YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER ward Winning News al A pa
Vol. 11, No. 41
Including Surrounding Communities
www.thepress.net
Rugged cop pedals to the medals by Ruth Roberts Staff Writer Cycling legend Lance Armstrong might have seven prestigious bicycling medals to his credit, but Jeff Bilodeau isn’t far behind. In June, the Brentwood police officer and biking enthusiast rode away from the Western State Police & Fire Games (WSPFG) in Southern California with five medals, grabbing honors in a field of hundreds of buffed, pumped and motivated competitors. “It’s a lot of fun and I really enjoy the competition,” said Bilodeau, 33. “It’s a great outlet and a great way to stay in shape. For me, this is how I relax.” This year Bilodeau took home three bronze and two silver medals in the Olympic-caliber competitions that feature more than 50 sports, from baseball, soccer and weightlifting to paintball, horseshoes and archery. Law enforcement officers and firefighters from across the country – retired and active
Photo courtesy of Jeff Bilodeau
Jeff Bilodeau competed in the World Police & Fire Games in August, where he won a silver medal in the mountain bike division. – are eligible to compete in the biannual event. The 2009 WSPFG event
marked Bilodeau’s fifth goaround at the regional games and his second run at the
biennial World Federation Games held last August in British Columbia, where he won a silver, bringing his total medal count to 25. The lifelong cyclist competes in the road and mountain-bike events, but this year Bilodeau – who transferred to the Brentwood Police Department a year ago from Union City – also managed to bring two fellow officers and avid fishermen along for the ride. “Wherever I go, I always try to get my co-workers involved in this (WSPFG),” said Bilodeau. And this year, fellow Brentwood officers Chuck Jacobs and Ozzie Cruz took the bait and hooked themselves silver medals in the team fishing competition. “It was a great time,” said Jacobs. “We didn’t expect to win anything, so we were very surprised. But it was a lot of fun. We’ll definitely go again.” For Bilodeau, the medals are a welcome reward for
rs
Na t
pe
ion
October 9, 2009
THIS WEEK
Coupons To Go! Save with
Coupons To Go! Want to squeeze hundreds of dollars in savings into your pocket? Look for our coupon booklet inside this issue.
Documenting the downturn A new report breaks down the unemployment rate among East County cities.
Page 15A
Lion taming’s a tall order
see Cop page 22A
Thrown bottles damage cars on Bypass by Rick Lemyre Staff Writer
The Brentwood Police are looking for information on the person or persons responsible for at least five cars damaged by full water bottles thrown at vehicles on the Highway 4 Bypass Monday night. Lt. Doug Silva said no one was hurt in the incidents, which occurred between 8:45 and 9:53 p.m. between Sand Creek and Balfour roads. Vehicles suffered broken windshields, damaged hoods and broken front grills. “Nobody could tell where (the bottles) were coming from because it was dark,” Silva said. “They could have been coming from behind the small knoll on the west side, or from behind the sound wall on the east.” Tricia Cox of Brentwood had just picked up her daughter and a friend at a movie theater when her vehicle was struck.
“My windshield was shattered,” she said. “I was totally shocked. I got out of the car and my teeth were chattering.” She quickly learned she wasn’t the only victim. “When I pulled over, a car behind me did too,” she said. “I yelled to them if they saw what happened, and they said they had been hit, too.” Cox’s daughter, Olivia, 14, said the impact “sounded like a really big bang, and then water started dripping all over the car. The car behind us had a dent on its bumper.” Silva said there were no witnesses or suspects to the crime: throwing an object at a moving vehicle. The crime is a felony if someone is injured. Police collected bottles at the scene to check for possible fingerprint evidence. In the meantime, anyone with information can contact Silva at 925634-6911.
A Liberty volleyball player’s aptitude for altitude helps her team stay head and shoulders above the competition.
Page 1B
INSIDE
Photo by Rick Lemyre
Olivia Cox, 14, points to where the car she was riding in was struck by a water bottle thrown along the Highway 4 Bypass Monday. Police said at least five cars were damaged over the course of about an hour, and they’d like to hear from anyone with information on the incidents.
Arts.....................................7A Calendar ..........................27B Classifieds ........................17B Cop Logs ..........................17A Entertainment ................13B Food .................................12B Health & Beauty ............... 8B Milestones .......................10B Opinion ...........................16A Outdoors .........................18A Sports ................................. 1B Talk About Town ..............5A WebExtras! ....................... 1B
FOR MOVIE TIMES SEE PAGE 5A