el dorado

On July 1, 2018, deputies from the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office (EDSO) were dispatched to a report of a drowning at Fallen Leaf Lake. It was occuring at the same time as a Search and Rescue operation was being formed to help an ill person at Eagle Falls and helicopters were on the way to that scene at the time of the call of the drowning. Some diverted to the lake.

The victim was identified as Sudhamo Ahuja, a 70-year-old male from San Jose, Calif. and his next of kin has been notified.

One man died and his shooter arrested after an argument on Saturday, June 30 in South Lake Tahoe.

Police responded to the 1000 block of Julie Lane shortly before 5:30 p.m. after reports of shots fired. Upon arrival they found 44-year-old Christopher Kitchen of South Lake Tahoe on the road at the entrance to Tahoe Verde Mobile Home Park. Despite life saving measures, Kitchen was prounounced deceased after medics took the victim to Barton Memorial Hospital.

UPDATE 7/2 8:15AM: The victim in Saturday's shooting has been identified as 44-year-old Christopher Kitchen of South Lake Tahoe. The suspect, 62-year-old Roy Figaro of South Lake Tahoe, is in the El Dorado County Jail and is facing murder charges.

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One person has died after being shot Saturday near the Y in South Lake Tahoe.

Just before 5:30 p.m. on June 30, 2018, officers from the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) responded to the 1000 block of Julie lane after several calls were made into dispatch about shots fired.

For the second time this week, a group gathering signatures to get initiatives on November's ballot has failed to get past the first phase of signature validation.

On Friday, the El Dorado County Elections Department said the group attempting to grandfather in the existing medical marijuana dispensary in South Lake Tahoe and allow them to sell adult use marijuana failed the first count of a sample 500 signatures.

The Tahoe Wellness Cooperative at 3445 Lake Tahoe Boulevard is the only medical marijuana dispensary in the City limits.

On Saturday, June 30, 2018, the California Highway Patrol (CHP), South Lake Tahoe Area, will be conducting a sobriety checkpoint in the east area of El Dorado County. The checkpoint will be setting up at approximately 8:00 p.m. and will be operational at 9:00 p.m. The checkpoint will conclude at approximately 2:00 a.m.

It is unknown where it will be set up but could be anywhere from Meyers to the state line. Designate a sober driver if you plan to go out and drink.

Erosion from a high water level in Lake Tahoe has prompted closure of El Dorado Beach at Lakeview Commons in South Lake Tahoe.

From sunup to sundown, a field of 11 golfers hit the links at Tahoe Paradise Golf Course Thursday to raise funds for the South Lake Tahoe Cancer League.

The Moose Lodge of South Lake Tahoe has sponsored the Longest Day of Golf for thirteen years. Lodge members spend the day driving golf carts, keeping the water and food flowing for the golfers, and helping to raise funds for charity.

A Sacramento man is facing over 20 years in prison after a jury in South Lake Tahoe found him guilty on 11 counts of felony Pandering and 3 counts of Felony Pimping.

Isiah Campbell was arrested on March 3, 2017 after El Dorado County detectives set up an undercover operation targeting human trafficking and prostitution in the Placerville area.

Another bird found in El Dorado County has tested positive for West Nile virus, the second so far for the County in 2018. The first one was in South Lake Tahoe and this one is on the west slope.

A 31-year-old South Shore resident Corey Anthony Denbae has been convicted of felony domestic violence and sentenced to five years in state prison.

On April 17, 2018, El Dorado Sheriff Deputies responded to a report of domestic violence on Grizzly Mountain Road, but Denbae had fled the scene.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - After an investigation into an allegation of ongoing child sexual assault at a South Lake Tahoe daycare center, the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) have arrested the father of the operator of Pequeños Rascals Daycare.

On June 15, SLTPD first received information about the possible assault occurring at the center located at 3336 Sandy Way. Multiple victims came forward and reported a pattern of abuse dating back at least two years.

The following are Caltrans road projects on the California side of Lake Tahoe for the next week:

LONG-TERM PROJECTS

State Route 49 (El Dorado County): Work continues on a $22 million project to replace the South Fork American River Bridge in Coloma-Lotus. This project will make seismic improvements to the new bridge, widen the structure to allow for 8-foot shoulders and 6-foot sidewalks, and improve the roadway on both sides of the bridge. Completion is expected in mid-August. No traffic-interfering work is scheduled on the highway:

She has done it again... Lisa Maloff had created yet another opportunity to enrich the lives of South Lake Tahoe children. With her generous donation of $100,000, we have begun the F.E.E.T. Fund: a fund that will fulfill equitable educational trips for LTUSD school grades.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. - El Dorado County Sheriff's Office responds to calls throughout the county. The following are calls that only pertain to the South Shore. There may be some missing calls due to sheriff's logs not being completed at time of story.

