police department

During the week of October 8 to the 15th, the South Lake Tahoe Police Department responded to 166 calls.

Arrests

10/8
One arrest for spousal abuse.
One arrest for a drug offense on the 1700 block of Lake Tahoe Blvd.
One arrest for embezzlement on the 2300 block of Lake Tahoe Blvd.
One arrest for a DUI on the corner of Craig Avenue and Pickett Avenue.
10/9
One arrest for a domestic disturbance on the 1000 block of Herbert Avenue.
10/10
One arrest for being drunk in public on the 1000 block of Heavenly Village Way.
10/11

The South Lake Tahoe Police Department Calls and Arrests log for the September 19 through the 27th:

Officers responded to 9 calls for disturbance due to music or a party.

29 calls due to suspicious circumstances/people/vehicles.

6 drunk in public arrests.

17 calls for a disturbance due to spousal arguments, neighbor conflicts and other issues.

1 arrest due to drugs.

6 arrests for driving with a suspended or revoked license or no license at all.

19 calls for alarms going off.

1 arrest for child abuse.

5 calls for burglaries.

5 calls for theft.

U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller on Wednesday sentenced former South Lake Tahoe police officer John Gerald Poland, 45, to 18 months in prison for one count of obstruction of an official proceeding. He was ordered to self-surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on Nov. 6.

South Lake Tahoe police arrested a man on Monday for allegedly skinning a raccoon after a foot chase ended on the South Tahoe Middle School ball field.

Kevin Burroughs, 37, faces several charges including unlawful taking of wildlife. He is also a parolee and a registered sex offender out of California and had a felony warrant for being a parolee-at-large. The raccoon’s remains were recovered and destroyed by Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care.

South Lake Tahoe police have arrested a 26-year-old man in connection with several burglaries of vacation homes in town in which a large amount of stolen property was recovered.

Eric Beaman, 26, of South Lake Tahoe, faces charges of being in possession of stolen property, said South Lake Tahoe Police Department Lt. Brian Williams. A search warrant of a home on Armstrong Avenue led to the finding and arrest.

The South Lake Tahoe Police Department is advising vacation home owners, rental companies, and future visitors to the area of an active scam over the internet through vacation rental websites. At least 3 families have been victimized by this scam recently, and it is suspected there may be more victims of this crime that have yet to be reported.

South Lake Tahoe police continue to investigate a shooting Tuesday night that left a 27-year-old gas station attendant dead and a gunman who remains at large.

The suspect is described as a thin male suspect approximately 5’8” to to 5’-10” who entered the USA Gas Station at 2470 Lake Tahoe Boulevard before 11 p.m. shooting the clerk with a handgun and fleeing. A gas station customer found the adult male clerk on the floor in a pool of blood and called 911 for help.

Here is a news release by Lt. Brian Williams of the South Lake Tahoe Police Department:

The South Lake Tahoe Police Department is alerting the public to a registered sex offender in the area. Wesley Goetz is a Tier II Sex Offender out of Nevada, who lives in Incline Village.

He was convicted in 1998 for Felony Lewdness with a Child under 14, and is on lifetime supervision for his crimes. Goetz must adhere to several special conditions including staying away from areas / businesses which children frequent, and not accessing the Internet without permission.

Goetz is a registered sex offender on lifetime supervision, and isn't on active parole in the State of Nevada.

A single engine Mooney airplane crashed shortly after take off from the South Lake Tahoe airport at approximately 11:10 AM today.

The plane was observed by numerous witnesses begin to lose altitude after take off, and bank sharply into a wooded area east of the airport. The plane crashed into some large pine trees and flipped over.

The male pilot, Steven Lefton 67 years of age of Palo Alto, CA was killed on impact. His wife, Karen Lefton sustained moderate injuries and was pinned in the wreckage of the plane.

UPDATE: This afternoon (Friday, July 19, 2013) the South Lake Tahoe Police Department received word from the Mt. Pleasant Police Department in South Carolina that their investigation has confirmed Autumn Ellison has returned to South Carolina.

She has not yet been recovered. Nevertheless, South Carolina officials are confident she is no longer in our area. Investigators from South Carolina expressed their appreciation to our local media and public for their attention to this matter.

As we do each year, the South Lake Tahoe Police Department bolstered our patrol staffing to meet the emergency response needs of our crowded City during the Independence Day celebration.

There were squads of officers patrolling the beaches, assigned to traffic duties and extra officers assigned to work a variety of areas throughout the City. Although the City was quite full with holiday revelers, the number of calls for emergency police responses was fewer this year than during many past years.

The South Lake Tahoe Police Department Marine Units will be actively involved in California law enforcement officers Operation Dry Water over this weekend, June 28 through 30.

