South Lake Tahoe man arrested on suspicion of murder in New Hampshire

Submitted by paula on Sat, 05/28/2016 - 4:29pm

A South Lake Tahoe man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a manhunt took authorities from Mendocino County to New Hampshire.

Joshua Richard Ruoff, 30, is currently being held without bail in the Merrimack County Jail in Concord, New Hampshire. He is suspected of killing Timothy William Sweeting, 27, of Covelo, Calif., between May 17 and May 18 according to a press release from the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office (MCSO). Ruoff was challenging extradition to Mendocino County and the Mendocino County District Attorney's Office is working on getting him extradited to Mendocino County.

Both Ruoff and Sweeting were allegedly involved in a marijuana growing operation in Covelo. MCSO Cpt. Gregory L. Van Patten said 300 to 400 plants were discovered on a property owned by New Hampshire residents.

Sweeting’s last known address was in Rohnert Park, though he was also believed to have been from the East Coast. Ruoff once lived in New Hampshire.

On May 18, officers were called to a home in Covelo were it was reported there was a physical assault the previous day. Upon arrival, deputies found evidence of a physical assault and contacted potential witnesses. During this initial investigation, Deputies learned Ruoff had been witnessed assaulting Sweeting with a blunt object.

Deputies began a missing persons investigation regarding as Sweeting's whereabouts were unknown and he had no recent contacted with family or friends since the alleged physical assault. At that time, Sweeting's vehicle was also missing and the whereabouts of Ruoff was also unknown.

On May 18, Sweeting's vehicle was located on Mendocino Pass Road, parked on the side of the roadway about a mile from the residence. As the investigation continued, it was learned Ruoff had rented a U-Haul truck and left the area for the state New Hampshire, where he previously resided.

Mendocino County Sheriff's Detectives, New Hampshire State Police Narcotics and Investigations Unit and the New Hampshire State Police located Ruoff and he was arrested after two more days of investigation that led authorities to believe Ruoff murdered Sweeting though a body has not been found.