el dorado

The arrests continue around the country in response to the January, 2016 murder of 40-year-old Dennis Wright at the Beverly Lodge in South Lake Tahoe. In an apparent drug deal gone bad, Wright was shot to death in the motel's parking lot after allegedly bringing 100 pounds of marijuana to town to sell.

This week's Pet of the Week is Charlie, a young Rat Terrier. He likes to play with other dogs and seems to be fine with confident cats.

Charlie loves to cuddle in laps and go for car rides.

Visit Charlie at the El Dorado County Animal Services, 530-573-7925.

For Spay-Neuter services and other support, call the Lake Tahoe Humane Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals at 530-542-2857.

Last week’s pet of the week Mandy found her forever home!

LONG-TERM PROJECTS

State Route 89 (Placer County): Work continues on a $70.1 million project from Tahoma to just north of Granlibakken Road in Tahoe City that is upgrading storm water drainage and treatment systems, adding curb and gutter, resurfacing and realigning the road, adding new left-turn pockets and widening shoulders on an 8-mile stretch of the highway. Completion is expected by summer 2017.

Another wave of aggressive and threatening phone calls by people identifying themselves as the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is making its way across South Lake Tahoe.

On Friday, two dozen citizens either called the South Lake Tahoe Police Department, or stopped by their office, to alert them of the phone calls.

Low-cost community flu vaccination clinics will start in South Lake Tahoe on September 28 and on October 5 on the West Slope.

The El Dorado County Health and Human Services Agency, Public Health Nursing will be conducting the clinics through mid-November for just $10 per vaccine. No one will be denied service due to inability to pay.

South Lake Tahoe and El Dorado County police, deputies and CHP officers from the west and east slopes of the county joined together over the holiday weekend to participate in "Avoid the 6," a zero tolerance for impaired driving campaign. Their efforts netted 55 offenders for the deadly drime.

There were roving DUI saturation patrols to find the impaired drivers.

Starting in Fall 2016, Tahoe Youth & Family Services will begin contracting with Suicide Prevention Network of Douglas County to bring suicide prevention education and resources to residents of South Lake Tahoe.

The combined effort will provide community-wide awareness programs and mental health stigma reduction outreach. Suicide survivor grief support groups will also begin at the Tahoe Youth & Family Services’ counseling office at 1021 Fremont Avenue in South Lake Tahoe. Funding for the new program comes from an El Dorado County Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) grant.

The father of two South Lake Tahoe children who failed to return them to their mother on August 15 has been arrested in the Rosarito Beach area of Mexico.

Scott Selger of Chula Vista, Calif., was arrested by the Baja California State Preventive Police on September 1 and the children were safely returned to their mother, Jenn Luckman Conant.

Investigators from several agencies had been searching for Selger and the children after their mother realized her children, 9-year-old twins Ava and Paolo, were not on their scheduled return flight home after visiting with their father.

A Cesna 182 airplane with two people on board crashed as it was landing at the airport in South Lake Tahoe Monday afternoon at 1:22 p.m.

Numerous agencies, including South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue and Police Departments and the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office, all responded.

One person was transported to the hospital with unknown injuries according to the SLTFR. The names, ages and hometown of those on board are not known at this time. People inside the Flight Deck restaurant were waiting for the people on board to arrive and immediately rushed to the scene according to bystanders.

The following is a recap of activity the South Lake Tahoe Police Department responded to 491 calls between August 16 and August 29, 2016.

Calls Resulting in Arrests:

8/16
No arrests

8/17
Unlicensed Driver in the 2600 block of Lake Tahoe Blvd
Drunk in Public in the 1000 block of Lakeview Ave
Unlicensed Driver in the 2300 block of Lake Tahoe Blvd
Felony "Other" in the 800 block of Emerald Bay Rd
Driving on a suspended/revoked license at Wildwood and Aspen Aves

8/18

LONG-TERM PROJECTS
State Route 89 (Placer County): Work continues on a $70.1 million project from Tahoma to just north of Granlibakken Road in Tahoe City that is upgrading storm water drainage and treatment systems, adding curb and gutter, resurfacing and realigning the road, adding new left-turn pockets and widening shoulders on an 8-mile stretch of the highway. Completion is expected by summer 2017.

South Lake Tahoe students in grades 8 through 12 are invited to participate in the juvenile justice system through the Teen Court program.

Orientation training will be held on September 29, 2016, from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Superior Court, Department 4, located at 1354 Johnson Boulevard in South Lake Tahoe. After completing the orientation training, teens will serve as court personnel for real cases in which a minor has committed an offense, admitted the offense and chosen to be judged by his/her peers.

There are many cut female kittens at the shelter who are in need of adoption, but this week we've chosen "Zephyr" to be the Pet of the Week.

