crimes

STATELINE, Nev. - It was a much quieter holiday at Stateline this year with a decrease in calls for service, five arrests, and the lowest number of New Year's celebrants in a few decades.

US 50, the highway that runs from South Lake Tahoe into Stateline was not closed due the low number of people in the area. Law enforcement was able to keep those wanting to bring in the new year outside to the sidewalk or they stayed inside the casinos.

"The celebrants were well behaved and embraced the New Year’s Eve celebration," said Douglas County Undersheriff Ron Elges.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The South Tahoe Chamber of Commerce Board recently asked the nine City Council candidates ten questions they felt were of most importance to its members. The questions focused mainly on topics relating to things that will or may affect both the local small businesses and the community in general.

Their board made the decision to not endorse a specific candidate this election, but instead rank them based on how much they align with the South Tahoe Chamber of Commerce goals based on their answers to the questions below.

There are currently some scams currently spreading through the area from phone calls from IRS and Department of Justice impostors.

The Office of Justice Programs’ Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) has received multiple reports that individuals claiming to represent the Department of Justice are calling members of the public as part of an impostor scam. The department strongly encourages the public to remain vigilant and not to provide personal information during these calls, which appear to target the elderly.

The California District Attorneys Association today asked NFL Commissioner Roger
Goodell to pull a video produced by the league as part of its new Inspire Change campaign because it “misrepresents the facts” of the officer involved shooting death of Sacramento resident Stephon Clark in 2018.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The FBI anticipates cyber actors will exploit increased use of virtual environments by government agencies, the private sector, private organizations, and individuals as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Computer systems and virtual environments provide essential communication services for telework and education, in addition to conducting regular business. The criminal, or cyber actor, will exploit vulnerabilities in these systems to steal sensitive information, target individuals and businesses performing financial transactions, and engage in extortion.

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Nev. - The Douglas County Sheriff's Department (DCSO) Is investigating a shooting that left one dead in Gardnerville.

At 9:31 p.m. on March 21, 2020, DCSO deputies responded to a report of gunshots in the area of the 1400 block of Bumblee Drive. When they arrived they found a deceased male, a victim of gunshot wounds.

Deputies located, detained and interviewed all parties they believed to be involved.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Three local residents were arrested on March 9 on various gun and theft charges after being found asleep in a vehicle on the grounds of Lake Tahoe Christian Fellowship.

At approximately 7:10 a.m., an alert officer from the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) located a suspicious vehicle in the parking lot of the church located at 3580 Blackwood Avenue. The vehicle was occupied by two men and a woman, all who appeared to be sleeping.

Over seven years after the death of a juvenile, the person found responsible plead guilty Monday in federal court to distribution of a controlled substance known as 25I-NBOMe that caused death the death of the minor in 2012.

According to court documents, during September 2012, Elijah Richter, 28, of Camino, Calif. imported hallucinogenic drugs, including a controlled substance known as 25I-NBOMe, from Europe to his residence in El Dorado County. He placed orders on his computer through Silk Road, a now-defunct “dark” website.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The ringing in of the new year was celebrated several different ways across the South Shore of Lake Tahoe.

At Heavenly Village in South Lake Tahoe, a season-long celebration concluded with a New Year's Eve celebration attended by an estimated 6,500 people. The festivities included a 9:00 p.m. fireworks show on the gondola, concerts and special activities all day long.

CARSON CITY, Nev. - A Carson City man who died from multiple gunshots Friday in what is being investigated as a possible homicide on Washoe Tribe land had previously been arrested in 2018 on El Dorado County warrants out of South Lake Tahoe for alleged lewdness with a child and indecent exposure.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The South Lake Tahoe Police Department has been awarded a $40,000 grant from the California Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) to fight alcohol-related crime.

The grant is awarded to local law enforcement agencies in California through ABC’s Alcohol Policing Partnership Program. The grants strengthen SLTPD’s efforts by combining the efforts of their officers and ABC agents. ABC agents have expertise in alcoholic beverage laws and can help communities reduce alcohol-related problems.

MINDEN, Nev. - Three California residents were arrested by the Douglas County Sheriff's Office (DCSO) on Sunday, July 21 at the Power Dam camping area.

Jeremy Stritenberger, 43, and Riki Scibelli Eltingham, 40, were arrested after a stolen Toyota Tacoma was found at the camping area on Washoe Road. The Toyota and a log splitter were reported stolen in Yuba City, Calif. Deputies located large amounts of property and personal effects inside the vehicle that they believe to be stolen in separate crimes.

