Drowning in Meyers

For Immediate Release

Sergeant Anthony Prencipe

On November 28, 2019, at around noon, the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to a report of a possible drowning at Lake Baron in Meyers. It was believed that a person had fallen through the ice while walking their dogs. The search continued into the evening and detectives were able to determine that a man from Meyers was missing.

Cold weather clothing was found in the lake in the area where it was believed the person had fallen in. EDSO Dive Team, along with Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Boat Team, Lake Valley Fire, South Lake Tahoe Fire, and EDSO Search and Rescue, continued to search the lake the following day.

Douglas County Sheriffs Office utilized their advanced ROV (Remote Operated Vehicle) and were able to locate and recover the deceased person, who has been positively identified as 39 year old David Schmidt. There were no signs of foul play and all signs indicate that this was a tragic accident. Next of kin notifications have been made. David had been walking three dogs at the time. All three were rescued and taken to a local vet for treatment.

Homeless Outreach Team Receives the CSAC Award.

For Immediate Release

Sergeant Simon Brown

Yesterday the Sheriff’s Office Homeless Outreach Team (HOT) received the California State Association of Counties (CSAC) Challenge award. CSAC’s annual statewide program honors innovation and best practices in county government. This year, CSAC received 284 entries – the second largest number in the program’s history.  HOT was 1 of 16 others chosen to receive this prestigious award.  

Since HOT’s inception, they have worked to perform an evaluation of the county’s homeless population and identified various opportunities that could break the cycle of homelessness.  Their efforts include interacting on an individual level, building relationships and offering services, while overcoming the barrier between homeless and law enforcement officers.  

The most significant challenge HOT faced were the limited resources within the county and the need to provide transportation to and from various services and/or programs for multiple individuals.  This obligation of time was also detrimental to HOT’s commitment of maintaining personal contact in the field. It was determined that a more global approach was needed to connect the homeless with the multitude of services necessary to break the cycle of homelessness. HOT’s solution was to develop a system that delivered all involved service providers directly to the homeless population.

HOT made the decision to build a mobile outreach trailer that would provide a foundation for the various service providers to work remotely in the field. The development of this Global Outreach Initiative has fostered many relationships throughout the county, including Placerville Police Department’s integration with the Homeless Outreach Team.  Together, we are working to establish a long term, sustainable model that addresses the needs of the homeless where they live and provide lasting solutions for this vulnerable population.

Pictured from left to right: Sheriff John D ‘Agostini, PPD Commander Joe Wren, PPD Corporal Addison Randall, Administrative Analyst Sara Dougherty, Deputy Sheriff Jeramy Buckman, Sgt. Jason Bloxsom, Undersheriff Randy Peshon. Not pictured Deputy Sheriff Jill Jenks

Suspect in Custody after stealing EDSO Patrol Vehicle

For Immediate Release

Sergeant Anthony Prencipe

This morning, during shift change at our South Lake Tahoe office, a deputy noticed their loaded patrol SUV was gone from the parking lot. We immediately began to track the SUV traveling westbound on Highway 50. This information was relayed to CHP,

Placerville PD and EDSO units on the west slope. Law enforcement units got behind the stolen patrol SUV in Camino. However, the driver did not stop. Placerville PD used a spike strip to disable a tire on the stolen SUV on Highway 50 near Schnell School Road. The vehicle stopped at Highway 50 and Spring Street and the driver was taken into custody.

The suspect, Jacob Randall Wolfe, was still wearing an El Dorado County Sheriff’s baseball cap at the time of arrest. We have confirmed that no items are missing from the patrol vehicle and the gear was still locked in their appropriate areas. We have not yet confirmed how Wolfe gained access into the patrol vehicle.

Thank you to our law enforcement partners in El Dorado County who helped us quickly and safely capture this person.

Jacob Wolfe is a 30 year old man from Kentucky. Below is his booking photograph.