No matter what personality or color you like in a cat, you're sure to find the right one for you at the El Dorado County Animal Services, 530-573-7925. The kittens just want their forever home.

For Spay-Neuter services and other support, call the Lake Tahoe Humane Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals at 530-542-2857.

El Dorado County health officials have received confirmation from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) that a dead bird found in the Placerville area has tested positive for West Nile virus, the first for 2016. The bird, a Western Scrub Jay, was found on August 23, 2016. There have been no reported cases of human infection with West Nile virus this year in El Dorado County.

Woodcutting permits on the Eldorado National Forest have been changed to allow larger standing dead conifer trees to be cut for firewood. A minimum of tTwo cords of wood can be cut for $15 per cord.

"This change in our woodcutting permits will encourage removal of potentially dangerous roadside hazard trees," said forest supervisor Laurence Crabtree. "Fire and bark beetles have left a lot of dead trees which could fall across forest roads, particularly the less traveled roads in the back country."

Justin Bonderer, who would have recently celebrated his 36th birthday, hasn't been seen since the Camino home he was living in burned on April 7, 2016.

The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office continues to search for the long time resident of Georgetown, Calif.

Justin moved to Camino with his then girlfriend. Detectives were able to track Justin up through April 7, 2015, where he was last seen in Placerville, possibly on his way to Camino.

Donald Trump and the almost 900 attendees at Friday night's fundraising dinner at Harrah's Tahoe most likely didn't see or hear the protesters outside, but passing cars and pedestrians sure did.

A small group of protesters started standing on the corner of Stateline Avenue and Lake Tahoe Blvd at 5:00 p.m., waiving signs and chanting anti-Trump sentiments. Honks and clapping greeted the group outside, while those inside paid $200 to $500 a person to attend the 2016 Battle Ground Dinner, sponsored by the Nevada Republican Party.

The Medical Marijuana Advisory Committee was created by the El Dorado County Supervisors to address taxation, cultivation, medical marijuana and other issues surrounding the use and distribution of the drug in the county.

The body of a 36-year-old Georgetown woman missing since August 20 was found near her home Wednesday. Jennifer Wilson-Johnston, who suffered from Multiple Sclerosis and memory loss, left her residence on foot Saturday evening and hadn't been seen since.

The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office issued a press release earlier Wednesday, asking for the public's help in finding Jennifer.

The cause of death is under investigation and foul play in not suspected.

El Dorado County Superior Court Judge James Wagoner ruled today against the lawsuit filed by Jason Collin on July 14 to stop the Loop Road measure from being submitted to the voters November 8.

"I'm obviously disappointed in the ruling today," Collin told South Tahoe Now. "I still have a lot of concern about an initiative being pushed forward that has fundamental flaws and misleads voters."

An appreciation of all of the law enforcement agencies that are assigned to protect the South Shore of the Lake Tahoe Basin will be the focus of Law Enforcement Day at Lakeview Commons in South Lake Tahoe on Thurday, September 15 at 5:00 p.m.

The public is invited to show support of the the men and women of the California Highway Patrol, Douglas County Sheriff's Office, El Dorado County Probation, El Dorado County Sheriff including STAR and SAR, the FBI (South Lake Tahoe Division), SLEDNET, South Lake Tahoe Police Department and USFS Law Enforcement.

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 press time and the story will be updated when provided.

8/14

9:48 p.m. - Disorderly Conduct - Glen Eagles Rd - A 21-YEAR-OLD MALE SUBJECT WAS ARRESTED FOR PUBLIC INTOXICATION

8/15

2:56 a.m. - Improper use of vehicle registration - Highway 50 - POSSIBLY ABANDONED VEHICLE DISPLAYED PLATES THAT DO NOT BELONG TO THE VEHICLE.

The South Lake Tahoe Moose Lodge is hosting their 15th annual Kids' Fishing Derby on Sunday, September 18, at Tahoe Paradise’s Lake Baron. Families find this event fun and exciting, and it is free to all children under the age of 16. Registration begins at 7:00 a.m. at Lake Baron, near the main entrance.

Hot Dogs, Chips, Sodas, and water are provided free to all registered children and are available for purchase by others. The event wraps up at 1:00 p.m.

Due to some sobering facts, El Dorado County District Attorney's Office is ramping up efforts in preventing drunk driving.

While the full-time population in the county is fairly small, a large number of visitors increase those numbers during ski season, holidays, gold country and winery visits, gambling at Red Hawk and Stateline, and during trips to Apple Hill.

El Dorado County ranks fifth worst in the state for lethal drunk driving incidents involving drivers between the ages of 21 and 34, and third worst in the state for drunk driving incidents involving drivers under the age of 21.