The El Dorado County (EDC) District Attorney's Office recently helped with a state-wide investigation focused on offenders operating a criminal enterprise from both inside and outside state prisons.

Sixteen members and associates of a prison-based gang have been charged after a long-running investigation into drug trafficking and murders inside and outside of California’s prisons.

The EDC DA office's investigative division has the kind of highly trained and experienced detectives that are often called in to help with operations of this magnitude.

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Nev. - The suspect arrested in Douglas County after engaging law enforcement in gunfire after a pursuit Friday night is now the suspect in three Bay Area homicides.

Stefon Jefferson, a 43-year-old man from the San Francisco area, started Friday off by allegedly fatally shooting a man in Oakland at 10:14 a.m., another in San Francisco at 1:27 p.m. and a third in Berkeley at 2:40 p.m.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Two women from the Bay Area have been arrested on suspicion of being responsible for several car burglaries over a two day period in South Lake Tahoe.

The South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) received the first call at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 10 after a car burglary at the Sierra Athletic Club on Tahoe Keys Boulevard. A car window had been smashed and a purse was stolen.

The second call came in at 5:30 p.m. from the Fit Republic Gym on Lake Tahoe Boulevard. The same method was used - a broken car window and a stolen purse.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. – With a critical increase in active shooter events across the country, the Tahoe Chamber is holding a Level UP Workshop on the subject Wednesday, March 20 from noon to 1:30 p.m. in their Stateline office.

Workplace violence affects about 2 million workers in the U. S. each year. With this violence continuing to pose a looming threat, active shooter training is essential for all businesses. Active shooter events most commonly occur in businesses - 45 percent, schools - 25 percent, and government facilities - 10 percent.

After a six-month investigation into drug transactions in the Lake Tahoe Basin, the El Dorado Sheriff's Department Narcotics Task Force executed search warrants at two locations in South Lake Tahoe on August 23, 2017. Large amounts of heroin, methamphetamine and approximately 12 firearms were seized in the search. Lynwood Towle, Shawn German, Melissa Griffis, Paul Ryan, and Krystal Long were all arrested, charged, and eventually pleaded guilty to various charges stemming from those searches.

UPDATE 1/29/19 - The South Lake Tahoe store where the suspect allegedly committed the crimes against children was the Goodwill store at the Y. The South Lake Tahoe Police Department is thanking Goodwill and their employees for the "tremendous amount of help we got from them." They are crediting the store's quick response and assistance that allowed them to identify this suspect.

The suspect, Sergio Antonio Recendiz-Rodriguez, was not an employee at the store.

RENO, Nev. - A Reno couple in their 80s have been identified as the victims in Wednesday's double homicide.

The Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner’s Office today said 81-year-old Gerald David and his wife, Sharon David, age 80 were killed in their home. Next of kin have been notified.

Both victims died as a result of gunshot wounds, similar to the method used in the two recent Douglas County murders.

STATELINE, Nev. - An estimated crowd of 5,000 to 6,000 people gathered at Stateline to ring in the new year Monday, according to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office (DCSO).

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Nev. – The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is looking the driver of a vehicle involved in an armed robbery and attempted abduction of a juvenile female between October 5-9 in the Gardnerville Ranchos area.

The vehicle involved in both crimes is similar to the one pictured in the photo above. It is a black older model Chevy Tahoe with scratches on the sides, dirty and dark windows.

One witness described the driver as a Hispanic or Native American male adult.

What rattles our communities across our nation to their core? Drug abuse. Approximately 100 people each day die from drug overdoses. Whole industries of products and programs are being developed to combat this problem. Every day more grandparents are now “parenting” their grandchildren so they can be raised in a stable and healthy environment. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the abuse of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs is costing our Nation over $740 billion annually in costs related to crime, lost work productivity and health care.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A 35-year-old man who was headed to South Lake Tahoe (SLT) to live and study has not been heard from, and his parents and the SLT Police Department are asking for the public's help in locating him.

Alexander Farquhar Mackenzie left his parent's house in Salinas, California in May of this year in a rental car, telling his parents he was headed for South Lake Tahoe.

A South Lake Tahoe man was arrested Friday, July 27 after leading police officers on a foot pursuit in the Bijou neighborhood.

An officer from the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) attempted to make contact with a 36-year-old local man who matched the description of a person seen casing homes in the area.

As soon as the officer approached, the man took off on foot. Other officers joined in the pursuit and the suspect was found in a backyard on Champlain Drive in South Lake Tahoe.