YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Vol. 21, No. 15
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Crime fell in 2018
Moms supporting moms
April 12, 2019
Sprucing Up For Spring
by Kyle Szymanski Staff Writer
Brentwood crime saw a double-digit decrease in 2018, according to newly released police department statistics. Violent and property crime decreased by 11 percent, with rapes, robberies, simple assaults, arsons, thefts, residential burglaries and auto thefts all dropping, Police Chief Tom Hansen told the Brentwood City Council this week during an annual report. “We are doing good in Brentwood,” Hansen said. “Believe me, I take these numbers very seriously. It’s a good gauge of where we are and if we need to adjust things.” Total violent crime dropped by 11 percent, or 66 incidents, over the past year, with simple assaults — classified as unlawful use of force on another being that doesn’t amount to the more serious “aggravated assault” — decreasing more than any other category, dropping by 56 incidents to 378.
The Press’ Home & Garden edition has advice for turning your house into a dream home. Page 1B
A Special Homecoming Photo by Tony Kukulich
T
he crew from FIT4MOM East Contra Costa gathered in Brentwood City Park, Tuesday, April 9, for a photo to commemorate their third anniversary. According to their website, FIT4MOM is the nation’s leading prenatal and postnatal fitness program, providing fitness classes and a network of moms to support every stage of motherhood. For more information, visit https://eastcontracosta.fit4mom.com/
see Crime page 26A
Hearing reveals details of murder by Tony Kukulich Staff Writer
Matthew Redmond, the 30-year-old Brentwood resident accused in the July 2018 killing of his mother, Marta Redmond, appeared in Pittsburg Superior Court on Wednesday, April 3, for a preliminary hearing. Matthew Redmond entered the courtroom of Judge John Devine wearing a yellow, prisonissue uniform and sandals. He appeared detached from the proceeding, though he did briefly make eye contact with family members seated in the gallery behind him. Public Defender Sarah MonPere represented him. During a preliminary hearing, a judge determines whether a defendant should stand trial in superior court. Typically, only a portion of the evidence is presented. Deputy District Attorney Mary Blumberg called several Brentwood Police Department (BPD) officers to testify about the events of the morning of July 3 that led to the discovery of Marta Redmond’s severely beaten body in a downstairs bathroom of the Redmond home on
REDMOND Torrington Drive in the Claremont neighborhood. According to testimony, officers were called to the 300 block of Chaucer Drive, also in the Claremont neighborhood, by a resident who observed a man standing outside her sliding glass
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door. Officers arrived a few minutes after 10 a.m. BPD Officer Ilonka Inerbichler testified she responded to a call for an interrupted burglary, and received a description of the suspect as a white male in his 20s, with black hair, wearing a blue t-shirt and white shorts. According to Inerbichler, another BPD officer found a man matching the description standing next to the open door of a car across the street from the caller’s address. When questioned by the police, the man said he was experiencing a difficult time as his boyfriend had just dumped him. He was going through cars looking for jewelry and change, and he was trying to leave town to visit a friend in North Dakota. The suspect also told officers that he lived with his parents, though he said that neither were home at the time. Seeing the man in police custody, the resident who called 9-1-1 reportedly said, “That’s him. That’s him. That’s him.” The man was Matthew Redmond. Upon their initial contact with the suspect, several officers described him as having been see Murder page 26A
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Two years after suffering a nearfatal heart attack, Arnoldo Avila is preparing to go home. Page 5A
Swinging For The Title
Liberty baseball team takes Willie Stargell Classic as they prepare for league play. Page 17A Calendar.............................27A Classifieds..........................22A Cop Logs.............................25A Education.............................4A Entertainment..................11A Food.....................................10A Milestones.........................14A Opinion...............................16A Pets........................................ 8A Sports..................................17A
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Study shows that community colleges are positive contributors to local economy.