

Lisa Norrell, age 15, Pittsburg, disappeared November 06, 1998, after she left an event at the former IDES Hall, 111 W. 10th Street, Antioch. Her black shoes were found on the Pittsburg-Antioch Highway the next morning while her body was found 8 days later on the same road, near (the former) Nav-Let's Garden Center, Pittsburg.

[ame="http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?p=4197097"]TIMELINE: Garrido's Life; Child Abductions; Adult Murders- WORK IN PROCESS - Page 4 - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community[/ame]

Additionally, Garrido worked at a recycling center near where several of the victims were found. And, in case anyone missed it, one woman was found impaled on the fence at JM Enterprises.

With this many murders, I have to wonder why the FBI wasn't called in. It was during this same time period that the Fire Chief of Antioch was accused of molesting children also - there was strong evidence against him but the DA dropped the charges in exchange for info into Lisa's death. Nothing came out of that and no one was charged.

I'd like to know what all of the records show on these crimes, especially police reports.


Something is seriously hinky about all these unsolved crimes. While the Fire Chief was not charged and convicted, the judge said there was strong evidence he committed these crimes. We know pedophiles reoffend.

 

[i.b.nora]

That website that you cite in your post seems to be the definitive source at this time for all things Lisa Norrell and the other murders during that time period.

Who Killed Lisa Norrell?

"This web site, produced by a news reporting class at the Journalism School, examines Lisa's murder, the police investigation, and the lasting effects on her city, friends, and family -- one year after the tragedy."

-- Neil Henry, Associate Professor, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism

This page in particular discusses the sealing of public documents:

Official Silence Spurs Questions, Anxiety

And, this page talks about how the Berkeley journalists got their stories without breaking the rules.

"Is Anyone Still Crying?"

Also, this topic has been discussed on a few other threads, so you might want to do a search here to see if any other vital info came up, I just can't remember.

And, the other murders during this time period were of young adult women, not children.