police department

Another wave of aggressive and threatening phone calls by people identifying themselves as the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is making its way across South Lake Tahoe.

On Friday, two dozen citizens either called the South Lake Tahoe Police Department, or stopped by their office, to alert them of the phone calls.

The South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) will step up their pedestrian safety enforcement operations during the month of September as part of “California Pedestrian Safety Month.”

With a rapidly increasing number of pedestrians being killed and injured on roadways in the state of California, the Senate passed a resolution to bring attention to the 813 pedestrians killed on California roadways in 2015 alone. This was nearly 25 percent of all roadways deaths in the state, up from 17 percent just ten years earlier.

The following is a recap of activity the South Lake Tahoe Police Department responded to 281 calls between August 9 and August , 2016.

8/9
Drunk in Public at Al Tahoe Blvd & Murrieta
Drunk in Public at Sonora and Alder Avenues
Drug Offense in the 700 block of Taylor Way
Spousal Abuse int he 2600 block of Lake Tahoe Blvd

8/10
Warrant in the 4000 block of Cedar Ave
Child Molest in the 1000 block of Tata Lane
Unlicensed Driver at Tata Lane and Lake Tahoe Blvd

8/11
Warrant in the 1000 block of Emerald Bay Rd

Two men have been arrested after a man was robbed at gunpoint at the Blackjack Motel on Wednesday, August 25, according to Detective Brian Hannink of the South Lake Tahoe Police Department.

SLTPD responded to the armed robbery where the victim reported two white male adults had used a firearm while they robbed him of a cell phone and other property. The two suspects then fled in a vehicle.

An appreciation of all of the law enforcement agencies that are assigned to protect the South Shore of the Lake Tahoe Basin will be the focus of Law Enforcement Day at Lakeview Commons in South Lake Tahoe on Thurday, September 15 at 5:00 p.m.

The public is invited to show support of the the men and women of the California Highway Patrol, Douglas County Sheriff's Office, El Dorado County Probation, El Dorado County Sheriff including STAR and SAR, the FBI (South Lake Tahoe Division), SLEDNET, South Lake Tahoe Police Department and USFS Law Enforcement.

The following is a recap of activity the South Lake Tahoe Police Department responded to 526 calls between July 26 and August 8, 2016.

7/26
Drunk in Public in the 900 block of Poplar St
Resisting in the 3400 block of Lake Tahoe Blvd
Drunk in Public in the 3400 block of Lake Tahoe Blvd

7/27
Warrant in the 3600 block of Spruce Ave
Drunk in Public in the 3000 block of Harrison Ave
Defrauding in the 1000 block of Emerald Bay Rd
Drunk in Public in the 1100 block of Rufus Allen Blvd
Drunk in Public in the 2600 block of Lake Tahoe Blvd

South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue and other area fire departments have responded to several illegal cooking fires in homeless encampments this summer, some which have spread to burn up to several hundred feet.

The cause of the July 19 fires behind the power station by the Heavenly Gondola and in the Trout Creek area behind Ross are still under investigation, but sources have said they were both most likely started by illegal campfires. Fire crews also responded to transient camp fires on July 27 and August 8 as well as several illegal cooking fires.

12:30 p.m. update: As of 12:00 p.m., all power has been restored to Liberty Utilities customers in South Lake Tahoe.

The driver of a Ford Explorer crashed into an electric pole near the corner of Pioneer Trail and Al Tahoe at approximately 3:30 a.m. Tuesday morning. The unidentified driver was extricated from his vehicle and flown to Renown Medican Center in Reno according to the South Lake Tahoe Police Department.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.

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Here is some news to take a little “paws” with...introducing the newest trainee on the Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District team, Gunner. He is a member of the Tahoe Douglas Explosive Ordinance Disposal team and, once he completes his training, will join six other dogs as canine resources for the Northern Nevada Bomb Technicians Task Force.

The other EOD dogs are from UNR-Police Department, Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, Reno Police Department, and three from Reno Airport TSA.

The following is a recap of activity the South Lake Tahoe Police Department responded to 275 calls between July 19 and July 25, 2016.

Calls Resulting in Arrests:

7/19
Battery in the 3700 block of Beach Rd
Vandalism in the 1100 block of Herbert
Battery in the 3800 block of Lake Tahoe Blvd
Drunk in Public in the 1000 block of Glenwood

7/20
DUI in the 2400 block of Lake Tahoe Blvd
DUI in the 2800 block of Lake Tahoe Blvd
Spousal Abuse in the 3900 block of Pioneer Trail
Resisting in the 900 block of Modesto

Two women were returned to El Dorado County jail on Sunday, accused of robbing men after bringing them to their motel rooms.

Allegedly, 23-year-old Ashley Benn and 24-year-old Loorna Daniels of Oakland brought men to their motel rooms in South Lake Tahoe on the promise of sex. Once in the rooms, they allegedly robbed the men.

