Thanks to a tip from a viewer via Facebook, Matt McDuh, this blogger learned that Henry William Sintay AKA “Jogger Joe” was released from jail in Oakland early this morning. A check of the Alameda County Inmate Database reads that the name “Henry Sintay” is not there, whereas it appeared there after he was taken into custody, Monday June 11th at 1 PM.
However, my tipster pointed to a new online record for Mr. Sintay – who was made a public figure via his actions of thowing the belongings of a black homeless man named Greg Markson into a trash bin and into Oakland’s Lake Merritt, and assaulting and then stealing the cell phone of Matt Nelson for making a livestream video of him – says that he’s due back in court Monday, June 19th. But this time, the picture is somewhat different.
The new report says that he’s now facing two charges, and the overall bail was reduced by about half. Now, “Jogger Joe” is charged with the “sale and transportation” of marijuana as well as second degree robbery. By contrast, Mr. Sintay was intially charged with 1st degree robbery. Then, his bail was $100,000; now it was set at $55,000 and by the judge at Sintay’s arraignment. Sintay’s upcoming court date at the Wiley Manuel Courthouse in Oakland is a plea hearing. And the change from 1st degree robbery to second degree robbery is more than notable: it points to the involvement of another person in the crime.
According to a vast number of online legal sources, the second degree robbery charge is applied when there was an accomplice involved in the act of robbing the victim. In this case, we can hear Sintay in Matt Nelson’s Facebook Livestream video calling out to a person named “T” and saying to him to “run” after Sintay went to grab Matt Nelson’s cell phone, and roughed up Nelson in the process.
On his Facebook page, as noted here at Oakland News Now before, Matt Nelson has repeatedly mentioned that there were not one, but two people who robbed him, but only one was in custody, Henry Sintay. The other person involved is not known to anyone other than Mr. Sintay.
Alameda County Superior Court Judge Mark McCannon, who presided over Sintay’s case, lowered the bail, which Sintay had to pay before being released. While some described Sintay as poor and a transient, he managed to come up with the 10 percent of the bail cost, or $5,500, to get out of jail.
Shaylana Cleveland, Sintay’s public defender in this case, explained that he turned himself in Monday at 1 PM – it was not that Sintay was found and arrested by Oakland Police.
Sintay Focus Of Online Threats, But What About Greg Markson?
Since the incident, some media outlets this space will not mention have tried to paint a picture of “Jogger Joe” Sintay as a sympathetic person, and because of the many vile comments people have posted on his still-active and publicly-available Facebook page.
But the real concern should be for Greg Markson, the African American homeless man who’s life was made uncomfortable by Sintay’s tossing his belongings into Lake Merritt. Thankfully, Kenzie Smith, himself, the victim of the wild behavior of “BBQ Becky” Jennifer Schulte, who called the cops on him and his friends and wife just for holding a cookout on Lake Merritt, started a Go-Fund-Me page for him – this one.
That Go-Fund-Me effort by Mr. Smith which had a goal of $3,000, has to this date and time, raised four times that target, and is at $12,210 raised by 539 people in just four days.
For her part Oakland At-Large Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan finds what Sintay did to Markson horrible “This kind of crime against people in our community who are struggling is totally unacceptable! Such actions are wrong no matter who is targeted – and, in the case of targeting against those who are particularly vulnerable is additionally horrifying. I understand this specific case is now actively in the hands of law enforcement. And, on a broader level, All people of conscience should make clear that this is not okay,” she said.
Then Kaplan added “We also need to demand stronger action to help the homeless and provide healthier alternatives for people, and I and others are fighting to fund better solutions in the city Of Oakland budget, Coming to council Tuesday eve June 19th.”
On that, it must be noted the Lake Merritt Advocates (LMA) and Homeless Advocacy Working Group (HAWG) have established a website here, and have subitted a $4 million proposal request for funding from the City of Oakland. The money would go to provide alternative housing and services for the many Lake Merritt homeless encampments.
According to the website which has the title Homeless@LM – LakeMerritt.org, there are seven homeless encampments dotted around Lake Merritt, from the Veterans Building on Grand and Harrison, to Lakeside Park, and the Cleveland Cascade stairs on Lakeshore Avenue.
As for the LMA / HAWG itself, it was established by a large group of Oaklanders and appears to have launched its web presence on June 11th. The website lists the involved Oaklanders as follows:
Dan Altemus, Lake Merritt Breakfast Club, Lake Merritt Advocate
Barbara Azad, Adams Point Neighborhood Group Leadership, LMA
Richard Bailey, Former Director Lake Merritt Institute, Board Member LMI
Terry Boom, Lake Merritt Weed Warriors
Susan Casentini, Autumn Lights Festival, LMBC, LMA
Steven Cochrane, Ad Hoc Group for Rotary Nature Center
Susan Campodonico, Lake Merritt Institute Volunteer
Adrian Cotter, Community For Lake Merritt, Sierra Club, LMA
Kathy Dwyer, Friends of Lincoln Park, City Team Ministries
Jennie Gerard, Measure DD Coalition, LM Weed Warriors, LMA Coordinator
C.J. Hirschfield, Children’s Fairyland Executive Director, LMA, LMBC
Pat Kernighan, Former City Council Member, District 2
Caroline Kim, Coalition of Advocates for Lake Merritt
John Kirkmire, LakeMerritt.org, LMA Coordinator, LMBC
Kyle Milligan, LMBC, Children’s Fairyland Board, LMA, ALF
Mary Ellen Navas,LM Weed Warriors, LMA Coordinator
Katie Noonan, Lake Merritt Institute Board, LMBC, LMA, Ad Hoc RNC
Susan Porter, Lake Merritt Institute, St Paul’s School Teacher
Vivian Romero, Ad Hoc Group for Rotary Nature Center
Naomi Schiff, Measure DD Coalition, LM Weed Warriors, LMA, CALM
Nancy Sherman, Measure DD Coalition, W. Oakland Walk, LMA, Ad Hoc RNC
Marcille Sibbitt, Oakland Lawn Bowling Club Director, LMA
Rob Stewart, Executive Director LM Breakfast Club
Bill Threlfall, Measure DD Coalition, Waterfront Action Co-Director
Sandra Threlfall, Measure DD Coalition, Waterfront Action Co-Director
Mike Udkow, Measure DD Coalition, LM Weed Warriors, Bicycle Trail Council
Sarah Van Roo, Friends of the Gardens at Lake Merritt, LMA
Susan Veit, Oakland East Bay Garden Center Inc.
Paul Vidican, Lake Merritt Weed Warriors, OPRF Board Member
Kathleen Williams, Lake Merritt Weed Warriors
David Wofford, Rotary Nature Center Ad Hoc
Stay tuned.