South Lake Tahoe Police Department

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The candidate pool of 61 seeking the job of South Lake Tahoe police chief has been narrowed down to five finalists.

They are:

Captain John Gunderson, Redwood City Police Department
Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice, Master’s Degree Public Administration

Lieutenant Tina Jones, Portland Police Bureau
Master’s Degree Criminal Justice

Lieutenant Shannon Laney, South Lake Tahoe Police Department
Bachelor’s Degree Criminal Justice

Deputy Chief Katherine Lester, Sacramento Police Department

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - If it's true that "lightning never strikes the same place twice," the Ogness family doesn't have anything to worry about.

Mike Ogness, his wife, daughter and son-in-law, and grandaughter (and two Golden Retrievers) were enjoying a summer afternoon in their Tahoe Keys home on Thursday when a storm cell went over South Lake Tahoe, dropping hail and rain, and accompanied by outbursts of lightning.

One of those lightning strikes hit the Ogness home.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The following is a list of calls the South Lake Tahoe Police Department responded to the week of June 28 - July 4, 2020. Location Checks are when officers search an area at a certain address. Transient/Homeless arrests/citations and calls are those normally categorized in other columns (Drunk in Public, Trespassing, etc) but stats are collected separately. COVID calls are related to state and county guidelines.

6/28

ARRESTS (5)
1:24 a.m. - DUI Herbert Av & Warr Rd
1:51 a.m. - Unlicensed Driver 2300 Block of Lake Tahoe Bl

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. - The South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) is investigating a doll that was hanging from a power line in the Tahoe Sierra neighborhood on Tuesday.

When SLTPD officers arrived at the corner of Rose and Lodi Avenues they found a black doll hanging with a heavy string around its neck. With the assistance of Liberty Utilities, the doll was quickly removed.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Two 14-year-old boys from South Lake Tahoe were arrested on Tuesday on several charges after attacking a man on the beach after a barrage of offensive words yelled at people on the beach.

At 4:25 p.m. on June 16, officers from the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) were called to what is known as the Timber Cove Marina and Beach on a report of an assault.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Law enforcement has come a long way in South Lake Tahoe since the first police department started on July 1, 1967. At that time there were 30 sworn male officers who were chosen from a list of more than 400 applicants who wanted to be part of the first police department for the new city. They were tested in Seal Beach, Roseville, and South Lake Tahoe then interviewed in Los Angeles and Sacramento.

STATELINE, Nev. - Deputies from the Douglas County Sheriff's Office (DCSO) responded to the Hard Rock Casino in Stateline at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, June 10 after they were called about a missing two-year-old girl.

The child's mother had checked into the hotel on Tuesday with her two teenage sons and her daughter. She left the room at 8:00 a.m. to attend a conference being held at the hotel and left the kids sleeping. When she returned at 10:00 a.m. she found the two teens still asleep but her daughter was missing.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - One man was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after a three-car collision in South Lake Tahoe Monday evening.

At approximately 7:09 p.m. June 8, South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) and South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue (SLTFR) responded to the call of a crash on Lake Tahoe Boulevard near Fremont Avenue.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Two men were pulled from the chilly waters of Lake Tahoe after their kayaks capsized late Saturday afternoon.

At approximately 5:00 p.m. on June 6, South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue's Marine 17 was dispatched to the water off of Baldwin Beach for possible kayakers in distress. One of the kayakers was able to make a call and the GPS coordinates put the two men several hundred yards off the shore between Baldwin Beach and Emerald Bay.

5/22 update 11:00 a.m. - The South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) has released a few more details about Thursday's death of a local man.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The City Council voted Tuesday to amend their Emergency Order No. 1 from April that authorized administrative citations and fines of $1,000 for violations of the Governor's Stay at Home Order.

