Feb 22, 2024 | Press Release
Justice with Compassion in Action: Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price Delivers Oscar Grant’s Personal Property to His Mother, Wanda Johnson
February 22, 2024
Oakland, CA—Today, Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price hand delivered two cellphones, the remaining personal property of Oscar Grant, to his mother, Reverend Wanda Johnson, in a demonstration of justice with compassion in action.
“This is a signature day in the history of Alameda County and the Alameda County District Attorney’s office,” said DA Price. “In her own personal quest, Wanda Johnson has consistently asked the Alameda County District Attorney’s office to return her son’s property to her. I have heard that cry over many, many years. Now, as the elected district attorney of this county, I have the honor and the privilege of returning Oscar Grant’s phones to his mother.”
On January 12, 2024, DA Price filed an Ex Parte Motion, requesting a court order authorizing the return and release of the victim Oscar Grant’s phones from evidence to an Inspector with the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office and further release to the victim’s mother, Wanda Johnson. The court granted the motion and ordered the release of Grant’s property.
Oscar Grant was unarmed when he was killed by then-BART Officer Johannes Mehserle, who was among the officers responding to reports of a possible fight on a train. The phones were kept as evidence during Mehserle’s trial. On July 8, 2010, Mehserle was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to two years minus time served.
“I lost Oscar on January 1, 2009,” said Wanda Johnson. “It’s a testament because so many families desire to have their family member’s property, but they have not been granted their request for whatever reason. This is all you have of that loved one, their property because they are no longer here. I thank DA Pamela Price because it didn’t take her long to get in motion to get the phones released.”
Contact: damedia@acgov.org
Feb 16, 2024 | Press Release
Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price Announces Organized Retail Theft Felony Charges Against Two “Apple Burglars” Accused of Stealing Merchandise from Apple Stores in Berkeley and Emeryville
February 16, 2024
Oakland, CA— This week, District Attorney Pamela Price announced her office has charged two men in connection with multiple organized retail theft-related crimes from Apple Stores in the cities of Berkeley and Emeryville between November 27, 2023, and February 7, 2024.
The charges against both defendants, Tyler Anthony Mims (23) and Undre Deshaun Railey (28) include multiple felony counts of commercial burglary, grand theft, and misdemeanor counts of organized retail theft in concert.
“Prosecutors from our Organized Retail Crime Alameda (ORCA) Vertical Prosecution Unit were ready to receive the evidence following the apprehension of both suspects and acted quickly to start the justice phase of the process,” said District Attorney Pamela Price.
The two defendants were arraigned on these charges on February 14, 2024. Both defendants are scheduled for preliminary hearings at 9 AM on February 28, 2024, at the Rene C. Davidson Courthouse.
Contact: damedia@acgov.org
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The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office (DAO) is one of California’s largest prosecutors’ offices and is led by Alameda County’s first Black woman District Attorney, Pamela Price. Price brings her vision to this office to fairly administer justice in the pursuit of thriving, healthy, and safe communities for every person who steps foot in Alameda County, no matter their race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, income, or zip code. Price has been recognized as one of the most progressive prosecutors
through her forward-thinking, innovative strategies to interrupt cycles of violence and crime and bring change to a criminal justice system rooted in systemic racism. Follow Madam DA on Twitter and Facebook @AlamedaCountyda.
Feb 15, 2024 | Press Release
DA Pamela Price Announces Big Personnel Changes at the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office
Veteran Prosecutors Appointed by DA Price to Lead in Key Positions
February 15, 2024
Oakland, CA – Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price announces big leadership changes inside the District Attorney’s office today.
Effective this week, Senior Assistant District Attorney James P. Meehan, the son of former District Attorney John J. Meehan, has been appointed to serve as the Interim Branch Head of the East County Hall of Justice. Jim Meehan was hired by his father in 1986 and has served the office for 38 years. He is a seasoned, dedicated prosecutor. His father was appointed by the Board of Supervisors and served as the Alameda County District Attorney from 1981 to 1994. The elder Meehan became a nationally recognized expert in search and seizure.
Senior Assistant District Attorney (SADA) Meehan is stepping up to relieve SADA Elgin Lowe, another veteran prosecutor after Lowe was recently assigned to lead a team of prosecutors in the murder case of Oakland Police Officer Tuan Le. SADA Lowe has been with the office since 1995. DA Price appointed him to serve as the Branch Head of the East County Hall of Justice in March 2023.
Effective this week, Senior Assistant District Attorney Catherine Horner Kobal has been appointed to serve as the Interim Branch Head of the Rene C. Davidson Courthouse. SADA Kobal joined the office in 1990 upon her graduation from law school. She has successfully led the DA’s Law & Motion team for many years. Her father, Hon. Jeffrey Horner, served on the Alameda County Superior Court bench from 1986 until his retirement in 2018.
