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HomeMy Public PortalAboutCrimeStar News March 7,1966 McCall police cope with soaring crime rate BY JEANNE SEOL The Star -News Reported crime has tripled in McCall during the last 12 years, with violent and juvenile crime increasing significantly, McCall Police Depart- ment statistics show. Last year, 1,342 felonies and mis- demeanors were reported to the McCall Police Department, compared to 484 of those same crimes reported in 1984. But McCall police officers are catching up to reported crime. The number of arrests made by McCall officers has increased five times, from 91 arrests made in 1984 to 438 arrests made in 1995, according to police department figures. The department has also doubled in size since 1984 to keep.up with the work load, according to Chief Ed Parker. The department currently employs 10 full -time officers and one support officer who is funded by grant money. Officers are also now patrolling 22 square miles - almost double the area they patrolled 12 years ago - because of more land annexed by the city, Parker said. Parker attributes the rise in reported crime to a greater influx of people traveling through the area, and he said the rise in arrests is due to having more officers on the street. Det. Britt Durfee said crime in McCall has always been present, but more officers, are making more ar- rests, and more citizens are starting to report crime. "Neighborhood watches are start- ing to form and citizens are becoming more confident that McCall police will respond and solve crimes," he said. Lt. Carla Donica agreed. "The crime has always been here; we just' haven't had the manpower'to catch it. Now we do." Since 1984, a full -time juvenile detective and full -time narcotics de- tective have been added to the McCall Police Department, in response to more juvenile crime and more drug, related crime in the McCall area. A' drug dog has also been trained and. is used to locate drugs at a crime scene: "Juvenile crime is not only increas= ing in McCall, but is skyrocketing through the entire state and nation," Durfee said. "We're seeing a lot more repeat juvenile offenders." Since 1990, state Bureau of Crimi- nal Identification records show juvenile drug and paraphernalia of- fenses have quadrupled in the state, and tobacco violations and driving while intoxicated charges have doubled. In addition, McCall is seeing more drug- related crime, and police have taken a zero - tolerance policy against violators. "In the past, the status -quo was to try and get offenders to roll over their local dealers for a reduced sentence, and then go after the local dealer to try to make them name their supplier," Det. Jim Kangas said. "But now the offenders are going to go to jail; they will be held responsible. The roll- over method is in the past." Although local crime is increas- ing, arrests are also increasing because of more citizen assistance to the po- lice department, Parker said. "Citizens are getting to be a more active part of our community policing method all the time," Parker said. "We want to be pro- active in fighting crime, not reactive, and citizen in- , volvement is a key to that policing theory." Parker said part of that policing involves. more patrol by officers. McCall residents should expect to see police cars on their streets and offic- ers keeping an eye out for crime. 1984 1995 484 13 1984 1995 Star -News graphic by Tomi Grote McCall's crime activity, 1984 -95. Star News January 2, 1985 Page 1 of 2 Crime wave shakes McCall By Randall Brooks The Star -News While it wasn't much by "big city" standards, the McCall Police Department was kept plen- ty busy during 1984 with several rare crimes as well as an unusual string of residential and business burglaries. By the end of the year, an arm- ed robbery and many of the burglaries had been cleared by Chief John Lyon's department, but robbers of the Idaho First National Bank in McCall were still at large. The small -town crime wave began early, on Jan. 6, when of- ficers were called to the city's first armed robbery in many years at the Circle R convenience store. Cash was taken at gunpoint from a store cashier and the rob- ber fled. But one -half hour later, a Valley County Sheriff's deputy had taken a McCall man mat- ching the robber's description in- to custody. Three loaded hand- guns, a loaded rifle, ammunition and cash were recovered from the car. Danny Lee Olin, 25, was charged with robbery, use of a firearm in the commission of a robbery, and aggravated assault. On March 20, a Valley County jury found Olin guilty of armed robbery and use of a firearm in commission of a robbery. