[New post] Feds drop case against Antioch man arrested by cop who sent racist texts
gqlshare posted: "OAKLAND – The fallout from an ongoing FBI investigation into Antioch police, which deepened this month when racist texts among officers surfaced, has resulted in the government tossing out a criminal case against a man who maintained he was racially profi" Times-Herald
Dreshawn Jackson, 27, became the latest defendant to have a case dismissed, as the federal and state courts continue a review of charges that relied upon the word of Antioch officers under criminal investigation.
In Jackson's case, he was arrested for being a felon in possession of a gun in 2018 by Antioch Officer Eric Rombough, who is not only one of at least a dozen Antioch and Pittsburg cops under FBI criminal investigation, but sent several racist text messages to fellow officers.
Last week, the U.S. District Court of Northern California dismissed its case against Jackson, who spent more than a year in jail, and withdrew his earlier guilty plea. It left the Antioch man, who denied giving Rombough a confession, feeling exultant, he said in an interview Wednesday.
"It was like, finally, you know, because I always knew it," said Jackson who believes he was racially profiled. "I always knew it was wrong. I was just waiting for it to come out, you know. I always knew that the cop was wrong, you know? He says he's known me for carrying guns, but I have not one gun charge, so it's crazy."
Like Rombough, some of the same officers under FBI investigation were named this month in two reports by a Contra Costa District Attorney senior inspector as sending deeply racist, homophobic and sexist texts and others messages bragging about using violence against Black residents.
FBI agents discovered the text chains after serving search warrants on officers' homes and seizing several cell phones. The text message scandal has further damaged the portrayal of a department where at least one-fifth of the police force is now on suspension.
Antioch police officer Eric Rombough is among several officers authorities have named in the text messaging scandal. Rombough is on unpaid leave while under criminal investigation by the FBI. (Credit: Antioch Police Department)
Of the 44 officers named in the documents — a total that is nearly half of the department — Rombough sticks out as harboring racist views and appearing to revel in shooting Black men with rubber bullets. Texts show the gang unit and SWAT member frequently refer to Black people as "gorillas," calls the town he patrols a "zoo" and that he sent a racist meme mocking the police murder of George Floyd.
Two men Rombough mentions by name — Quincy Mason, who he called a "beast" and was upset "he didn't bruise up very fast" and Kardell Smith, who he called a "black bitch" — have already had their federal cases tossed aside.
"I'm only stopping them cuz they black," Rombough said in another text sent in November 2021 text, according to the reports. "F— them. Kill each other." An attorney representing Rombough, who has been on leave since last year, could not be reached for comment Thursday.
Jackson encountered Rombough on Feb. 21, 2018 after a neighborhood resident reported possible illegal drug use in a car parked near the 2300 block of Pearlite Court. Jackson said he was "chilling" with a friend in the car when Rombough tapped on the window.
According to court records, Rombough attested that he spoke with Jackson and a female passenger and asked for their names and birthdates. A records check found Jackson was on parole for a state robbery conviction, and subject to search by law enforcement.
"He proceeds to say, oh, he needs my ID to run a warrant and parole search. So I told him, 'for what?' You know, I'm telling him no. He's going back and forth with me. It made me feel like I didn't have a choice. I can't leave because the door of my car's boxed in."
Rombough testified that when asked about any unsafe items in the car, Jackson said there was a loaded gun under the driver's seat, and Rombough found a loaded .45 caliber pistol there and called in to check it.
Rombough then arrested Jackson on suspicion of firearm-related violations and parole violation, but not on any drug-related offenses.
"I end up getting arrested and, you know, on the paperwork, he said that I gave a confession, which I never did. We never spoke about anything, other than going back and forth about the ID," Jackson said. "Then he throws me in the car, and that's the last time we speak."
In a court hearing in October 2020, Jackson's lawyer argued to suppress the recovery of the pistol, claiming that his detention and the following search weren't supported by any criminal activity, but a judge denied his motion, finding that his parole status, cooperation with Rombough and candid disclosure about the gun sustained the search. He later agreed to a plea deal.
Jackson said he was held at Santa Rita Jail for 15 months, followed by 14 months on federal probation, before his initial appeal. The federal court's dismissal notice on April 20 noted that "the government has uncovered evidence that undermines its confidence" in its ability to meet its burden of proof in the case."
Despite being cleared, Jackson said it won't change the fact that he's struggled to find employment because of the charges. The father of a 9-year-old, 7-year-old and a newborn said he isn't sure he wants his family to continue to live in Antioch, where he's felt targeted by police for being Black.
"(I'm) kind of a target to the police because of my skin color — always felt that way," he said. "But now it's in the light, you know, it's sick, I feel terrible now."
Now, with an eye toward the future and providing for his children, he has to petition the state so his record can be expunged. He has also joined as a plaintiff in a lawsuit civil rights attorney John Burris filed against the Antioch Police Department. The law office's list of plaintiffs has been growing steadily since the suit was filed in federal court last week.
Burris said Jackson is "part of what I consider to be a large group of folks, individuals who have suffered at the hands of these officers by illegal arrests, assaults, name calling or any number of things that violate their constitutional rights."
"More importantly, kind of riding herd, if you will, shotgun over the city and treating the individuals as if they were slaves and they were the overseers," Burris said. "It's a mindset that I see here. It's very, very disturbing because of a willingness to destroy lives. You might think that's not something that is easily done, but it is easily done."
Staff writers Jakob Rodgers and Nate Gartrell contributed to this report.
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