Effective this week, Senior Assistant District Attorney Jimmie Wilson has been appointed to serve as the Branch Head at the Wiley Manuel Courthouse. SADA Wilson joined the office in 2003. He was promoted by DA Price in the early days of her administration in 2023 and appointed to serve at the Rene C. Davidson courthouse. SADA Wilson unsuccessfully ran for District Attorney in 2022. His new assignment includes leading the district attorney’s partnership with the City of Oakland’s Gun Violence Reduction Program.
“The residents of Alameda County should know that these dedicated and longtime public servants are proud to serve our County and have been instrumental in our successful transition over the past year. I appreciate their support and service as well as the contributions of all of our employees who are working tirelessly to make sure that the justice system works for everyone,” said District Attorney Pamela Price.
Joining the new Branch Heads at the East County Hall of Justice, the Rene C. Davidson Courthouse, and the Wiley Manuel Courthouse, seasoned veteran prosecutors are leading the office at four other locations. Senior Assistant District Attorney Casey Bates, a seasoned prosecutor who joined the DA’s office in 2000, continues to serve as the branch head at the Fremont Hall of Justice. Evanthia Pappas, a well-respected leader in domestic violence cases with more than two decades of experience as a prosecutor, continues to lead the Domestic Violence Team at the Family Justice Center. SADA Pappas joined DA Price’s team in 2023 after serving 13 years as a DDA in the Sonoma County District Attorney’s office and as a Senior Assistant and Managing Attorney for nine years in the San Francisco District Attorney’s office.
Tiffany Gipson, also a well-respected prosecutor with 28 years of experience, continues to lead the Juvenile Justice Center branch. Ms. Gipson joined the DA’s office in 2015 after serving as a Deputy DA in the San Francisco District Attorney’s office for 19 years. Justin Kollar and Senior Assistant District Attorney Simona Farrise Best continue to lead the Consumer Justice Bureau. SADA Best is a nationally acclaimed consumer products attorney who joined the office under DA Price’s leadership. Justin Kollar is the former District Attorney of the Island of Kauai, where he was elected and served for nearly ten years. He was hired by DA Price in 2023 and provides administrative leadership to the CJB team.
In addition, the new Community Support Bureau is led by Esther Lemus, a veteran prosecutor formerly with the Sonoma County DA’s office. DDA Lemus was hired by DA Price in December 2023. The Civil Rights Bureau is led by Senior Assistant District Attorney Demarris Evans, who joined the DA’s office in early 2023.
SADA Evans has been practicing law for 29 years. She joined the office after working in both the District Attorney’s and the Public Defender’s offices in San Francisco.
Contact: damedia@acgov.org
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The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office (DAO) is one of California’s largest prosecutors’ offices and is led by Alameda County’s first Black woman District Attorney Pamela Y. Price. Price brings her vision to this office to fairly administer justice in the pursuit of thriving, healthy, and safe communities for every person who steps foot in Alameda County, no matter their race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, income, or zip code. Price has been recognized as one of the most progressive prosecutors through her forward-thinking, innovative strategies to interrupt cycles of violence and crime and bring change to a criminal justice system rooted in systemic racism.
Follow Madam DA on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, and @AlamedaCountyda on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
Feb 15, 2024 | Press Release
Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price’s Office Joins Settlement Agreement with Quest Diagnostics Over Improper Disposal of Hazardous Waste and Customers’ Private Health Information
February 15, 2024
Oakland, CA— Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price joined a coalition of District Attorney Offices (DA) along with the Attorney General’s Office to announce a settlement agreement with Quest Diagnostics for its improper disposal of customers’ private health information, as well as hazardous/universal and medical waste. Quest Diagnostics agreed to pay $4,999,500 in civil penalties, costs, and Supplemental Environmental Projects and to a five-year injunction to ensure the laboratory diagnostic company’s future compliance with environmental hazardous waste control and privacy laws. The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office will receive $364,440 from the agreement.
“California laws are designed to protect not only our environment but our individual privacy as well. Medical privacy laws require businesses that obtain personal information to dispose of that data properly and legally,” said Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price. “This settlement demonstrates the commitment of our Consumer Justice Bureau to protect our workers and citizens from potentially harmful exposures to hazardous and medical wastes and the residents of Alameda County against potential identity theft. This settlement and injunction are designed to make sure that such violations do not occur again.”
