Photo: Image of broken door at Ace Hardware | Pleasant Hill PD
PLEASANT HILL—Joseph A. Gardemeyer, a 40-year-old resident of Brentwood, was arrested again this month. Gardemeyer has been locked up eight times since 2018. His most recent arrest concerns two vandalism incidents at Pleasant Hill Ace Hardware on Contra Costa Boulevard.
Pleasant Hill officers discovered the front glass door shattered at the store twice recently. The first time the door was smashed was December 21. The store was vandalized again on January 3. Both times the floor was littered with broken glass, resulting in thousands of dollars in damage.
Gardemeyer is evidently a disgruntled customer. He allegedly vandalized the store following a dispute involving an attempt to return merchandise. Both incidents were investigated and Gardemeyer was identified as the suspect.
Investigators determined that he used a BB gun. Metal pellets shot at the door caused the glass to shatter. A warrant was issued for his arrest, and Gardemeyer was locked up on January 5. He spent a few days at the West County Detention Facility in Richmond, before being released from custody.
Charges were filed on January 9. Gardemeyer faces one felony vandalism charge (PC 594) for the first incident. For the second incident he faces one charge of felony vandalism and one misdemeanor charge for possession of a controlled substance (HS 11377).
Gardemeyer was arrested three times in 2023 for thefts, possession of controlled substances, and other offenses. He was arrested for burglary and grand theft in 2022. Prior to this, he has prior arrests for attempted robbery, drugs, thefts, and other offenses.
