August 2010

• On August 24, 2010, Defendant Aaron Parsons was convicted of four counts of forcible rape, forcible sodomy, residential robbery, kidnapping, criminal threats, and assault with a deadly weapon. The crimes occurred in 2004 and began in San Leandro. After brutally beating and raping the victim, the defendant forced her to go to Hayward where he continued to beat and sexually assault her for an additional two days. The victim managed to fool the defendant into believing that her family had an Amber Alert issued for her and he left her in an apartment. The victim contacted her family, who contacted the police. Despite initially being unwilling to prosecute, the victim courageously came to court and testified. The Prosecutor was DDA Amilcar Ford.

• On August 19, 2010, a jury convicted defendants Tyrone Jackson and Keith Millet of kidnapping, robbery and forcible rape. On the evening of October 9, 2008, the victim in this case was at the Bench & Bar nightclub in Oakland where she remembers ordering and drinking one alcoholic drink, and then blacking out. She woke up in a car with one defendant driving and the other in the back seat. The defendants demanded her money, threatened to kill her and attacked and sexually assaulted her. The victim was ultimately left stranded in her ripped clothes, bleeding, with no phone, keys or money. Sentencing is scheduled for October 7, 2010. The Prosecutor was DDA Joe Goethals.

• On August 16, 2010, a jury found defendant Patrick Grant guilty of two counts of robbery with personal use of a firearm, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. On July 18, 2009, an off-duty OPD Officer and his cousin were fishing at the trout pond on Carson Road in Oakland. Defendant Grant approached the victims with a gun and demanded their wallets. Both men complied and the defendant fled in a car. After a brief car and foot chase, Grant was arrested. Sentencing is scheduled for October 15, 2010, at which time the defendant faces up to 30 years in prison. The Prosecutor was DDA Rebecca Warren.

• On August 5, 2010, a jury convicted defendants Mark Candler and Elijah Thomas of attempted murder and shooting at residences, based upon a June 30, 2006, incident. Candler and Thomas fired high powered rifles in the vicinity of a crowded intersection in West Oakland, wounding the targeted victim and striking several nearby apartments. Candler was also convicted of illegally possessing firearms in 2008. The convictions resulted from a large-scale operation by the Oakland Police Department targeting West Oakland gang members. Candler & Thomas face life imprisonment. The Prosecutor was DDA John Brouhard

• On August 2, 2010, a jury found Defendant Michael Woods guilty of first degree murder for the killing of Bryant Sills, guilty of second degree murder for the killing of Reese Allen, and also found the multiple murder special circumstance clause to be true. On September 14, 2005, just before 6:00 AM, Woods shot and killed Bryant Sills at the intersection of 80th Avenue and Alder Street in East Oakland. Woods, who was driving a white van that morning, followed Sills as he left the parking lot of the Quarter Pound Burger on International Blvd. When Sills reached the stop sign at the above-mentioned intersection, the defendant pulled up next to him and got out of his vehicle with a fully loaded 9mm gun. He walked up to the passenger window of Sills vehicle, put his hand inside the passenger window, and shot Sills in the face. He fled the scene immediately after the shooting. Just 20 days later and a few blocks over on October 4, 2005, the defendant shot and killed Reese Allen, an 18 year old who had a revolver in his back pocket at the time of the shooting. The defendant was attempting to purchase drugs from the victim and when the victim refused to sell them to the defendant, Woods pulled out his fully loaded 9mm gun and shot four times. The victim was hit twice, with one of the bullets piercing his heart. Soon after this shooting, the defendant was arrested on an unrelated parole violation. He spoke to the police and claimed self-defense in both shootings. While the defendant was in custody in 2007, a hit list that he created, which contained the names and addresses of witnesses for both cases, was confiscated. The prosecutor was DDA Venus D. Johnson.

Misdemeanor Verdicts

• On August 24, 2010, a jury convicted defendant Lee Mark Poitier of driving under the influence of alcohol, and found true the excessive blood alcohol clause. On November 1, 2009, the Defendant Poitier and Kaly Kim were driving on the 2300 block of Durant Avenue in the city of Berkeley. Witnesses saw Kim back the car into another vehicle, at which time Poitier switched seats with Kim and drove off. Defendant Poitier drove half a block and the car stopped at the next intersection. The car stayed at the light for three cycles and the two switched seats, putting Ms. Kim behind the steering wheel once again. The car drove off but was pulled over three blocks away after officers from the Berkeley Police Department responded to numerous 911 calls. When the car was pulled over Defendant Kim was still in the driver's seat. Both were arrested and charged for driving under the influence. Ms. Kim's blood alcohol was .15/.15 at the time of the incident and Mr. Poitier was driving with a Blood Alcohol of .21/.20. Ms. Kim pled guilty prior to trial. The Prosecutor was DDA Louis Marin.

• On August 13, 2010, a jury convicted Defendant Cal Hale of Penal Code section 243.4(e)(1), sexual battery. On July 5, 2010, at approximately 9:45 AM, Hale attacked a woman exercising in front of Berkeley High School. The Defendant grabbed the victim's buttocks and proceeded to push her toward several bushes which lined the wall the school gymnasium. The victim resisted the forceful attack by screaming and striking the Defendant. He fled the scene but was arrested several minutes later by Berkeley Police Department. The conviction carries lifetime sexual offender registration pursuant to PC section 290. The Prosecutor was DDA Charles Wilson.

• On August 9, 2010, a jury convicted Howard Fu Wong of driving under the influence. Shortly before 1:00 AM on October 18, 2009, the Defendant rolled through a stop sign while driving on Manor at Farnsworth in San Leandro and continued to drive while straddling the center divide. When he was pulled over by the police, the officer observed objective symptoms of alcohol intoxication. Field Sobriety Tests suggested alcohol impairment and a Draeger Breath Test confirmed a .09/.09 blood alcohol level. The Prosecutor was DDA Vieira-Ducey