After releases from jail after posting bail for felony robbery, they were both rearrested after more victims came forward according to Sgt. Travis Cabral of the South Lake Tahoe Police Department.

Readers of South Tahoe Now are already aware of this with our weekly coverage of police and sheriff calls for the South Shore, there is a rise in property theft.

According to the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD), the rise is a result of thieves being able to act quickly when they see unattended and unsecured property in vehicles, homes and public places. Since July 1, 2016, there have been 54 reported thefts in just the city limits, or 3.375 thefts per day. Of the 54 thefts reported, 61% (33) are a result of unsecured and/or unattended property.

The primary published non-emergency business phone number for the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (530-542-6100) is currently inoperable. SLTPD is working with their local phone service and outside vendors to correct what appears to be a hardware malfunction at the police department.

Currently, when this number is dialed, the caller will likely hear an indication of a phone ringing on the other end, but this signal is not connecting to any telephone in the police department.

The City of South Lake Tahoe hosted its first annual 4th of July parade on Monday, July 4, 2016. There were a total of 78 vehicles and approximately 200 people on foot either walking, biking, or dancing. American Legion Post 795 served as the parade marshals.

The City of South Lake Tahoe would like to say "Thank You" to all the parade participants, businesses and volunteers for making the 4th of July parade a fantastic community event!

The following current and former US armed forces members participated in the 4th of July parade;

The felon who was the focus of a six-hour standoff on July 2 in the South Lake Tahoe Motel 6 parking lot has been arrested.

Sean Wanamaker, 31, was been arrested by the South Lake Tahoe Police Department on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm, brandishing a weapon, and violation of parole. Wanamaker's parole terms included not stepping foot into the South Lake Tahoe city limits.

An almost six-hour long standoff in the parking lot of the South Lake Tahoe Motel 6 parking lot has ended, with no suspect in custody, though a warrant has been issued for 31-year-old Sean Wanamaker.

South Lake Tahoe Police officers were called to the area Saturday afternoon after a person said a man got into an argument with someone in the parking lot, and that he brandished a handgun, then went into a trailer parked at the motel.

8:30 p.m. update 7/1/16: The investigation of Friday's bank robbery at the Al Tahoe branch of El Dorado Savings led to the identification of Gabriel Antonio Evans, 36, of South Lake Tahoe as the suspect.

Detectives secured an arrest warrant for Evans and a search warrant for his residence in the 3000 block of Riverside Avenue. Due to Evan’s past violent criminal history, the SWAT team was employed to make the arrest. Officers, assisted by the FBI, arrested Evans at his residence at 7:45 p.m. this evening.

A lawsuit against the City of South Lake Tahoe over the fees charged to those who rent out their homes as vacation rentals was won by the City in court this week. The June 23 verdict was received by all parties on June 28.

Judge Steven Bailey of the El Dorado County Superior Court issued an 11-page decision supporting the City's rights to charge fees to recover their costs in administering the VHR ordinance, including staff time for accounting, planning, building department, administration, code enforcement and other costs.

The following is a recap of activity the South Lake Tahoe Police Department responded to 432 calls between June 1 and June 13, 2016.

Calls Resulting in Arrests:

6/1
Disturbance in the 2400 block of Lake Tahoe Blvd
Burglary in the 3600 block of Forest Ave
Resisting at Glenwood and Fairway
Trespassing in the 3400 block of Lake Tahoe Blvd

6/2
Petty Theft in the 3600 block of Lake Tahoe Blvd
Drunk in Public in the 1000 block of Emerald Bay Rd

6/3
Drug Offense in the 800 block of Emerald Bay Rd

Authorities from the Douglas County Sheriff's Office and Reno Police Department are looking for a 21-year-old woman who is wanted on multiple felony charges.

Haley Douglas is actively being sought on charges on burglary, fraud, theft and uttering ba forged instrument. Law enforcement believes she is in the Carson Valley.

On June 13, DCSO deputies went to an address in the Gardnerville Ranchos and were told by a family member that she had left an hour prior and has not been seen since. There is no associated vehicle information.

One can tell summer is here with the increased number of calls into the South Lake Tahoe Police Department. If keeping drivers, pedestrians and cyclists safe weren’t enough, officers responded to several out of the usual type of calls this weekend.

South Lake Tahoe Police Chief Brian Uhler has written the following in response to an opinion piece written by South Tahoe High junior Noah Jackson that was posted on South Tahoe Now June 9 concerning massage parlors.

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]

The fifth suspect in the January 30, 2016 murder of an Amador County man at the Beverly Lodge in South Lake Tahoe has been arrested. 26-year-old Dion Jermaine Vacarro, a former resident of Solano County, Calif., was arrested in Oklahoma City on suspicion of the murder on Dennis Wright, Jr. after a warrant was issued for his arrest.