highway patrol

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — On Tuesday, June 27, 2017, members of the California Highway Patrol South Lake Tahoe office, South Lake Tahoe Police Department, El Dorado County Sheriff, and community members will come together in an informal, neutral space to discuss community issues, have coffee, and build relationships.

All community members are invited to attend. The event goes from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on June 27 at Alpina Coffee Cafe.

A 27-year-old Douglas County man, a suspect in a California homicide investigation, was arrested Thursday night during a joint agency operation that happened at an Airport Road apartment complex, said Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong.

The arrest happened at around 6:40 p.m. and involved the Carson City Sheriff’s Office SWAT team and California law enforcement agencies.

At 8:45 p.m. Furlong released the following statement:

The first South Lake Tahoe Police Department community gathering was a successful one on Saturday as the 50th anniversary of the department was celebrated with hundreds of people at Lakeview Commons. There were rides on both the police and fire boats, a concert, BBQ, interactions with the police K-9s, booths, fingerprinting and an awards ceremony.

Going above and beyond the call of duty was recognized with awards to both staff members and the public.

Through the end of May, the Nevada Highway Patrol, Douglas County Sheriff's Office and other local law enforcement agencies have launched Click it or Ticket, an campaign to educate motorists on seatbelt usage. During this time, officers will be joining forces and watching for drivers and occupants in vehicles who are not wearing their seatbelts and/or children who are not properly secured in car or booster seat(s). Law enforcement will be stopping drivers for traffic offenses and issuing citations for seatbelt violations if unbuckled.

Lake Tahoe is seeing the winter that keeps on giving into spring. It has been snowing in South Lake Tahoe since about 3:00 p.m. and conditions on area roads are not good for travelers over the Sierra.

12:30 p.m. update - The driver was identified as Jesus Herrarea-Casas from South Lake Tahoe. He was placed under arrest and taken to the Carson City Sheriff’s Office for booking on charges of Eluding Police, Reckless driving, Disregard Traffic control device(s), Speeding, and driving without a valid license. He may also be charged with DUI, pending the test results according to the Nevada Highway Patrol.

Herrarea-Casas made it all the way to downtown Carson City before a Nevada Highway Patrol Sergeant decided that the pursuit had to end due to the danger it created for the public.

The Lake Valley Fire Protection District held their first Commendation Ceremony on Saturday night at Lake Tahoe Golf Course, honoring firefighters and citizens for their efforts during the past year.

Winners during the evening:

Firefighter of the Year – Ted Jackson
Civilian Award of Merit – Jacob Zorn, Dept of Transportation
Civilian Award of Merit – Ian Whitmarsh, University of San Francisco
Life Saver Award – Alex Vaughn, Sierra-at-Tahoe Ski Patrol
Life Saver Award – Engineer Wes Long and Firefighter/Paramedic Mike Anderson

Nine members of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) Explorer Post #2105
gave an outstanding performance this past weekend during the Central Coast Law Enforcement Exploring Competition in Tulare, Calif. They competed against 21 other police, sheriff and highway patrol posts in 19 different scenarios including felony car stops, shooting skills, written exams, oral interviews, suspicious persons and physical agility.

DCSO Explorers won 13 trophies including second place overall for the entire competition.

Representatives from several agencies met with the public Thursday night at El Dorado County Supervisor Sue Novasel's second community meeting to discuss traffic issues and the "invasion of neighborhoods" by non-local drivers.

Search and Rescue volunteers were dropped off on Jake's Peak Thursday to help an injured backcountry skier get off the mountain which is located inside Desolation Wilderness at Lake Tahoe.

At 2:30 p.m. on March 30, El Dorado County Sheriff's Office (EDSO) received a call about the injured skier, a 24-year-old man from San Luis Obispo who was in the area on Spring Break. He had been skiing near Jake's Peak when he suffered a lower leg injury and couldn't get out on his own.

As he reflects back on 30 years in uniform for the South Lake Tahoe Police Department, Lt. Brian Williams knows the dates that will be forever etched into his memory. 12/29/1986, 6/10/1991, 1/29/1997, 10/25/2005 and 8/26/2009.

December 29, 1986: Brian starts with SLTPD and heads off to the Police Academy in Santa Rosa.

Choices for Children and the City of South Lake Tahoe Recreation Services hosted Day of the Young Child on Saturday March 11, 2017. Twenty-seven agencies came together to offer a wide variety of early childhood activities including art, sensory activities and physical activities. Children enjoyed face painting, beading, painting, play
dough, planting, rock climbing, paper collages, chalk art, Pequeños Rascal Learning Center dancers and more. It truly was a lively day for families to connect and get information on community resources.