The case started in San Joaquin County and resolves a 10-year investigation into Quest Diagnostics’ illegal disposal of customers’ health information and hazardous waste. In 2016, the Alameda County DA’s office formally joined the investigation and, that summer, conducted undercover inspections of the landfill dumpsters at four different Alameda County Quest Diagnostics facilities. Inspectors found urine cups with patients’ names clearly visible at facilities in San Leandro and Alameda. Improperly disposed of electronic waste was also found at the Alameda location. Urine cups were also found in the trash at Quest Diagnostics facilities in Pleasanton and Hayward with the names of customers crossed out.
As part of the settlement, Quest Diagnostics is ordered to pay $4,999,500 total in civil penalties, costs and Supplemental Environmental Projects, of which $3,912,000 will be divided among the DAs and Attorney General’s offices. Alameda County will receive $328,000 in civil penalties and $36,494 in costs, totaling $364,440. The Supplemental Environmental Projects totaling $300,000 will assist in future California environmental enforcement investigations. Quest Diagnostics must also comply with a five-year minimum injunction requiring: (1) compliance with all California Hazardous Waste, Medical Waste, and private health information control laws; (2) at least five years monitored compliance by a third-party professional waste auditor; (3) annual status reports to the Counties’ DAs, and (4) required periodic self-audits by Quest and its auditor with reports required to be provided to the DAs Offices within 3 months of every internal waste audit.
Contact: damedia@acgov.org
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The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office (DAO) is one of California’s largest prosecutors’ offices and is led by Alameda County’s first Black woman District Attorney Pamela Y. Price. Price brings her vision to this office to fairly administer justice in the pursuit of thriving, healthy, and safe communities for every person who steps foot in Alameda County, no matter their race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, income, or zip code. Price has been recognized as one of the most progressive prosecutors through her forward-thinking, innovative strategies to interrupt cycles of violence and crime and bring change to a criminal justice system rooted in systemic racism. Follow Madam DA on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, and @AlamedaCountyda on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
Feb 9, 2024 | Press Release
Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price Resubmits Charges Against Three Defendants in the Kevin Nishita Murder Case
February 9, 2024
Oakland, CA— Following a comprehensive reevaluation of the evidence, Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price announces new charges against the three men accused of murdering Kevin Nishita and robbing two other victims in 2021. Laron Gilbert (29) is charged with murder, attempted robbery, and assault with a deadly weapon. Hershel Hale (26) is charged with murder, attempted robbery, and assault with a deadly weapon. Shadihia Mitchell (27) is charged with murder, attempted robbery, and assault with a deadly weapon.
In the new complaint filed today and approved by District Attorney Pamela Price, all three men will face gang and gun enhancements for the first time since 2021.
“We have an obligation to get it right, and these charges are consistent with the actual evidence in the case,” said District Attorney Pamela Price. “The previous prosecutors who charged the case under my predecessor made mistakes about who was responsible for Mr. Nishita’s murder and failed to include some charges. At my direction, our team reevaluated the evidence, discovered those mistakes, and resubmitted the charges to ensure that the men whom we believe committed these crimes will be held fully accountable. Our condolences go out to the victims of this crime, and we want to assure residents that this type of reckless violence on our streets will not be tolerated.” DA Price added. “Our victim advocates continue to support all three victims of this incident, including Mr. Nishita’s family, during this challenging time.”
All three defendants were initially charged together in 2021. Defendant Laron Gilbert eluded arrest for approximately two years and was recently apprehended and returned to Alameda County for trial. While Mr. Gilbert was being sought, Defendants Hale and Mitchell were charged separately. Once Mr. Gilbert was returned to Alameda County, the complaint against Defendants Hale and Mitchell was dismissed to allow them to be re-charged and tried together with Defendant Gilbert.
As a result of the extensive review and new charges brought under DA Price’s leadership, all three defendants will now be tried together. If convicted and sentenced on all counts, Laron Gilbert faces a maximum sentence of 189 years to life. Hershel Hale faces a maximum sentence of 151 years to life. Shadihia Mitchell faces a maximum sentence of 78 years to life.
The three defendants are scheduled to return to court on March 8, 2024, for entry of plea. Out of respect for the victims, the families, and the defendants, I will not provide any comments on the facts of the case. The facts will be presented in court.
Contact: damedia@acgov.org
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The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office (DAO) is one of California’s largest prosecutors’ offices and is led by Alameda County’s first Black woman District Attorney, Pamela Price. Price brings her vision to this office to fairly administer justice in the pursuit of thriving, healthy, and safe communities for every person who steps foot in Alameda County, no matter their race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, income, or zip code. Price has been recognized as one of the most progressive prosecutors through her forward-thinking, innovative strategies to interrupt cycles of violence and crime and bring change to a criminal justice system rooted in systemic racism. Follow Madam DA on Twitter and Facebook @AlamedaCountyda.