The South Lake Tahoe Police Department is asking for the public’s help in locating a missing elderly man who may be suffering from Alzheimer’s or dementia.

On Friday South Lake Tahoe Police officers were dispatched to an apartment complex at 3421 Spruce Ave., in reference to a call involving Norman Gary Lambert, 74, said SLTPD Sgt. Shannon Laney.

When officers arrived at the Lambert's residence where he lives along, he was gone. There was no evidence of any crime and apartment management, staff and witnesses report Lamber has appeared to be confused and disoriented, said Laney.

In honor of Peace Officer Memorial Week, the South Lake Tahoe Police Department honored officers, dispatch and citizens during its Annual Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, May 15, 2013.

“We are so proud of the selfless efforts by our police force on a daily basis and it’s nice to have an opportunity to support them in this way” said City of South Lake Tahoe Mayor Tom Davis. “These are all local heroes in our police and fire departments and its good we take the time to honor them.”

The South Lake Tahoe Police Canine Association is looking for an exciting new logo for the upcoming K-9 Trial in October 2013. We invite you to participate in our logo design contest. Please plan on submitting your creative design today and the submissions deadline is June 30, 2013.

The winning logo design will be printed on the backs of our T-shirts, sweatshirts, trophies and other K9 Trial paraphernalia. This is a wonderful opportunity to give your design idea public attention and a published portfolio piece.

The South Lake Tahoe Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration will give the public its sixth opportunity in three years to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.

Bring your medications for disposal to Safeway at 1020 Johnson, South Lake Tahoe, Calif., April 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

South Lake Tahoe police are investigating an armed robbery at the Pinewood Lodge that happened late Saturday night.

Three are being sought by police after a woman and two men wearing ski masks robbed the motel at gunpoint, said South Lake Tahoe Police Sgt. Shannon Laney. It happened at about 11:30 p.m. The suspects, described as a black female and two black males, were armed with a black semi-automatic handgun and a hunting knife. The trio escaped in a Cadillac.

The following is a news release from Sgt. Laney of the South Lake Tahoe Police Department:

South Lake Tahoe police arrested a man following a burglary Sunday of South Shore Bikes on Emerald Bay Road.
Lee Sparks, 34, was arrested early Monday at Barton Memorial Hospital and admitted to the burglary and taking a bike, South Lake Tahoe police report.

Sparks was at the hospital being treated for cuts to his arms. Blood was found at the business where officers noted Sparks allegedly had forced entry into the shop through a roof event and exited through a window.

Below is a news release issued by Lieutenant David Stevenson of the South Lake Tahoe Police Department.

A South Lake Tahoe father and two sons were injured Thursday morning after the SUV they were in crashed Denny's restaurant on Al Tahoe Boulevard, the South Lake Tahoe Police Department reports.

Todd Jackson, 28, suffered moderate injuries in the 8:50 a.m. accident after being extricated from the 2002 Dodge Durango by the South Lake Tahoe Fire Department. He was taken to Renown Medical Center in Reno. Jackson's two sons, 11 and 8-years-old, were taken to Barton Memorial Hospital where they were treated and released for minor injuries.

South Lake Tahoe police have identified the man killed in a Friday, Feb. 22 pedestrian crash on Lake Tahoe Boulevard as John Carleton, 51, of South Lake Tahoe.

South Lake Tahoe Police Department officers arrested a man on DUI hit and run charges Thursday night after allegedly crashing his car into two parked vehicles in a driveway off of Fountain Drive. It is believed the man was text messaging at the time of the crash.
Christopher Catterson, 27, of South Lake Tahoe was arrested after running from the scene of the accident, said South Lake Tahoe Police Sgt. Shannon Laney.
Here is a news release below describing the scene as well as an attachment with photos.

A 26-year-old Placerville man pleaded guilty Friday to conspiring to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to distribute marijuana, U.S. Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner said.

Dylan Hudson was in charge of an interstate marijuana-trafficking conspiracy, according to court documents. More than 1,100 pounds of processed marijuana, more than $329,000 in cash, and eight firearms were seized during the course of the investigation.

South Lake Tahoe police are looking for a man who attacked and attempted to rape a 25-year-old woman on New Year's Eve after she accepted a ride from the suspect.

The man is described as white, about 25 years old, 5 foot, seven inches tall and about 150 pounds with a thin build. His hair was wavy brown, about 2 inches on the top and about 1-inch on the sides and had about a week’s worth of facial stubble.

The suspect was driving a pickup, described as an older model white Ford with a manual transmission and black cloth seats.

South Lake Tahoe police are warning about a scammer who reportedly called a resident Jan. 12, told them of a mail-order drug purchase made in 2006 and then tried to extort money by saying they wanted $1,000 wired to them to avoid being arrested.