Mental health treatment sought for suspect in Davis police station vandalism, other crimes
.jpg "After allegedly vandalizing the Davis Police Department Saturday, June 27, a suspect is now being held on $50,000 bail.")
A man arrested after allegedly throwing rocks and chairs at the Davis police station last weekend, part of a series of reported offenses over a two-day period, is being recommended for mental health treatment.
Saturday’s vandalism of the Davis police station was just one of three crimes believed to have been committed by Jinnah Emery Dongo, who was released from jail Friday following an initial arrest, according to police spokesperson Lt. Arturo Camacho.
Yolo County prosecutors are working to get Dongo into treatment for mental health issues, which they believe contributed to his behavior, according to Chief Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Raven.
“Our goal is to help this young man who is transient and seems to be suffering from mental illness,” Raven said. “... Now that he’s in custody, we can get him assessed and start figuring out how to help him get well.”
Davis police initially arrested Dongo on Friday after he allegedly threatened city workers at the East 14th St. Veterans Memorial Center, and then spit on responding officers and vandalized a patrol car, Camacho said.
Dongo was released from the Yolo County Jail on the county’s emergency zero-bail order, which seeks to curb the spread of the coronavirus by lowering jail populations. Only after Dongo’s arrest Saturday night was he held.
“We cannot help these individuals who are committing crimes and have mental illness if they are released and are homeless as a result of the court’s zero-bail policy,” Raven said.
On Saturday morning, police believe Dongo threw rocks and a chair through two windows at the Fifth Street police station. He later allegedly smashed a window and stole a laptop computer from a truck in the Veterans Memorial Center parking lot, where police say he was arrested at around 8 p.m. Saturday.
Dongo is being held on $50,000 bail and is scheduled for arraignment at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to Raven.
This was the second instance of vandalism at the Davis police station within about a month’s time. An unknown suspect spray-painted the station with a message protesting the police on May 29.