Alameda County's embattled district attorney is defending herself from new criticism from a Tri-Valley police chief.
Livermore's police chief sent DA Pamela Price a formal letter requesting she add additional charges known as enhancements against an armed robbery suspect. The DA told him the charges she has filed are tough enough.
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WATCH HEREPolice said 21-year-old Colby Berry in May robbed two women at gunpoint at the Arroyo Park Shopping Center in Livermore. Berry also violently attacked one of the women for more than 30 seconds before stealing their purses, according to police.
Berry was on parole at the time for a shooting at a home in 2021, police said, adding his court-ordered ankle monitor showed he was at the scene of the robberies. Livermore police eventually arrested Berry at his parole office in Oakland.
"In this case, you have two women whose lives will be changed forever because of this violence," Livermore police Chief Jeramy Young said.
That's why Young said he wrote a letter to Price requesting special enhancements be added to Berry's charges for using a firearm and being a repeat offender.
The District Attorney's Office said it sent a letter back to the chief stating Berry is facing six criminal charges that could result in 13 years behind bars, and if it followed the chief's advice it could result in 50 years to life.
Berry is being held at the Santa Rita County Jail, with bail set at $360,000, according to the District Attorney's Office. His next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 11.
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