24 Arrested During Stateline New Year's Celebration

The Douglas County Sheriff's Department reports that the New Year's Eve party in the Stateline area went as expected, resulting in 24 arrests. The charges included assault, affray, domestic battery, disorderly conduct, minor consuming alcohol and civil protective custody. During the downtown party last year there were 14 arrests.

The celebratory crowd seemed no larger than in past years. U.S. Highway 50 was closed to vehicle traffic at about 11:40 p.m. for public safety reasons. The celebrants were allowed to flow into the roadway as they celebrated the coming of the New Year. The Nevada side of U.S. Highway 50 was cleared of celebrants at 12:20 am and was reopened to vehicle traffic at approximately 1:00 a.m. after the crowd peacefully moved off the roadway.

While the exact number of people that pour onto Highway 50 to ring in the new year is not known, the crowd was about the same as usual according to Sgt. Pat Brooks of DCSO. Estimates were that about 20-30,000 people would be at Stateline with another 15,000 at SnowGlobe, below the 60,000 people that would head to South Lake Tahoe in years past.

In order to keep the crowds under control, many different agencies participate in the New Year's Eve efforts every year. Their teamwork was applauded by Douglas County Sheriff Ron Pierini, who extended his gratitude to all agencies involved. He thanked Nevada Highway Patrol, South Lake Tahoe Police Department, El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office, California Highway Patrol, FBI, Douglas County Communications Center, Nevada Department of Transportation and Cal-Trans.