minors

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - There has been much discussion in the community about the City of South Lake Tahoe's new Shared Rental Ordinance, one that is up for a vote during the November 3 City Council meeting.

A shared rental, also known as a hosted rental, is one where a person rents a portion of their home to a visitor on a short term basis* while they are still living in the home. They are not new in South Lake Tahoe, but the focus has been on creating an ordinance for them as a large number of people started obtaining business licenses for shared rentals in recent months.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The South Lake Tahoe man arrested in April on child pornography charges was indicted today by a federal grand jury.

Timothy Daniel Mackey, 39, was arrested at his home after a search warrant served on April 15, 2020. Since that time he has been in jail. If convicted, Mackey faces 5-20 years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Registration is now open for the High Sierra Softball League's 2020 season. Learn skills, make friends and be part of a team...and everyone plays. The league is open to players ages 5-16 - Minis age 5-8, Minors age 8-12, Majors age 12-16.

Online regular registration is open until March 21.

Registration Status: Open
Regular Registration: Saturday, February 1, 2020 - Saturday, March 21, 2020
Late Registration: Sunday, March 22, 2020 - Sunday, March 29, 2020
Program Duration: Saturday, March 28, 2020 - Sunday, June 21, 2020

A South Lake Tahoe man has been found guilty on four counts of felony child molestation which included one count of Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child under 14, two counts of Lewd and Lascivious Acts upon a Child under 14, and one count of Forcible Lewd Act upon a Child under 14.

John Robert Garcia, 45, was arrested in April 2019 after a five-month-long investigation by the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) and El Dorado County District Attorney's Office.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. The second night of the 9th annual SnowGlobe Music Festival in South Lake Tahoe is in the books.

From a law enforcement side, things have been fairly quiet when compared to past years. On Monday night there were 35 citations issued by the Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC), all related to minors in possession or adults furnishing alcohol to minors.

The South Lake Tahoe Police Department arrested two people for public intoxication at the event.

New laws will be going into effect in California in the new year, putting into place California legislature action during 2019. There are many changes including road safety and distracted driving penalties, roadkill rules, minimum wage, independent workers and rent caps.

Except where noted, these laws are effective January 1, 2020:

Traffic Safety

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is highlighting several new laws passed this year:

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The South Lake Tahoe Police Department has been awarded a $40,000 grant from the California Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) to fight alcohol-related crime.

The grant is awarded to local law enforcement agencies in California through ABC’s Alcohol Policing Partnership Program. The grants strengthen SLTPD’s efforts by combining the efforts of their officers and ABC agents. ABC agents have expertise in alcoholic beverage laws and can help communities reduce alcohol-related problems.

California State Park Champions volunteer across the state from the ocean to the mountains, and an opportunity is heading to the Sierra at Grover Hot Springs on April 20, 2019 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Help with fire prevention projects by removing invasive weeds that push out the park's native plants and increase fire risks in the park. Volunteers 12 and older welcome (minors must be accompanied by a legal guardian).

After volunteering, enjoy a soak in the park's hot springs pool. Free camping is available for registered volunteers Friday and Saturday nights.

UPDATE 1/29/19 - The South Lake Tahoe store where the suspect allegedly committed the crimes against children was the Goodwill store at the Y. The South Lake Tahoe Police Department is thanking Goodwill and their employees for the "tremendous amount of help we got from them." They are crediting the store's quick response and assistance that allowed them to identify this suspect.

The suspect, Sergio Antonio Recendiz-Rodriguez, was not an employee at the store.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The 8th annual SnowGlobe Music Festival in South Lake Tahoe is underway, and after Day 1 city officials reports it was a "smooth start."

The South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) said they had no significant problems or issues of any kind on Saturday and made just one arrest between 2:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.

In comparison, there were 13 arrests on the first day of the festival in 2017.

Even outside the festival things were quiet.

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 and West Shore, including Meyers, South Lake Tahoe, Meeks Bay, Tahoma and the Echo Summit area. 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:

11/7

September 13, 2015 was the worst day in the lives of the Molly McAffe, and Adam and Gavin Buchanan families. They lost a son, grandson, sister, daughter, aunt, nephew, cousin, and their lives will be forever haunted by the heinous acts of another relative, Nolen Buchanan.

