Contra Costa County Sheriff David Livingston wrote an email to the entire staff stating it was a “sad day” after a judge sentenced former deputy Andrew Hall to six years in prison.
The Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office announced the sentence last Friday and said they “respect the ruling of the judge.” Hall shot and killed Laudemer Aboleda in downtown Danville on November 3, 2018.
In his letter, Livingston blasted Contra Costa District Attorney Diana Becton for charging Hall while posting photos on her reelection campaign proclaiming she “charged the officer”.
The county approved a $4.9 settlement to Aboleda’s family.
Contra Costa Sheriff Spokesperson Jimmy Lee provided a fully text copy of the email upon request:
Today is a sad day for the Sheriff’s Office, the community we serve, and law enforcement in general. This morning superior court judge Terri Mockler sentenced Andrew Hall to six years in state prison. This is an unusually long sentence by any measure especially since the official Probation Department report recommended probation. Since this is a felony conviction, California law requires that he no longer serve as a peace officer. We are compelled to give him a reluctant farewell.
During his years of service, he served with honor and distinction. He handled thousands of calls for service, as many of you have, and was well received by the citizens of our county. After an extensive internal investigation, he was found to be within departmental policy when he was forced to use deadly force to protect himself and others on that fateful day. I was proud to support him publicly and privately after the events of November 3, 2018, and I support him today.
For our district attorney to charge a deputy sheriff, or any peace officer, for a crime based on a split-second tactical decision is abhorrent. It is even more abhorrent for that same district attorney to later repost photos on her reelection campaign social media that show her smiling and proclaiming that she “charged the officer.”
Despite these odd times, please remember I appreciate the work all of you do; I respect your sacrifice and commitment to the community we serve, and most importantly, I have your back. I may not be able to impact the decisions of other elected officials, or the courts, but I definitely can impact what happens in our organization. Do your job with honor, follow department policies, and obey the law. If you do that, I will proudly stand with you – regardless of your job assignment, your rank, or your duties. Never forget that and never doubt that.
I’m proud to be your Sheriff, and I thank you all.
David Livingston
Sheriff-Coroner
Background:
On November 3, 2018, at 11:03 a.m., Danville Police Department officers responded to a call reporting that Laudemer Arboleda rang the doorbell of a resident on Cottage Place and was lingering in the area. Mr. Arboleda subsequently drove away from the neighborhood in a 2014 silver Honda. Officers initiated a traffic stop of Mr. Arboleda’s vehicle. When the officers exited their patrol car to approach him, Mr. Arboleda drove away from the officers.
Additional patrol cars joined the traffic pursuit, which lasted for a total of nine minutes and reached maximum speeds of up to 50 miles per hour. Mr. Arboleda continued to drive towards Front Street in Danville. Officer Hall, who was not involved in the initial pursuit, stopped his vehicle in front of the approaching pursuit. As Mr. Arboleda began to slowly maneuver between Officer Hall’s vehicle and another police vehicle involved in the pursuit, Officer Hall ran around the rear of his vehicle and fired his semi-automatic pistol at Mr. Arboleda.
As Officer Hall fired, Mr. Arboleda’s vehicle continued into the intersection of Front Street and Diablo Road and struck a 2006 silver Jeep occupied by an adult. Officers responded and found Mr. Arboleda in his car unresponsive with his foot on the gas pedal. He was taken to San Ramon Valley Medical Center and pronounced dead at 11:44 a.m.
This case was investigated by the DA’s Office under the county protocol concerning law enforcement involved fatalities. The protocol investigation is conducted by the DA’s Office when there is a use of force injury or death involving an officer.
Case information: People v. Andrew Hall, Docket 01-195930-3
