For Immediate Release

Lieutenant Jim Byers

Road Rage Incident

On April 7^th, 2016 at 7:22 pm, the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office received multiple 911 calls reporting gunshots and tires screeching in the Mar Val Market parking lot in Georgetown, and additional calls reporting a truck racing around the parking lot, possibly firing a gun.

As Deputies were responding to the area, a man reported a road rage incident and told dispatchers that he had been chased by two vehicles and possibly shot at.

When Deputies arrived at scene, they determined that multiple shots had been fired at the man, and through the course of their investigation, they able to identify 40 year old Joseph Ray Messer of Diamond Springs as one of the suspects.

On April 8^th, at 5:35 pm Messer was seen leaving a known residence he frequented in Diamond Springs in a truck matching the description of the one seen during the Mar Val Market incident.  Messer was stopped by Deputies and arrested without incident.

Messer was booked into the county jail on charges of armed robbery and has a parole hold.

Anyone with information regarding this incident can call (530)621-6600.

 Joseph Ray Messer, DOB 3/21/76

On April 1st, 2016, the following letter was sent to the Board of Supervisors submitting the unanimous recommendation and support for Don Ashton as the next El Dorado County Chief Administrative Officer.

2016-04-01 ELECTED DEPT HEAD LTR OF SUPPORT FOR DON ASHTON (1) (1)

The content of the letter speaks for itself.

Fentanyl Overdose Incident

The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office has been advised by the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office that the overdose related death of El Dorado Hills Resident George Berry, 18 years old, is suspected of being related to the rash of recent overdoses from counterfeit hydrocodone pills laced with Fentanyl.

As such, the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office is assisting the Drug Enforcement Administration with a region-wide investigation.

It should be noted that an official cause of death has yet to be determined as it is still under investigation by the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office.

Furthermore, it is strongly recommended that anyone who has purchased pills illegally that look like the picture below do not use them as they may kill you.

If you have a legal prescription from your Doctor for these pills (hydrocodone), they are safe and should only be used as prescribed.