It was a very emotional afternoon in El Dorado County Superior Court Judge Suzanne Kingsbury's court Thursday during the sentencing of the now 18-year-old responsible for shooting his father, his father's fiancé and his 8-year-old brother and then setting their cabin on fire in Greenwood, Calif.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The public is invited to join the Sugar Pine Foundation and the Tahoe Rim Trail Association on National Trails Day, Saturday, June 2, at Van Sickle Bi-State Park.

The two organizations are teaming up for a morning of education and fun on the three- mile hike from 9:00 a.m to 12:00 p.m.

On the way up to enjoy panoramic vistas with a brief visit to a waterfall, delve into the intriguing natural and human history of the area, discuss forest topics related to the trail you’re passing through, and see firsthand the impacts of a wildfire burn zone.

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office (DCSO) went to 27 local businesses on February 1 to conduct an operation to make sure they were being compliant with state law with reference to alcohol sales to minors.

The following 25 businesses were checked and they successfully passed the alcohol compliance check and did not sell alcohol to a minor.

An ongoing investigation by the Placer County Sheriff's Office (PCSO), Tahoe Station and the PCSO Special Operations detectives has led two the arrest of two Truckee men on suspicious of having unlawful sexual relations with minors under the age of 16.

Christopher Anthony Renai, 23, was arrested on October 5 near his job in Truckee, and Skyler William Ford, 21, was arrested at his home October 16.

Both remain in custody at the Placer County Jail; Renai's bail is set at $100,000 and Ford's is set at $305,000.

Their next court dates are both set for November 8.

Ongoing indecent exposure cases in two counties over 200 miles apart may have been solved with the arrest of 34-year-old Wellington Potter of San Jose, Calif.

At 7:00 p.m. on July 17, 2017, a white Volkswagen Jetta stopped on a San Jose street and its driver exposed himself while masturbating after he called a 9-year-old over to his open window. The suspect drove away.

A few days after this incident a Santa Clara Police Detective reviewed a law enforcement flier put out by the Placer County Sheriff’s Office in Lake Tahoe.

“Choices, what are yours?” was the theme of our efforts in keeping our youth drug free.

The 2016 South Lake Tahoe three-day long music festival, SnowGlobe, is over, and the thousands of of Electronic Dance Music (EDM) fans are headed home after enjoying themselves during the outdoor concert. Like with most festivals of this type, most of the arrests and citations issued by South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD), El Dorado County Sheriff's Office (EDSO), and Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) were for underage drinking.

Early tabulations show that during SnowGlobe this year there were 238 arrests, 148 of those were citations to minors in possession of alcohol.

Law enforcement is preparing for the annual New Year's Eve party held at Stateline, an outdoor that at one time saw 50,000 people in the streets.

Though Highway 50 through Stateline hasn't had to close until just before midnight the past two years, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) is prepared to close it to vehicle traffic in the evening if necessary for public safety. If that should occur, vehicle traffic will be diverted around the Stateline casino core area using upper and lower Lake Parkway Drive.

An unlicensed El Dorado county tax preparer was sentenced Friday to 3 1/2 years in prison and ordered to pay $1,895,833 in restitution for conspiring to file false claims and filing false claims. Her co-conspirator will be sentenced next week.

Barbara Antonucci, 49, and her co-conspirator, Sherry Taggart, 56, of El Dorado Hills, prepared tax returns for clients seeking to maximize their refunds from the Internal Revenue Service.

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office is looking for the two parents involved in the Monday evening abduction of two children from their grandparent's home in the northern portion of the county.

On September 12, 2016 at approximately 5:10 p.m., Dason Valdez,29, and Krystle Reid, 27, were allegedly involved in a domestic incident with Valdez’s mother at an address in the Indian Hills subdivision.

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.

The three-day SnowGlobe music festival in South Lake Tahoe attracts a young crowd with many college, and high school students in attendance. They enjoy the electronic music with DJs that are heard throughout the venue on the three stages.

What is also popular at the event is drinking. The trained staff that serves alcohol at SnowGlobe knows what to look for in the way of fake identification which is evident of the citations issued over the first two days at the festival.

Suspicious activity on Halloween night led to the arrest of five men and two juvenile girls in South Lake Tahoe on several charges.

Near midnight, two officers from the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) observed two car loads of suspected gang members drive to the dead end of Spruce Avenue, where a drive-by shooting on October 14 had taken place. Some of the occupants had blue bandanas over their faces.