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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.

It was the first year the Lucky Beaver Bar and Burger at Stateline held a toy drive for the South Shore, and it was a big success with organizer Dreu Murin saying over $10,000 worth of toys donated to children in the community.

Christmas Cheer, the South Lake Tahoe nonprofit that helps feed locals in need all year was also in need of toys to help bring joy during such trying times. Tom Davis of Christmas Cheer joined up with Murin and other community members to organize the event which brought toys from far and wide to Lake Tahoe on December 6.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) is celebrating kindness and paying it forward this holiday season by visiting locals deserving of a special treat purchased from local small businesses.

Staff members are not shaving this December for 'Decembeard', and taking the funds collected to buy a gift at a local small business and then deliver to the chosen person....each day for the 12 Days of Christmas. They did the same beard fundraising last month along with City staff for 'Novembeard' which raised money for a cancer charity.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Fingerprint Live Scan services will cease for the time being at the South Lake Tahoe Police Department due to COVID-19 restrictions. As much of California moved into the Purple Tier the department adjusted its areas of public contact.

To assist with the hiring of first responders and medical personnel SLTPD will be able to provide pre-employment fingerprint services by appointment only. The SLTPD front lobby is closed at this time so please call 530.542.6100 to schedule that appointment or for other normal front counter services.
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SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - It was a special ceremony November 6, 2020, one that honored the police service of K9 Tara as she left her home for the last time. After surviving cancer surgery that resulted in the loss of one leg two years ago, K9 Tara was put to sleep after being hit by the disease once again.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Officers with the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) are now using a new system of body and vehicle cameras. After City Council approved $470,000 Body Worn Camera (BWC) system on July 28, 42 body cameras, 28 in-car cameras, and the associated cloud based storage were ordered, training was completed and procedures were created.

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.

5:00PM Update: This afternoon South Lake Tahoe Police responded to a bank robbery at El Dorado Savings Bank at the “Y.”

Detectives are currently working the case and asking the public for assistance in identifying the suspect. The suspect’s race or gender are unknown but they were wearing a grey hoodie, black pants and high-top sneakers, standing at approximately 6 feet tall.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A car being warmed up in the driveway of a Tahoe Sierra home in South Lake Tahoe was stolen at approximately 6:40 a.m. Monday, September 21, and the alleged thief led law enforcement on a chase that ended near Marla Bay in Nevada.

As soon as the call of the stolen car was dispatched, Officer Jason Nixon of the South Lake Tahoe Department (SLTPD) spotted the vehicle, a Lincoln Navigator, and started pursuit. He was joined by other officers and the chase went into Nevada and Douglas County Sheriff's Office (DCSO) joined in near Kahle Drive.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A 24-year-old South Lake Tahoe man was arrested on multiple charges Sunday after police officers responded to a domestic disturbance call at 12:33 a.m.

According to Lt. Travis Cabral of the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD), they got a call that Alan Isaias Martinez-Perez was holding a woman hostage at gunpoint in her home.

The female victim said Martinez attempted to escape out a window and threw his pistol and rifle ammunition outside prior to arrival of SLTPD, but he never made it out. Police surrounded the residence and Martinez surrendered.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - It was 1:15 a.m. on the morning of September 6, 1970 when nurse Donna Ann Lass was working in the first aid room of the Sahara Tahoe Hotel & Casino in Stateline, Nevada. She made a log entry just before her last patient entered the room 15 minutes later, one-half hour before getting off duty.

Donna was scheduled to make a log entry at 1:45 a.m. but it was never completed and she was never seen again. Although her car was found parked at her apartment she wasn't seen leaving the Sahara.

4:30 p.m. UPDTE: The body of the missing Gilroy man was located this afternoon in 117 feet of water off the shore of Lake Tahoe.

The El Dorado County Sheriff's dive team with their remote operating vehicle (ROV) found 25-year-old Ian Morlang. He was brought up to the surface and placed on the South Lake Tahoe Police Marine 1 boat, then taken to the Tahoe Keys Marina.

Police officers draped a flag on Morlang as he was carried into a waiting vehicle.

Next of kin has been notified.

