Latest news with #UrsulaJonesDickson
CBS News
a day ago
- CBS News
Suspect in California parole agent's murder in court as current, former DAs lob accusations over his previous release
The suspect in the murder of California parole agent Joshua Byrd appeared in court Monday as finger-pointing over his previous parole took place between the Alameda County District Attorney and her predecessor. Suspect Bryan Keith Hall's arraignment at the Wiley M. Manuel Courthouse in Oakland was postponed until August 22. He is currently being held without bail at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin. District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson said in a press conference that charges against Hall include murder of a peace officer, robbery of a passenger on the bus Hall was on following the shooting, theft of a vehicle during his escape attempt, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Other enhancements include a two-strikes enhancement, which would make it a third strike if convicted. Jones Dickson said her office would seek life without the possibility of parole. Byrd was shot and killed on Thursday at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation parole offices in East Oakland. The 48-year-old Hall, a parolee with a long criminal history, was arrested the same day following an intense manhunt. The motive in the shooting was not clear, but Jones Dickson said Monday that Byrd was not Hall's parole agent and they had had no prior contact. The CDCR said Hall was most recently charged in November 2022 with attempted murder in connection with a stabbing. In February, following a plea deal with the Alameda County District Attorney's Office, Hall pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon, and the attempted murder charges and other special allegations were dismissed. Hall was immediately released on parole because of time already served, the CDCR said. On Monday, former Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price, who left office in December 2024 following a recall vote, claimed her office was not to blame for Hall's early parole in the 2022 stabbing. In a press release, Price said she wanted to "set the record straight" about Hall's release, noting the 2022 crime took place before she was in office and that his plea deal was negotiated following her tenure. "There are those who are intent on spreading disinformation about this tragedy by attributing it to me or members of my Executive Leadership team," said Price in a prepared statement. "The truth is that 98% of all cases are resolved through plea bargains - the criminal justice system could not function without plea bargains. Additionally, the re-entry team that I created was immediately disbanded under the new DA so any opportunity for the DA's office to assess Mr. Hall's mental condition or assist in his safe release into our community was lost." Price called on Jones Dickson to address why Hall, who has a lengthy criminal history in Alameda County dating back to June 1996, was allowed to plead to a lesser charge in the 2022 stabbing and be released on parole. "The community needs to know this decision was made by a line deputy District Attorney in the normal course of business under DA Ursula Jones Dickson," said Price. "DA Ursula Jones Dickson can provide the name of the deputy and address the concerns about his or her decision if she so chooses to do so. She owes the public a truthful explanation." However, in her subsequent press conference, Jones Dickson disputed Price's account and said Price's prior directive against charging enhancements led directly to Hall's early release. "As a result of that, great bodily injury was not charged, and in addition to that, not only great bodily injury, but strikes were alleged, but they could not be considered under that directive," said Jones Dickson. "And specifically, prosecutors could not - they had to plead strikes under the law - but they could not use those strikes as it relates to any plea bargain without permission from the prior administration." Jones Dickson said Hall's plea was negotiated in January, and the sentencing in February occurred when Price's directive was still in place. "My first order of business was to get rid of that directive," said Jones Dickson, who assumed office 11 days after Hall was sentenced. Jones Dickson said since none of the enhancements and none of the strikes were allowed to be considered in Hall's plea, he was able to serve half his time, two years in custody instead of four. "Had he had that same allegation with the enhancements and strikes, we would have been looking at more, like, 12 years and 85% [of time in custody]. Legal analyst Steven Clark said the 2022 plea deal will continue to be a factor hanging over the case. The DA has to explain to the community exactly why they made this plea agreement with Mr. Hall," said Clark. DAs have to make discretionary decisions every day, but when you go from attempted with a knife to credit for time served, I think that's a big jump downward, and a lot of people wanna know why he was given that benefit of the doubt." On Friday, Byrd was honored with a law enforcement procession from the Alameda County Coroner's Bureau in Oakland to a funeral home in Sacramento. First responders stood at attention and saluted on highway overpasses as the procession headed east on Interstate Highway 580. Also on Friday, a moment of silence was held in Byrd's honor at graduation ceremonies for new CDCR correctional officers in Galt. Byrd spent 11 years with the CDCR, mostly as a correctional officer. Last year, he became a parole agent working with the Oakland parole unit.