The City will not be fining second homeowners who visit their home in South Lake Tahoe but they will continue to fine those found renting out vacation homes until the Governor's ban on non-essential travel is amended.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The following is a list of calls the South Lake Tahoe Police Department responded to April 1 - April 7, 2020. The calls listed COVID can be related to home and business checks due to COVID closures including Vacation Home Rentals and violation of stay-at-home orders. Location Checks are when officers search an area at the listed address.

4/1

Arrests (0)

Calls for Service (44)
Battery: 1000 Block of River Dr
Citizen's Assist: Tanglewood Dr
City Ordinance Other: 2400 Block of Fountain Av
Civil Problem: 900 Block of South Shore Dr

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The line of cars wrapped around the block and down the street in the Al Tahoe neighborhood Friday, all to celebrate a South Lake Tahoe teen's 18th birthday.

With stay-at-home orders in place for both a birthday party and high school graduation, Lisa Calderon had to come up with an idea to make her daughter, Kayla Mason, feel special on her birthday.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Many nonprofits have had to cancel their fundraisers due to the coronavirus, but the ladies of the Soroptimist International of Tahoe Sierra (SITS) club in South Lake Tahoe weren't going to let the virus stop them.

Their 31t annual Elegant Evening was slated to be held at Harrah's Tahoe on April 18 with a sit-down dinner, live music, and dancing, raffle, and auction. The venue closed and restrictions on meeting in groups of over 10 people were created, so what do you do with an event that brings together 500 community members?

Move it online, of course.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - April 12-18 is designated as National Telecommunicators Recognition Week, a time to honor the 911 dispatchers for their ongoing dedication to their communities.

The dispatch team covers the town 24/7 every day of the year and provides emergency and non-emergency coverage and helps the public and first responders with the resources they need.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A South Lake Tahoe woman was arrested on Tuesday, April 7 after store employees allegedly found her licking items, and licking her fingers before putting things into her shopping cart.

The mid-town Safeway at the corner of Johnson and Lake Tahoe Boulevards called the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) after an employee said they spotted 53-year-old Jennifer Walker putting pieces of jewelry from the store on her hands and licking them.

According to SLTPD, Walker began to load her cart with merchandise from the store after licking her hands.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The City of South Lake Tahoe issued an emergency order Friday morning, one that gives them the power to issue administrative citations to those who violate California Governor Newsom's 'stay at home' order.

“We are taking this crisis seriously and it is important that those who don’t, know there can be consequences to ignoring the Governor’s orders,” said Interim City Manager Brad Kilger, “This is about keeping our community safe, and that’s what this city is going to do.”

Part of Kilger's role for the city is as its director of emergency services.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - After a three-month-long investigation into a suspected serial molester, a South Lake Tahoe man has been arrested.

The South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) announced the arrest of Christopher Scott Flanders, a 51-year-old local man. Multiple alleged victims are from the South Lake Tahoe area, police said.

Acting on a warrant, Flanders was arrested on Wednesday, March 18 in the Placerville area with the assistance of the Sacramento PRCS Task Force. He is currently in the El Dorado County Jail in South Lake Tahoe with bail set at $2,000,000.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) is looking for the person who robbed the Wells Fargo Bank inside Raley's at Stateline on Saturday.

SLTPD responded to the call of a robbery at 11:02 a.m. on March 14. An unknown male had entered the store wearing a mask and headed to the bank on the east side. He demanded money from the teller and left with an undisclosed amount of cash and exited the store, heading toward Heavenly Village.

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.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The following is a list of calls the South Lake Tahoe Police Department responded to February 21 - February 25, 2020.

2/21 - 2/23

ARRESTS (14):
25-year-old male arrested for DUI.
36-year-old male arrested for DUI.
44-year-old female arrested for trespassing.
30-year-old male arrested for misdemeanor domestic violence.
50 year old female arrested for misdemeanor domestic violence and violating a protective order.
60-year-old male arrested for resisting arrest.
40-year-old male arrested on a warrant of Douglas County.