On Friday 12/11/15 the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Team (SAR) based in South Lake Tahoe, responded to rescue a snowboarder who had ventured off into the back-country from Heavenly Valley Ski Resort.

41 year-old, Pavel Kletsov, left the boundaries of Heavenly Valley Ski Resort and ended up in the Cold Creek Drainage, just above Montgomery Estates. Due to the fresh new snow and terrain, Kletsov got stuck and could not get out on his own.

Twelve Search and Rescue Volunteers on Ski’s, Snowmobiles and Snowshoes made their way into the wilderness and located Kletsov almost 4 miles in. Temperatures that evening were in the teens making the incident highest of urgency. GPS coordinates from a 911 call were used to identify Kletsov’s location. SAR Volunteers located Kletsov and brought him out safely.

Search and Rescue Teams throughout the area would like to remind all back-country enthusiast to be prepared, have a plan and stick to their plan. Do not use Ski Resorts to access the back-country unless you are experienced, fully equipped, and prepared to navigate in back-country conditions.

On 12/18/15 at about 1:50PM, sheriff’s deputies responded to a neighbor dispute in Greenwood. An involved person called the Sheriff’s Office reporting his neighbor, William Dekker, threatened to shoot him during a dispute over a loose dog.

Deputies went to contact Dekker about the dispute and flagged him down, as he was driving by. As they talked, deputies thought Dekker might have been drinking and conducted several field sobriety tests. After the tests, deputies arrested the 60 year-old Dekker for suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) and booked him into the El Dorado County Jail. He was later released on a $5,000.00 bond.

Lt. Tom Murdoch

With the arrival of the Christmas Season caution should be exercised by county residents. The Sheriff’s Office receives an increase in calls during the holidays for mail theft, package theft, burglary, and telephone scams. All residents are encouraged to not leave packages on their porches and to watch their neighborhoods for suspicious activity. Never release any personal information over the telephone to anyone allowing credit card fraud and identity theft. Do not leave anything of value in your car. Remain mindful that thieves choose the holiday season to commit crimes of opportunity and your heightened awareness can save you and your neighbors the discouragement of becoming a victim and spoiling your holiday season.

In years past, residents of El Dorado County have experienced package delivery thefts in the month of December. The thefts usually occur after a package was delivered to your doorstep. Thieves have been known to follow delivery trucks to residences. Once a package is dropped off they will wait a few moments before taking it. Most of these thefts occur in neighborhoods where thieves can see the packages from the street.

To assist in the prevention of these thefts please consider the following:
• Require a signature on all package deliveries. You can also write specific instructions on where to leave your package.
• Have your packages delivered to you at work, or an alternate destination like a friend or family member who is home during the day.
• Have the package delivered to a FedEx, or UPS location.
• Insure the package.
• Some delivery companies offer email or text alerts when your package is going to be delivered, and upon its delivery.

If you are a victim of a package theft, or see something suspicious in your neighborhood please call the Sheriff’s Office at (530) 621-6600 or during an emergency, dial 911.

For neighborhood watch, crime prevention tips, or extra patrols while you are on vacation, please contact the Sheriff’s Team of Active Retirees (STAR’s) for information at (530) 621-7545.