CBS News
a day ago
- CBS News
Air District, Alameda County DA sue Radius Recycling over 2023 West Oakland fire
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District and Alameda County District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson filed a joint civil lawsuit Thursday against Radius Recycling over air quality violations stemming from a large fire at its West Oakland facility in August 2023. The suit seeks penalties and an injunction following the Aug. 9-10, 2023 blaze, which regulators say was fueled by the company's failure to follow key fire prevention measures. Investigators found Radius accepted excess scrap metal while its shredder was offline. However, they stored the material in areas lacking water cannons and heat sensors, both required by its air permit, a press release stated. "Radius Recycling's actions endangered the health and well-being of the West Oakland community," said Dr. Philip Fine, executive officer of the Air District. "This lawsuit reflects our commitment to holding polluters accountable." District Attorney Jones Dickson said the action seeks to enforce environmental protections and prevent future toxic emissions in the area, which has long suffered from pollution. Radius was fined $575,000 in 2024 for startup violations but is now operating in compliance.
CBS News
a day ago
- CBS News
Suspect in California parole agent's murder in court as current, former DA's lob accusations
The suspect in the murder of California parole agent Joshua Byrd appeared in court Monday as finger-pointing over his previous parole took place between the current and former Alameda County District Attorney. Suspect Bryan Keith Hall's arraignment at the Wiley M. Manuel Courthouse in Oakland was postponed until August 22. He is currently being held without bail at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin. District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson said in a press conference that charges against Hall include murder with special circumstances of being against a peace officer, robbery of a passenger on the bus Hall was on following the shooting, theft of a vehicle during his escape attempt, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Other enhancements include a two-strikes enhancement, which would make it a third strike if convicted. Jones Dickson said her office would seek life without the possibility of parole. Byrd was shot and killed Thursday at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation parole offices in East Oakland. The 48-year-old Hall, a parolee with a long criminal history, was arrested the same day following an intense manhunt. The motive in the shooting was not clear, but Jones Dickson said Monday that Byrd was not Hall's parole agent. The CDCR said Hall was most recently charged in November 2022 with attempted murder in connection with a stabbing. In February, following a plea deal with the Alameda County District Attorney's Office, Hall pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon, and the attempted murder charges and other special allegations were dismissed. Hall was immediately released on parole because of time already served, the CDCR said. On Monday, former Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price, who left office in December 2024 following a recall vote, claimed her office was not to blame for Hall early parole in the 2022 stabbing. In a press release, Price said she wanted to "set the record straight" about Hall's release, noting the 2022 crime took place before she was in office and that his plea deal was negotiated following her tenure. "There are those who are intent on spreading disinformation about this tragedy by attributing it to me or members of my Executive Leadership team," said Price in a prepared statement. "The truth is that 98% of all cases are resolved through plea bargains - the criminal justice system could not function without plea bargains. Additionally, the re-entry team that I created was immediately disbanded under the new DA so any opportunity for the DA's office to assess Mr. Hall's mental condition or assist in his safe release into our community was lost." Price called on Jones Dickson to address why Hall, who has a lengthy criminal history in Alameda County dating back to June 1996, was allowed to plead to a lesser charge in the 2022 stabbing and be released on parole. "The community needs to know this decision was made by a line deputy District Attorney in the normal course of business under DA Ursula Jones Dickson," said Price. "DA Ursula Jones Dickson can provide the name of the deputy and address the concerns about his or her decision if she so chooses to do so. She owes the public a truthful explanation." However, in her subsequent press conference, Jones Dickson disputed Price's account, and said Price's prior directive against charging enhancements led directly to Hall's early release. "As a result of that, great bodily injury was not charged, and in addition to that, not only great bodily injury, but strikes were alleged, but they could not be considered under that directive," said Jones Dickson. "And specifically, prosecutors could not - they had to plead strikes under the law - but they could not use those strikes as it relates to any plea bargain without permission from the prior administration." Jones Dickson said Hall's plea negotiated in January and the sentencing in February occured when Price's directive was still in place. "My first order of business was to get rid of that directive," said Jones Dickson who assumed office 11 days after Hall was sentenced. Jones Dickson said since none of the enhancements and none of the strikes were allowed to be considered in Hall's plea, he was able to serve half his time, two years in custody instead of four. "Had he had that same allegation with the enhancements and strikes, we would have been looking at more, like, 12 years and 85% [of time in custody]. On Friday, Byrd was honored with a law enforcement procession from the Alameda County Coroner's Bureau in Oakland to a funeral home in Sacramento. First responders stood at attention and saluted on highway overpasses as the procession headed east on Interstate Highway 580. Also on Friday, a moment of silence was held in Byrd's honor at graduation ceremonies for new CDCR correctional officers in Galt. Byrd spent 11 years with the CDCR, mostly as a correctional officer. Last year, he became a parole agent working with the Oakland parole unit.
