law

As the summer recreational boating season gets into full swing, several law enforcement agencies are ramping up enforcement of boating under the influence laws on Lake Tahoe and other bodies of water. This is all part of a national safety campaign that begins this weekend, June 25 and 26 to heighten awareness and enforcement. Operation Dry Water focuses on deterring boaters from boating under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

As lawmakers grapple with how best to combat the nation’s prescription painkiller abuse crisis, a recent survey is shedding light on how patients who get these medications — drugs such as OxyContin, methadone or Vicodin — sometimes share or mishandle them.

In November, two seats on South Tahoe Public Utility Board of Directors will be filled by voters, the ones currently held by Randy Vogelgesang and Kelly Sheehan.

It is unknown if either of them will seek reelection, but they have until August 12 to file.

To be eligible to run, candidates must reside withust in the boundaries of the District.

In the early morning hours of June 10, 1991, 11-year-old Jaycee Lee Dugard was walking to the school bus stop in South Lake Tahoe when Philip and Nancy Garrido abducted her and imprisoned her for 18 years in the back yard of their Antioch California home. The only clues came from the sole eye witness to the kidnapping, Carl Probyn – Jaycee’s step father, who provided information on the car and one of the occupants.

Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) and Sierra Nevada College (SNC Tahoe) are co-hosting an Open House on Thursday, June 16 at 5:00 p.m. in LTCC’s Board/Aspen Room to explore offering an undergraduate bachelor’s degree in Global Business Management from LTCC’s South Lake Tahoe campus. The two colleges are seeking community and student input to gauge the level of interest in the program. As the partnership between LTCC and SNC moves forward, it will bring an accredited four-year bachelor’s degree option to LTCC’s South Shore campus for the first time.

Under half of the registered voters in El Dorado County turned out in the polls Tuesday for the Presidential primary race that also chose a county judge and a few measures adjusting the county charter and growth in the county.

50,477, or 46.11 percent of the voters, voted in the June 7, 2016 election.

Measures needed to pass by a majority:

Measure A passed by a 2,600 vote margin with 53.02 percent of the vote. The preamble of the County Charter will be changed to new wording.

On September 12, 2001, advertising luminary Allen Kay coined the phrase, “If you see something, say something.”[1] In the wake of horrific events the day before, Kay recognized that no matter how well trained, equipped and staffed, law enforcement can’t do it alone. Within a relatively short period of time, the slogan was plastered on New York City transit vehicles. Over time, the Law Enforcement and Homeland Security slogan has become so well known it has been described as the equivalent of Nike’s “Just do it” advertisement.[2]

A Sacramento area lawyer called the "Serial ADA lawsuit filer" by the San Jose Mercury News is back in South Lake Tahoe according to several recent reports from local businesses.

Between 2009-11, Carmichael attorney Scott Johnson inundated small businesses with letters requesting they bring buildings in line with access laws for the disabled. He followed up the letters with several lawsuits in South Lake Tahoe.

The California Highway Patrol office in South Lake Tahoe is informing the public that they will be having an "Active Shooter Drill" on Thursday, June 2 at one of the Barton facilities near the hospital.

This is a dramatization involving law enforcement and may look very real to the public. CHP would like the public to tell their friends and neighbors, and anyone who might be in the area on Thursday, about the drill and not to be alarmed. Weapon simulators will be used in place of actual weapons, therefore giving the drill the appearance of an actual active shooter event.

The South Lake Tahoe Police Department, in conjunction with Memorial Day and the National Peace Officer’s Memorial Week, held its annual award ceremony Thursday.

In a very moving ceremony, late SLTPD Officer Mark Hounsell was honored for distinguished service. Hounsell and his wife Jeanne were killed in a single vehicle crash October 17, 2015. Two memorial shadow boxes were presented, one staying at the police department, the other going to the Hounsell's place of worship, Lifepoint Church in Minden, Nev.

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.

5/15
7:59 a.m. - Failure to register as an arsonist - South Lake Tahoe

11:00 a.m. - Search and Rescue - Lake of the Woods - SEARCH AND RESCUE INITIATED FOR AN INJURED 71-YEAR-OLD MALE HIKER.

While the official grand opening isn't until May 26, the doors have opened and office spaces are filling up at the new Tahoe Mountain Lab in South Lake Tahoe. What was once the Tahoe Daily Tribune offices on Lake Tahoe Blvd. is now home to 24 private offices, shared work spaces, tables and desks as well as the local paper's new office.

