Monthly Archives: March 2018

Groundbreaking Ceremony

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For Immediate Release

Sergeant Anthony Prencipe

On Friday, March 30, 2018 at 11 am, you are invited to the Groundbreaking Ceremony for El Dorado County’s state-of-the-art Public Safety Facility. The ceremony will be held at 200 Industrial Drive in Placerville, Ca and will last approximately 30 minutes.

The 108,000 square-foot campus will allow for improved operational efficiency amongst departmental staff, improved worker environment and efficiencies, technological expansion and improvements, open direct lines of communication between the various operations of the Public Safety Facility, and reduced operational costs through energy efficiencies and elimination of rental expenses. Combined, this facility will result in better access and service to the residents of El Dorado County!

Student Arrested for Making Threats

Posted on by

For Immediate Release

Sergeant Anthony Prencipe

Yesterday, we received a report from Union Mine HIgh School regarding a student who had made threats towards a group of students. Union Mine High School administration secured the student and contacted the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office. A School Resource Officer immediately began a thorough investigation into the allegations. After speaking with the deputy and school staff, the student was removed from campus and arrested for Penal Code 422(a)- Criminal Threats. The student was booked into juvenile hall. Due to the suspects age, their identification will not be provided.

Sheriff’s deputies followed up the investigation by visiting the home of the student. No weapons or items of interest were found.

The El Dorado COunty Sheriff’s Office takes threats to our community, schools, and students seriously. We thank Union Mine High School for their quick and appropriate reaction to these threats and their assistance during the course of this investigation. Currently, there are no other known or credible threats to Union Mine High School or any other schools.

 

Update on bodies recovered from Fallen Leaf Lake

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For Immediate Release
Sergeant Anthony Prencipe
Detectives from the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office provided the California Department of Justice with DNA samples from the two bodies recovered from Fallen Leaf Lake in August and October.
 
The California Department of Justice confirmed the identities of both bodies.
 
The female recovered on August 29, 2017 was identified through DNA as 71 year old Cynthia Ellis (aka: Cynthia Prehoda) from South Lake Tahoe, Ca. Ellis went missing in 2001 and was believed to have committed suicide by drowning in Fallen Leaf Lake. A forensic autopsy and examination by a Forensic Anthropologist was unable to determine a cause of death.
 
The male recovered on October 27, 2017 was identified through DNA as 74 year old Michael Whalen. Whalen went missing in 2004 after traveling to the Lake Tahoe area from Florida. Whalen arrived in the South Lake Tahoe area in his van, carrying a brown, wood colored canoe. Whalen’s van was located near Fallen Leaf Lake in late 2004. The whereabouts of Whalen’s canoe are unknown. The small anchor and rope around Whalen’s legs was consistent with an anchor used for a canoe. A forensic autopsy and examination by a Forensic Anthropologist was unable to determine a cause of death. 
 
The conclusions on cause of death are due to the condition of the remains. There was no evidence of foul play.
 
Both families have been notified and are thankful for the closure brought by the the efforts of Bruce’s Legacy, the Fallen Leaf Fire Department, El Dorado County Search and Rescue and the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office.
 
Anyone with information on Michael Whalen, the location of his canoe, or any canoe found at Fallen Leaf Lake around 2004 or 2005 is asked to call El Dorado County Sheriff’s Detective Rich Horn at (530) 642-4729 or Detective Damian Frisby at (530) 573-3022.