On February 15, 2015, at approximately 11:00pm, a Pilot Hill resident contacted the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office to report lost hikers. The caller stated while taking out his trash, he was approached by a male unknown to him. The male reported that his girlfriend and dog was lost near the American River. Deputies responded and were unable to locate the couple and dog during their search of the area. Therefore, at approximately 2:30am, Search and Rescue (SAR) volunteers were called out to assist.
The couple’s vehicle was found at the Skunk Hollow parking lot near the Salmon Falls Bridge. At approximately 7:00am and hiking over rough terrain, SAR volunteers found the couple and dogs. All were found in good health approximately three and half miles up the American River Canyon east of the Salmon Falls Bridge. With the assistance of the SAR volunteers, the couple and the dogs were walked out to their vehicle.
According to the couple, they were day hiking on Sunday afternoon. After becoming lost on the trail, they went down to the American River and waited for help. Not having cell coverage, the male hiked out and found a homeowner who made the call for him. The male (in his 40’s) was from Roseville and the female (also in her 40’s) was from the Folsom area. The couple did not want to be identified or interviewed by members of the media.
Sheriff D’Agostini is grateful for the dedication and perseverance of the Search and Rescue volunteers. They are a great asset to the Sheriff’s Office and the community in which they serve.

By: Sgt. Chris Felton

On February 10, 2015, at approximately 10:30 am, a local resident was gold panning in the area of the Bear Creek Picnic area, near Traverse Creek Road.  While digging through the dirt, a partial suspected human skull was found.  After contacting the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office, Detectives arrived and began their investigation.  Due to decomposition of the skull, Detectives decided to bring in anthropologists to assist in the investigation.  No other body parts were found at this time.  The investigation will continue and more information will be announced when it becomes available.

On 02/4/2015 at about 1620 hrs, Deputy Jeff Tucker stopped a white Nissan Maxima for a vehicle code infraction in the 6200 block of Pleasant Valley Road. The Nissan was occupied by three adult males and one adult female. During the contact, the occupants were identified; one of the males was a validated Sureno gang member from Placerville. The female identified herself as 31 year-old Nalana Omega also of Placerville.

Deputy Tucker had the occupants exit the vehicle in preparation of having it towed. During an inventory check, a stolen Toshiba laptop computer from Santa Cruz was found. Also in the car, Nalana Omega’s purse contained a .40 caliber Glock handgun, loaded with a high capacity magazine, which was unregistered. In a backpack, a loaded .22 caliber revolver was recovered. The revolver was confirmed stolen from Citrus Heights. More suspected stolen property was found in the car that included mail and bank checks.

Passenger 27 year-old Rafael Cardoza of Diamond Springs was arrested and booked for possession of the stolen computer. Nalana Omega was arrested and charged with possession of a concealed weapon in a vehicle, carrying a loaded firearm, and carrying a loaded stolen firearm. At the jail, it was discovered she had suspected heroin, hypodermic needles and a meth pipe. Charges of possession of a controlled substance while armed, possession of narcotics, and possession of narcotic paraphernalia were added.

The stolen mail and bank checks will be followed-up on by detectives.