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison under the state's indeterminate sentence law, but was released later in the year after successfully completing terms of the sentence. McCall's other first came about 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 24, when a lone gunman entered the Idaho First National Bank, show- ed an on -duty teller a note, displayed a gun, and left with an undisclosed amount of cash. Witnesses said an accomplice may have been in a getaway car. That car later was found aban- doned less than one block from the bank. McCall police Sgt. Larry Olsen was less than one block away at the time the call came in and went to the bank, as did officer Lewis Pratt, but not in time to allow any pursuit. Lyon, at the Lardo Grill and Saloon at the time, also tried to respond to the call. But someone had jammed toothpicks into the door locks of his patrol car, forc- ing him to break the window with a hammer to gain entry. Officers in Valley, Idaho, Washington, and Adams coun- ties were notified and an air search was sent up, but the bank robbers avoided capture. After an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation linked him to the robbery, a federal fugitive warrant was issued by the FBI in early November for Paul Robert Tetzlaff, 45. If caught and con- victed, Tetzlaff could serve up to 25 years in federal prison. Summertime was burglary time in McCall in 1984, as a wave of both business and residential Stdh Ne uI5 Jatz ua r y,,i burglaries kept Lyon's in- vestigators baffled from May un- til late September. At least 27 separate incidents were reported by The Star -News. The first major spree began in late May and by the first week of June, involved cash removed from businesses such as The Star - News, Danish Mill Bakery, Si Bueno, Bill's Gas and Grocery, Wooden Horse Boutique and Thee Mill restaurant. On Aug. 29, burglars again entered The Star -News and Danish Mill Bakery, taking petty cash and a police radio scanner from The Star -News and cash from the Danish Mill. The Hong Chow Restaurant in downtown McCall also was burglarized that night. When a floor safe containing an undisclosed amount of cash was taken from the Aspen Market, a group of McCall businessmen formed a night watch patrol to supplement police surveillance. A breakthrough in the crime spree came on Sept. 22 when two McCall businessmen on stakeout, Ron Goodman and Skip Woods, saw two juveniles entering the Red Steer Restaurant. Police were notified and the pair were arrested at the scene. The juveniles did not offer any resistance and within one hour, Lyon said 14 cases had been cleared by Officer Roger Rockwell. But on Oct. 20 -21, three more McCall businesses were burglarized. Included in that str- ing, where both cash and mer- chandise were taken, was Payette Lakes Lumber, Con- sumer Electronics and again The Mill restaurant. Three McCall men were ar- rested in September in connection with a pair of home burglaries, but no arrests have yet been made in connection with the remaining break -ins. Star News January 2, 1985 Page 2 of 2 Photoby Tom Grote McCall officers inspect weapons from Circle R robbery The criminal docket for McCall in 1984 included a rare armed robbery, the first bank robbery in recent history and an unheard-of rash of home and business burglaries. The Star News - 3/20/85 Valley cited for low juvenile crime rate Valley County rates among the best in Idaho for dealing with juvenile crime, Valley County Probation officer Steve Dye said last week. Dye said figures released by the Governor's Com- �nission on Children and Youth showed Valley Coun- ty had the fewest number of juvenile offenders plac- ed in jail and had a low rate of repeat offenders. w. Dye said the figures were released at a recent uvorkshop on juvenile crime sponsored by the com- Dtission, of which he is a member from Region IV. : In 1983 and 1984, there were 10 juveniles who were sent to jail in Valley County each year, the lowest of any county in the state. None of those placed in jail were so- called status offenders, who commit offenses Onique to juveniles such as curfew violation, crime rate runaway or truancy, Dye said. Of the 10 juveniles jailed in 1984, five were held on traffic offenses, which are handled the same for both youths and adults, he said. The county, on average, had only two percent of the juveniles charged with offenses commit another offense, according to statistics from the youth com- mission. The normal rate of repeat offenders for juveniles, who are under 18 years old, is between 15 and 20 per- cent, he said. Valley County processes about 50 juvenile crime cases each year, he said. The figures are encouraging and go along with goals issued by the U.S. Department of Justice to remove juveniles from jail, Dye said. He attributed the low figures for the county to a good attitude toward juveniles on, the part of area police, prosecutors and judges. Dye gave special credit to Valley County Magistrate Darla Williamson for her actions inside and outside the courtroom in keeping down the jail- ing of juveniles. Williamson also encouraged the founding of the Valley County Juvenile Advisory Committee, where representatives from police agencies, courts, schools and counseling services meet each month to discuss common problems and goals concerning juveniles. Idaho's statistics generally are among the best in the country, which means Valley County's statistics rank close to the top in the nation, Dye said. Star News Aug 5, 1993 Crime goes up 7.5% in Valley BY TOM GROTE The star-New, Serious crime