With the closure of Hwy 50 due to the slide, several motorists have taken to their GPS units to try to navigate around the closure.  This has led to numerous parties getting stuck on roads that are closed during the winter, and in the end, tie up valuable resources rescuing them from deep snow or impassable roads.

In the winter, the only safe alternate route when Hwy 50 is closed is to use Hwy 88 to the South, or Hwy 80 to the North.  You can take Hwy 49 in Placerville to reach either one.  It is advisable to check to make sure Hwy 88 and Hwy 80 are open as well.

Any other road on your GPS is probably wrong!  If you are using any other road that you are not absolutely familiar with and you see snow on the roadway, or the road turns to dirt; stop, turn around, and go back to main roadway.

The main roads to avoid are Mormon Emigrant Trail, Wentworth Springs Road, White Meadows Road, Wright’s Lake Road and Silver Fork Road.  These roads are usually impassable during the winter, and that is definitely the case this year.

Note that County Road E16 is closed to through traffic in the Somerset area due to storm damage and will remain closed for several months.

Be safe and stay on the main roads that are maintained by County Dept of Transportation and by Cal Trans.

For Immediate Release

Sergeant Tasha Thompson

Marisa Moreno

Mark Thiers

Gary Sullivan

For Immediate Release

Sergeant Tasha Thompson

On January 27, 2017, at approximately 1:00 PM, an El Dorado County resident was walking on the bike trail, located near Missouri Flat Road, with her child in a stroller.  A male approached her from behind and asked her about the location of a nearby business. The male asked for a dollar and asked to shake her hand after she gave the dollar to him. When the male grabbed a hold of her hand, he pulled her in close and used his other hand to sexually assault her. The male continued to hold on to her as she screamed for help and began fighting back. He then released her, apologized, and ran south from the trail. While running away, the male lost his shoe which was later collected by the Sheriff’s Office.

The male is described as being 14 to 20 years old, a dark skinned Hispanic, standing approximately 5’7” tall and weighing 130 pounds. The male had dark hair and brown eyes. The male’s hair was described as messy, with two to three inches in length that stood straight up. The male was wearing a “sky blue” short sleeved polo shirt, blue jeans and red Nike shoes.

The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the communities help in identifying this person. If the description sounds familiar to a person you know, please contact Detective Anthony Prencipe at (530) 642-4709.  Detectives are currently reviewing video surveillance in the area and hope to provide a picture of the person in the future.

Shoe left at the scene by the suspect.