At 0843 hrs this morning, our 911 center received a phone call from an unidentified female. The female who sounded to be in distress, said she and her husband were held hostage since before midnight last night. The female told the dispatcher that she and her husband were both injured and she couldn’t get up. She said the responding deputies may have to force entry into her home. The unidentified female stopped talking to the dispatcher, sounding like she had difficulty breathing.
On arrival, deputies found an 80 year-old female down on the living room floor. The 92 year-old male, her husband, was also located inside the residence. Both had obvious serious injuries. They were treated on-scene by medics and transported to Marshall Hospital.
The single family residence, on the 500 block of Arlette Lane in Diamond Springs, is being treated as a crime scene. El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office Detectives and our CSI Team are on-scene.

Lt. Tom Murdoch

An elderly resident of El Dorado County was recently targeted by a telephone scam.  In this event, the caller claimed that the resident and a family member had warrants out for their arrest. These warrants were said to be for missing jury duty. The caller demanded that the bail on the warrants be paid immediately. The caller threatened to send Deputies to arrest the resident if payment was not made within ten minutes. A law enforcement scanner was heard in the background and the caller became angry when questioned by the resident. Fortunately, no money was wired to the caller. Several local Sheriff’s Offices in the region including Placer, Sacramento and Yolo have reported similar jury duty telephone scams affecting their residents. Neither the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office or El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office solicit payments for bail on arrest warrants over the telephone. Any such solicitation is fraudulent and should be reported to Sheriff’s Dispatch immediately at 530-621-6600.

Another year has passed and another holiday season is upon us. This is a time of year to reflect on the year that was and the year that soon will be. From a personal standpoint, it’s a time to reflect on the priorities in life; faith, family, friendship, health and happiness.  From a professional standpoint, it’s a time to take a few steps back and assess our progress, reevaluate our priorities and prepare ourselves for the year to come.

This season is a time for family gatherings and celebrations. Whether it is families traveling to a relative’s home to celebrate or friends venturing out for their holiday shopping, these trips typically require driving. All of our area law enforcement agencies will be working around the clock to ensure the safety of our community out enjoying Christmas and New Year parties and celebrations, but we also look to each and every person to take responsibility for their actions, drink sensibly, and not drive after drinking.

At all levels of government and private industry we are still facing an uncertain fiscal future. As you know our Sheriff’s Office and employees have made significant budget reductions doing their part to assist the county attain a balanced budget without reducing the level of service to our community.

I want you to know that providing public safety services will continue to be my highest priority and I will insure that when you need our assistance, we will be there.

My vision is to maintain one of the best law enforcement agencies in California, building on the hard work and service provided by the dedicated employees at the Sheriff’s Office.  Your Sheriff’s Office consists of highly professional, well trained staff, with access to some of the most reliable equipment and technology available to law enforcement. With these tools and a commitment to public service, our level of interaction with the community will increase and I will work hard to protect your rights and our foothill lifestyle.

Please know that we work for you and accept my wishes for a happy and safe holiday season for you and those you hold dear.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and all you cherish.