Sunday traffic heading west from South Lake Tahoe has been a major problem from the city to Meyers all winter long. Last week, on March 5, there were reports of travel time on the 9.3 mile route along Highway 50 from Stateline to Meyers taking eight hours, and from the Y to Meyers, four hours for the 4.3 mile trip.

Theodor Seuss Geisel was born on March 2, 1904, and to honor the beloved children's author better known as Dr. Seuss, Read Across America is celebrated annually on March 2.

This annual reading motivation and awareness program calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading on this day, and schools in South Lake Tahoe joined in with guest readers in the classroom, and some joined in with Dr. Seuss inspired costumes.

11:00 a.m. update: The slope supporting the highway at Bridal Veil Falls, two miles east of Fresh Pond, slipped several feet last week, requiring the closure of the westbound #2 lane. The damage has increased this week, impacting the #1 lane.

This section of the highway will be under one-way reversing traffic controls Tuesday as contractor Doug Veerkamp Engineering, Inc. sets up k-rail for the work site, and it will be reduced to one lane in each direction for the next few months as repair work is performed to stabilize the slope.

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It's another snowy weekend, and another weekend of drivers trying to head home over Echo Summit via Lake Tahoe Blvd and North Upper Truckee Road. With a backup at the chain control stop in Meyers, many are trying to circumvent not only the traffic, but the controls and causing issues on snow covered side roads.

5:00 p.m. update: Seven people were injured and transported to area hospitals Tuesday after a four-car crash in the "Ice Box" area on Highway 88.

Just after 1:00 p.m., a Toyota Highlander with three adults and three children inside was traveling westbound and, for reasons unknown at this time, went into a snowbank. A car following the Toyota then slammed into it.

A third car, a small, brand new Chevrolet, avoided the other two cars as they came upon the crash, but then ended up in a snowbank as well. The fourth car involved then ran into the Chevrolet.

A Silver Fork man was on his way to work in Pollock Pines Friday when it is believed his vehicle crashed into the American River, sending him and his vehicle into the water.

Digger Gooch, 37, was westbound on Highway 50 February 10 when deputies from the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office (EDSO) believe he crashed into the river which was moving rapidly due to heavy rains in the area.

There were several areas through South Lake Tahoe that experienced flooding on Tuesday as rain from an atmospheric river hit the region, with two Meyers area streets getting the brunt of the storm.

Caltrans, El Dorado County and City of South Lake Tahoe crews, along with homeowners worked through the day to get standing water off the road, out of driveways and even homes.

With the ground saturated by a combination of rain and snow, a vehicle-sized boulder slid into a portion of the eastbound lane of Highway 50 at Lake Tahoe near Logan Creek on Monday morning causing some traffic delays.

No injuries were reported in the incident which happened some time after 7:00 a.m. The eastbound lane was partially blocked by the slide, according to the Nevada Department of Transportation.

The Placer County Sheriff's Office is investigating an officer-involved shooting that occurred around 3:00 a.m. Friday near North Lake Tahoe.

At around 1:40 a.m., deputies and California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers attempted to pull over a suspected DUI driver, who was driving dangerously and erratically on Highway 28. The pursuit was terminated a few minutes later.

At 2:45 a.m., a deputy saw the car on Highway 28, near Dollar Hill, again driving erratically, and attempted to pull him over. The male driver failed to yield, and a pursuit began.

A California Highway Patrol helicopter was called out to help with an injured skier who in the backcountry with three friends between Donner Lake and Boreal Ski Resort on Friday.

The victim said he and three other skiers had started their day at the Donner Pass Rest Area, hiked up the mountain for some backcountry skiing and then injured his lower leg while skiing down a shoot between two cliffs. The group used a cell phone and called 9-1-1 to request help. They were found near Flora Lake at approximately 7,500 feet in elevation.

Nicholas Martin Coberley, 45, of Pollock Pines, will be spending the next 27 months in prison for assault with a deadly weapon on a park ranger.

A toddler girl has died after receiving major injuries in a three-car crash on US395 near Johnson Lane on January 17, 2017.

The deadly crash occurred when a pickup truck towing a utility trailer ran into the back of a Nissan who was traveling northbound on the highway when it slowed for traffic near the Johnson Lane intersection. The preliminary investigation shows the truck couldn't stop and ran into the back of the Nissan, forcing it off the road. It then continued through the intersection and ran into the back of a Honda that was stopped in the left lane.