Associated Press
30-05-2025
- General
- Associated Press
New district attorney in California county withdraws from historic death penalty resentencing
Alameda County's new district attorney is rejecting her predecessor's recommendations to resentence people on death row — recommendations triggered by a historic review of systemic prosecutorial misconduct. Records obtained by CalMatters show at least four cases in which District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson has moved to withdraw resentencing motions filed under Pamela Price, who was recalled from office in November. Price launched the review roughly one year ago, after U.S. District Court Judge Vince Chhabria mandated that her office investigate 35 death penalty cases for prosecutorial misconduct dating back to the 1980s. His order cited 'strong evidence that, in prior decades, prosecutors from the office were engaged in a pattern of serious misconduct, automatically excluding Jewish and African American jurors in death penalty cases.' Price ultimately recommended resentencing 30 people, the majority people of color, after finding that their constitutional rights had been violated. Of those, 20 people have had their day in court and were resentenced to terms less than death under Alameda County Superior Court Judge Thomas Stevens. But that effort came to a halt when Price was ousted. Her resentencing team was disbanded, according to court records and interviews with former staffers. And the 10 resentencing recommendations awaiting a ruling were reassigned to Alameda County Superior Court Judge Armando Pastran, a former prosecutor. The Alameda County Board of Supervisors appointed Jones Dickson, a former judge, to her post in February. Her office began filing motions to withdraw recommendations less than two months later, contending that Price and her team made flawed legal arguments and failed to sufficiently contact victims and their family members. The 'motion is based on a substantive reevaluation of the facts of the case, legal analysis…consideration of petitioner's prior crimes, and new information about the victims' wishes,' wrote deputy district attorney Emily Tienken in one of the filings. The decision to reverse course signals one of the first major policy changes the office has adopted since Price's departure. 'It's absolutely disgraceful,' said Michael Collins, senior director at Color of Change, a racial justice organization that called on the Attorney General's Office to support Price's review and launch its own investigation. 'It's scandalous that this has happened and now they're trying to bury the cases. The people whose lives were destroyed — the people who were given unconstitutional trials are not getting any indemnification.' In an interview with CalMatters, Price said her office was looking to achieve justice and it was not driven by politics. 'It was very disturbing,' said Price. 'If this is the practice and you're doing it in these types of cases, what's to say you're not doing it in other types of cases as well? So our concern was that we had a huge task ahead of us.' The Alameda County District Attorney's Office did not respond to requests for an interview for this story. At a press conference marking her first 100 days in office, Jones Dickson on Thursday did not directly answer a question about her stance on the death penalty cases. 'I don't have a plan to specifically review any death penalty cases that are pending,' she said. 'We are already in the midst of doing that. It looks like the prior administration started that process and so there are cases that are still pending that we're reviewing and evaluating and filing motions on and doing the things that lawyers do. But I don't have a policy at this point regarding choosing cases to pull for resentencing.' Jonathan Raven, an executive at the California District Attorneys Association, said not every district attorney is going to agree on a specific case. 'Any district attorney is always going to review policies and practices, and review the decisions of the prior district attorney, which I think is what the voters would want – or certainly, the board of supervisors,' he said. Disparities in death penalty sentences Decades of research has documented racial bias in the application of the death penalty. In a brief submitted to the California Supreme Court challenging the administration of the state's death penalty scheme, legal advocacy organizations wrote that Black and Latino defendants are roughly six to nine times more likely to be sentenced to death than all other defendants. Gov. Gavin Newsom cited that legacy when he suspended the death penalty in California six years ago. But voters have consistently upheld the death penalty as a policy, and almost 600 people incarcerated in state prisons have been sentenced to death. Allegations of racially discriminatory jury selection practices in Alameda County were first raised in 2005 by a former prosecutor in a sworn declaration. Roughly 20 years later, Price announced that her office had uncovered evidence of those violations. Jury selection