The coroner transported the body to the morgue in Placerville.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A man who had been swimming with friends is missing tonight in Lake Tahoe off the southern shore and the search for him will resume Wednesday morning.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The City of South Lake Tahoe has released their emergency order that will require masks worn in the city limits starting Friday, August 21, 2020. Below are facts, questions and answers:

What is the mask mandate?

Governor Newsome mandated all Californians wear a mask in certain circumstances to prevent the spread of COVID-19. For more details on that order click here.

How does the administrative fine work?

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A large group of car enthusiasts on top of an already busy summer weekend created a hectic weekend for South Lake Tahoe area law enforcement.

Dubbed #Lake2o, a social media-organized group of about 300-400 modified car owners converged on the town starting Thursday and went through Monday morning, taking over parking lots, parking garages and filling city streets.

UPDATE 8/11/20: A 28-year-old man from Napa, California has been identified as the person who died in a tragic boat incident off shore from South Lake Tahoe on Monday. The South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) Marine unit responded along with South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue, Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District and the U.S. Coast Guard.

When the call came in around 3:40 p.m., two men were in the water and a third was inside a rental boat. One of the men, David Castorena, had a major injury to his leg and he as not wearing a personal floatation device, or PFD.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A 31-year-old woman from Alexandria, Virginia is in a Reno hospital today after suffering severe injuries in a South Lake Tahoe hit-and-run collision.

At approximately 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, August 4, first responders arrived in the 3300 block of Pine Hill Road near Keller Road and found the victim laying in the roadway, suffering from severe injuries.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) will soon be getting body cameras after a unanimous decision by City Council during their meeting on Tuesday.

They approved spending up to $470,000 on 42 body cameras, 28 in-car cameras, and cloud based storage for both.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Almost 200 people showed up Saturday to display their support of South Lake Tahoe law enforcement during a rally on a national day to "Bridge the Blue."

The supporters gathered at the entrance to the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office (EDSO) and South Lake Tahoe Police buildings before many of them joined a walk down Johnson Boulevard to US50 over to Lakeview Commons and down Al Tahoe, then back to the beginning.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A South Lake Tahoe man who was found guilty on four counts of felony child molestation has been sentenced to 26 years in state prison.

A jury found John Robert Garcia, 45, guilty back in December 2019 and he was scheduled to be sentenced in April. Due to social distancing requirements and COVID-19, that was held off until June 26. Judge Dylan Sullivan conducted the sentencing utilizing remote video conferencing.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The next meeting of the South Lake Tahoe City Council will be on Tuesday, July 14 starting at 9:00 a.m. It will be a virtual meeting and log on/comment instructions are at the end of the story.

On the agenda:

Council will vote on a measure, that if approved by voters on November 3, will add a local one-cent sales tax for general city purposes. There has been outreach done with local residents and finding out what their highest priorities are, and this proposed tax increase would meet those requests:

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Finding a truck with stolen license plates on Tuesday has led to the recovery of a custom made bar top from a South Lake Tahoe brewery.

On June 30, 2020, deputies from El Dorado County Sheriff's Office (EDSO) got an LPR (License Plate Reader) hit on a truck in Meyers.

The truck was traveling west on US50 and deputies found the truck near Ice House Road and attempted a traffic stop. The driver turned onto a rocky dirt road, stopped by the American River and took off on foot.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - If you were planning on setting off fireworks around Lake Tahoe this 4th of July, you can forget about it. They are illegal around the lake and in neighboring counties. A mild winter and a large amount of forest fuels put the area at a high risk of fire this summer, and fireworks could be devastating.

Without the official fireworks shows at the north and south ends of the lake, many fear people will resort to the fireworks bought at roadside stands and Indian reservations. While those are legal in the areas they are sold, they are not legal at Lake Tahoe.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - It wasn't your normal, every day type of call for service that the South Lake Tahoe Police Departments (SLTPD) and South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue (SLTFR) responded to on Monday night, but it was one of the happier ones.

On June 22, SLTPD officers were notified of some ducklings who were stuck in a storm drain and they called SLTFR Engine 1 for assistance in getting the eight ducklings out. All were removed from the drain and transported to Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care (LTWC).