Some of those recently added to last week's log:

June 6

8:56 a.m. - Burglary - Standford Hill Rd - R/P REPORTED A BURGLARY.

El Dorado County has supplied animal control services to the City of South Lake Tahoe since 1998.

In the past twenty years, the City has entered into seven different agreements with the County for rabies quarantine investigations, humane investigations, vicious animal complaints, shelter services, impoundment of strays, removal of dead animals from City roadways, enforcement of all State, County and City codes dealing with animals, and maintenance of a County Animal Shelter, all six-days-a-week, with options of emergency services.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - An El Dorado County jury of five women and seven men deliberated about two hours Wednesday, coming back with a quick verdict in the case of Nolen Keith Buchanan, the Benicia, California teen that had been accused of killing his family and setting their cabin on fire to cover his tracks.

The El Dorado County District Attorney's Office has announced that South Lake Tahoe resident Shannon Patrick Johnson, 33, has been sentenced to four years in state prison after being convicted of felony domestic violence.

On April 17, 2018, Johnson was waiting outside his ex-wife's home so that he could confront her, despite being restrained from contacting her due to a 2017 domestic violence conviction. When the ex-wife exited her home to go to work, he began yelling at her. Hoping to calm him down, she got into his car to talk to him.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. - El Dorado County Sheriff's Office responds to calls throughout the county. The following are calls that only pertain to the South Shore. There may be some missing calls due to sheriff's logs not being completed at time of story.

Some of those recently added to last week's log:

5/30

There’s Magic in the Air at the 2018 El Dorado County Fair, being held in Placerville June 14 to 17. Don’t miss this annual tradition!

The fair is packed full of events including concerts, food, carnival, barns full of livestock, Home Depot workshop for kids, gardening displays, contests for everything from textiles to wine, and much more. Find daily schedule HERE.

The Elections Department of El Dorado County has released the results of some of the 23,000 ballots left to count after Tuesday's election.

The following is the updated ballot count as of 4:49 p.m. Friday, June 8. The department will release updates next week as well.

County Supervisor Area 5

JEFFREY SPENCER 931 16.61%
NORMA SANTIAGO 770 13.74%
KENNY CURTZWILER 1815 32.38%
SUE NOVASEL 2074 37.00%

County Supervisor Area 4

LORI PARLIN 3753 37.99%
BOGDAN AMBROZEWICZ 1215 12.30%
MICHAEL RANALLI 4900 49.60%

County Auditor-Controller

JOE HARN 21678 52.61%

El Dorado County Elections official are still counting some 23,000 "Vote By Mail" ballots that were either sent in close to election day, or dropped off at polling places Tuesday.

This isn't an abnormal number but one that often catches many by surprise.

During those late counts of ballots in 2014, the final two candidates for the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors for Area 5 changed from election day, sending Sue Novasel and Kenny Curtzwiler to the November election. As of Tuesday, the same two appear to be headed to November's ballot.

Both sides of the South Lake Tahoe vacation rental ballot measures will be speaking in a forum setting at the SLT Senior Center on Saturday, June 9 from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Peggy Bourland, Ken Weitzman and Dianne Rees will be speaking for the Anti-VHR measure, while Mark Salmon, Jerry Williams and Steve Teshara will be speaking for the pro-regulation, pro-VHR measure.

Also being discussed will be housing, employment and jobs implications of either measure with representatives from various businesses, employers and housing.

100 percent of the precincts have been counted and there are just some mail-ins waiting for be tabulated and counts can be changed until count is final.

County Supervisor Area 5

Sue Novasel - 1604 Votes or 36.90%
Kenny Curtzwiler - 1419 Votes or 32.64%
Jeffrey Spencer - 718 Votes or 16.52%
Norma Santiago - 597 Votes or 13.73%

County Supervisor Area 4

Michael Ranalli - 3599 votes or 50.03%
Lori Parlin - 2698 votes or 37.50%
Bogdan Ambrozewicz - 888 votes or 12.34%

County District Attorney

The following is the Caltrans schedule for Lake Tahoe basin roads this week.

LONG-TERM PROJECTS

State Route 49 (El Dorado County): Work continues on a $22 million project to replace the South Fork American River Bridge in Coloma-Lotus. This project will make seismic improvements to the new bridge, widen the structure to allow for 8-foot shoulders and 6-foot sidewalks, and also make roadway improvements to State Route 49 on either side of the bridge. Completion is expected in mid-August. No traffic-interfering work is scheduled on the highway.