notes disclosed by Price's office revealed that past Alameda County prosecutors had been illegally tracking and striking potential jurors on the basis of race and religion for decades. In one instance, prosecutors described a prospective Black female juror as a 'Short, Fat, Troll.' Prosecutors wrote of another prospective juror, 'I liked him better than any other Jew but no way.' Those findings served as the basis for Judge Chhabria's order and quickly became priority for Price's team, which had already been resentencing many other types of cases. According to Price and former staffers, the office assembled a team of victim witness advocates who contacted all of the survivors they were able to identify. Appeal reached California Supreme Court The team spent months reviewing cases, including the conviction of Grayland Winbush. Winbush, a Black man, was sentenced to death in 2003 following the murder of Erika Beeson during a robbery. He was 19 at the time of the crime. In court filings, attorneys for Winbush argued that his constitutional rights were violated when prosecutors removed all Black prospective jurors and relied on racial stereotypes to characterize him as a superpredator. In January, Price's office recommended that he be resentenced to 30 years to life, acknowledging that his case had 'become a reference point in discussions of jury selection misconduct.' In return, Winbush agreed that he would no longer continue appealing his sentence. But roughly three months later, Jones Dickson withdrew the original recommendation 'based on carefully considered victim impact and up-to-date legal analysis.' Attorneys for Winbush held that the office has no factual or legal ground to revoke its recommendation, maintaining that 'withdrawing a recommendation on a whim or based on 'a change in the political winds'' is not valid. The motion 'perpetuates, rather than confronts and remedies, the widespread race-based misconduct that led a federal judge to direct the office to review its death penalty cases,' wrote appellate defense attorney Rebecca Jones. 'The original resentencing petition filed by the (Alameda County District Attorney's Office) is a piece of its attempt to redress systemic bias reflected by the jury selection in Mr. Winbush's case.' Alameda County Superior Court Judge Pastran will decide whether to grant Jones Dickson's revocation of Winbush's resentencing recommendation in the months ahead. In another case, Jones Dickson is pulling the resentencing recommendation for Giles Albert Nadey, who was convicted and sentenced to death in 2000 for murdering a young woman. The case came up for argument in the California Supreme Court last year, around the same time that Price's office had surfaced evidence of prosecutorial misconduct, but did not consider that evidence and ultimately upheld the death sentence. In a divided opinion, the court looked at a prosecutor's decision to dismiss five of six Black women from Nadey's jury pool and determined the deputy district attorney had valid reasons to strike them, such as his perceptions of their political leanings. 'We conclude in each instance the prosecutor's reasons were inherently plausible and supported,' the court ruled in a 5-2 decision, citing evidence from jury questionnaires and the prosecutor's questioning of the stricken jurors. In a dissent, Justice Goodwin Liu referred to the federal court ruling that directed Price to review death penalty cases. The 'decision is particularly jarring given what has come to light in federal court regarding capital jury selection in Alameda County around the time that Nadey was tried,' Liu wrote. ___ This story was originally published by CalMatters and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.
CBS News
16-04-2025
- CBS News
Man accused of attacking mother, child in Fremont restaurant charged with hate crime
A man in Alameda County has been charged with a hate crime in connection with an alleged assault of a mother and child at a Fremont fast food restaurant earlier this month, prosecutors said Wednesday. District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson's office said 22-year-old Marcus Harper of Newark is facing hate crime and battery charges following the April 5 incident. Prosecutors said the mother, who is Asian Indian, and her child were eating when they were allegedly attacked by Harper. Harper is also accused of making "a hateful statement on the perceived characteristics of the victims' race or ethnicity" during the incident, according to the DA's office. "This act of hate based upon the perceived national origin of these victims is completely unacceptable," Jones Dickson said in a statement. "The message needs to be clear that such behavior will not be tolerated, and those who commit hate crimes will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law." Prosecutors said Harper faces up to one year in county jail if convicted. Jail records show Harper remains in custody at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin as of Wednesday. He is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday morning.