Awards for outstanding contributions to their community were handed out during Friday's Law and Order Night for Douglas County law enforcement agencies.

Employees from Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Juvenile Probation, China Springs Youth Camp, DCSO Youth Explorers, Citizen Patrol, Posse, Search and Rescue, Reserves, 911 Communications, as well as State of Nevada Department of Corrections, and Nevada Highway Patrol were all honored.

Lifesaving medals
Deputies Geoff Marshall, Jesse McKone, Scott Battcher, Tyler Jones, and Les Video

May is National Bike Safety Month, and the California Highway Patrol (CHP) is reminding motorists and bicyclists to share responsibility for roadway safety. California’s weather allows bicyclists to enjoy riding many months throughout the year. Although bicycle safety should be practiced every day, the month of May has been set aside to draw awareness to how we can all help minimize bicycle injuries and deaths.

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.

5/8
6:19 p.m. - Domestic Dispute - Wintoon Drive

5/9
11:35 a.m. - Burglary - Johnson Pass Rd - REPORTING PARTY REPORTED A BURGLARY

5/10

Douglas County residents who are not registered as Republicans will not have a say in who the next Douglas County Commissioners will be.

Why?

Because of a new Nevada law that says: If all candidates for an office are from the same party the election for that office will be completed in the primary election. Only those affiliated with that party will be able to vote.

From Poland to Caesars Tahoe to Douglas County Sheriff's Office, Maciej Stebel was sworn in as the department's newest deputy sheriff on Monday, May 9, 2016.

Stebel was sworn by Sheriff Ron Pierini at the Douglas County Judicial Building. Several captains, sergeants, deputies and staff, as well as his wife Beth, family and close friends came to support him in his new position which he worked so hard to attain.

10:35 a.m. update: The "all clear" is about to be given at the El Dorado County Government Center. The bomb has been considered a hoax device meant to cause the major response by law enforcement that it did, according to SLTPD Chief Brian Uhler. Evidence is being gathered and roads will soon reopen.

At approximately 6:35 a.m. this morning, a groundskeeper working at the El Dorado County Courthouse located at 1354 Johnson Blvd. in South Lake Tahoe noticed a suspicious device in front of the courthouse.

Four people were cited for selling alcohol to minors on April 29 during a compliance sting by the South Lake Tahoe Police Department.

During the operation, minors under the direct supervision of officers, attempted to purchase alcohol from ten retail licensees in the city limits.

40 percent of those businesses sold alcohol to the teen decoys. Clerks at Safeway Gas, Chevron Gas, Whiskey Dicks and Chevy's Restaurant were all cited and face a minimum fine of $250, and/or 24 to 32 hours of community service for a first violation.

Georgetown, Calif., resident Tevarez Lopez has been arrested as a suspect in the January 30, 2016 murder in South Lake Tahoe of Dennis Wright, Jr.

Sunday night's honey oil lab explosion in a South Lake Tahoe home could have been much, much worse. Neighboring homes could have burned, people could have died.

While the incident on Plum Street is still under investigation by the South Lake El Dorado Narcotics Enforcement Team (SLEDNET), and few details have been released, the subject is one of not only local concern, but one of national concern.

Normally it is law enforcement that responds to vehicle crashes, but this time, it was an El Dorado County Sheriff's deputy who needed assistance.

Three cars were involved in the 6:30 p.m. accident on Monday, April 11, 2016 at the intersection of Lake Tahoe Blvd. and Tata Lane.

The Amgen Tour of California South Lake Tahoe Organizing Committee is seeking 300 volunteers for the combined stages for men and women on Thursday, May 19, 2016.

The men’s elite race Stage 5 will begin in Lodi, Calif. at 10 a.m., and finish around 3:45 p.m. at Heavenly Mountain Resort’s California Base Lodge in South Lake Tahoe totaling 132.4 miles. The women’s Stage 1 will start at 10:50 a.m. and finish approximately at 2:00 p.m. at Heavenly, totaling 72.7 miles.

Rafael Corea, a 61 year old former restaurant worker, has failed to register as a sex offender and the South Lake Tahoe Police Department would like to find him.

In 1995, Corea was convicted for lew and lascivious acts with a minor aged 14 or 15. As part of his conviction he much register as a sexual offender for the rest of his life, and he failed to do so in 2015 as required.

SLTPD detectives discovered Corea has moved out of his former residence in South Lake Tahoe and his current whereabouts are unknown, and they'd like the public's help in locating him.