Parolee with ankle monitor commits more crimes in Livermore: chief

(KRON) — When 21-year-old Colby Berry was released from state prison, he was ordered to obey all laws and wear a GPS tracking ankle monitor. The convicted Fremont felon was also assigned a probation officer.

With his new freedom, Berry continued committing new crimes, police said.

“It’s disturbing that Mr. Berry had already been released from prison after shooting at a residence in 2021,” said Livermore Police Chief Jeramy Young. “While wearing an ankle monitor, he committed several violent crimes in Livermore.”

On a Sunday afternoon, May 21, several 911 callers reported that a man was attacking women and trying to steal their purses in the parking lot of Arroyo Shopping Center in Livermore.

Berry attempted to grab one woman’s purse and violently attacked her, police said. The woman fought back.

“The suspect then attacked a second woman and stole her purse at gunpoint. Both victims are in their 20’s, one from Livermore and the other from Discovery Bay. The suspect took off in a getaway vehicle,” the Livermore Police Department wrote.  

After obtaining witness statements and reviewing evidence, Livermore police identified the purse thief as Berry. The ankle monitor tracked Berry’s location to the scene of the robberies on May 21, police said.

Berry was arrested inside a parole office in Oakland on Wednesday. Officers executed a search warrant of his home and found a handgun possibly used in the robberies, police said.

Berry was transported to Santa Rita Jail in Dublin and he was booked on the following charges: Being a felon in possession of a firearm, violating parole, carrying a concealed weapon, attempted robbery, robbery, and assault with a deadly weapon.

“I hope the criminal justice system will hold him accountable for his continued violence,” Chief Young said.  

The Livermore Police Department turned the case over to the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution. Berry remained behind bars with no bail Thursday afternoon, according to inmate records.