rose 7.5 percent in Valley County during 1992, while major crimes jumped by 63.4 percent in Adams County, according to new figures released by the Idaho Depart- ment of Law Enforcement. The figures were reported in "Crime in Idaho," the annual report of crime in the state compiled by the Department of Law Enforcement. Serious crimes are defined as mur- der, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, theft, auto theft and arson. Statewide, serious crimes rose 2.6 percent between 1991 and 1992. In Valley County, some categories of crime actually fell, even though the overall numbers showed an increase between 1991 and 1992, according to the report. The number of burglaries dropped countywide, from 136 in 1991 to 84 in 1992. Likewise, the number of auto thefts fell from 21 in 1991 to 15 last year. The drops in those areas were off- set by a rise in thefts, from 163 incidents in 1991 to 251 in 1992, the report said. Assaults were up, from 21 to 24. The number of reported rapes dropped from six in 1991 to four in 1992, and three incidents of arson were reported in 1992 compared to none in 1991. There was one robbery report and one homicide, the death of a newborn baby found at Horsethief Reservoir. The report broke out crimes under the jurisdiction of the Val- ley County Sheriff's Department and the McCall Police Department, but the trends for each department were about the same as the countywide figures. McCall Police Chief Ed Parker said it was difficult to interpret the crime figures, but he hoped that increased patrols by his officers helped hold down the burglary and auto theft rate. McCall police have a well -es- tablished force of volunteer re- serve officers who are used for security patrols while regular of- ficers respond to citizen's calls, Parker said. The increase in thefts likely is due to more shoplifters, Parker said. That is a symptom of both growth and the increase in tour- ism, he said. The Cascade Police Department reported five thefts, two burglar- ies and two auto thefts in 1992. Comparative figures for 1991 were not available. Minor crimes also were on the rise in 1992, the state report said. Simple assault reports in Valley County rose from 56 to 69, reports of vandalism soared from 21 to 106, and drug violations rose from four to 23. Adams County reported across - the -board increases in serious �YfaF Meofs dime, the state report said. Thefts went up from 13 in 1991 to 36 in 1992, and burglaries increased from 11 to 18 last year. The three aggravated assaults and the one arson reported in 1992 were the same as in 1991, and there was one rape reported in the county last year, as opposed to no rape reports in 1991. No murders, robberies or ar- sons were reported in Adams County in 1992. Reports of van- dalism jumped from eight in 1991 to 30 in 1992. Arrest records in the state re- port showed more people were arrested in Valley County fordriv- ing while intoxicated, 128, than for any other crime in 1992. Other liquor law violations, such as underage drinking and possession of open containers, led to the arrests of 63 adults and 49 juveniles in 1992. Forty people were arrested for theft last year in Valley County, while 17 arrests for burglaries were reported. Eight people were charged with aggravated assault and 21 were charged with simple assault during the year. A total of 24 percent of all crimes reported in Valley County in 1992 were solved by county police agencies, the report said. In Adams County, drunken driving also accounted for the most arrests, 22, during 1992. A total of 22 percent of all crimes reported in Adams County last year were solved. A� a; X993 Star News 6/12/97 Valley, Adams county crime posts a drop BY JEANNE SEOL The Swan -News Local law enforcement officials are crediting better patrol and high prosecution rates for a reported de- crease of crime in both Valley and Adams counties last year. Statistics released last week from the Idaho Department of Law En- forcement show a,6 percent decrease in reported crimes in Valley County and a 30 percent decrease in Adams County between 1995 and 1996. In Valley County, Sheriff Tommy Rhea said his department is stepping up neighborhood patrols and placing an emphasis on arresting drunk driv- ers and drug users. During 1996, Valley County Sheriff's deputies made 109 DUI ar- rests and 20 drug arrests, while McCall Police Department officers chalked up 42 DUIs and 67 drug arrests. The two departments are working together to get a handle on the drug use in Valley County, Rhea said. "DUIs are going to continue to be a priority for our officers until we shake enough people's cages and have them start acting responsibly when they're drinking," Rhea said. "DUIs are the one arrest that should never have to occur." Rhea is also pleased with how his department is starting to control the amount of burglaries that occur in Valley County. Eighty -one burglaries were re- ported in 1995 in Valley County, while 35 burglaries were reported in 1996. Between January and March of this year, only three burglaries were called in and so far no "epidemic" of thefts seems to be occurring, