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Police Chief Provides Citys Crime Statistics
riverbank fountain

Crime in the City of Action for 2017 had some positive reports from Riverbank Police Services Chief Erin Kiely. The crime for the most part in 2017 was down or the same as 2016. However, there were 24 robberies in 2016 and 27 robberies in 2017 in the City of Riverbank.

“2017 has been relatively kind to the City of Riverbank in regards to crime trends,” said Kiely. “While they (crimes) occurred, RPS Deputies and Detectives were able to solve the majority of them and make arrests.”

With California being a sanctuary state the chief explained that it will impact Riverbank the same as any other California community; however, it will not change the way local law enforcement does their job since they do not enforce immigration laws.

“A decrease that I was particularly pleased with in 2017 was the significant reduction of auto thefts in Riverbank,” added Kiely. “After focusing our attention on a few individuals who like driving other people’s cars, we experienced almost half as many car thefts in 2017 when compared to 2016.”

Some of the numbers the chief shared were that the City of Riverbank did not have any murders in 2017; there were 53 car thefts and 122 burglaries.

“We made approximately 600 arrests in 2017, handled 51 injury traffic collisions with two of them fatal, which were separate, unrelated vehicle vs. pedestrian collisions near Oakdale and Patterson,” Kiely said. “During 2017 we generated approximately 15,000 case numbers, which is pretty normal for RPS.”

The end of the year, meanwhile, had deputies conducting extra patrols and making some arrests with holiday maximum efforts to keep the streets of Riverbank safe.  Below are a few details on some of the final crime calls for 2017.

On Thursday, Dec. 28, 2017 during the graveyard shift, deputies responded to Kohl’s for a female suspect that was seen hiding electronics in her purse. As she left the store she was contacted by deputies. She led them on a short foot pursuit but was quickly caught. The suspect, identified as Riki Eltingham, 41, was found with a glass pipe, syringe and a clear baggie with suspected methamphetamine. She was booked for resisting/obstructing/delaying, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of methamphetamine and shoplifting.

Later the same shift a deputy conducted a bike stop on an 18-year-old woman at First and Topeka streets for a vehicle code violation. Police said she refused to stop for the deputy, rode her bike into the front yard of a residence and then attempted to flee inside. She was detained and refused to identify herself. She then gave a false name. At the jail, fingerprints revealed her true identity and that she had a warrant for her arrest. The woman was booked for resisting/obstructing/delaying and for the warrant.

During the graveyard shift on Friday, Dec. 29 a deputy responded to a disturbance at a residence in the 3900 block of Sweepstakes Drive where police said Javier Carrasco, 37, was contacted. A probation search found him in possession of a loaded rifle and a billy club. He was arrested and booked for the probation violation, the unlawful possession of the firearm and the unlawful possession of the billy club.

On Saturday, Dec. 30 during the graveyard shift deputies contacted Michael Wilson, 55, during a vehicle code violation at Ward and Jackson. A records check revealed that he had a domestic violence warrant out of Modesto Police Department. A search incident to arrest found a glass pipe and a bag containing methamphetamine. Wilson was booked for the warrant and drug violations.

During New Year’s Eve, extra patrols were working proactive details to detect impaired drivers and help handle the anticipated extra call volume. Officers subsequently stopped a driver for a vehicle code violation near Patterson and First. John Gates, 53, was determined to be a wanted parolee and was taken into custody on the parole hold.

Also during the New Year’s Eve shift, deputies arrested a 23-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman on separate and unrelated DUI investigations. A 32-year-old woman was also arrested on New Year’s Eve in the 3500 block of Stanislaus on suspicion of domestic violence. She was booked on the charge.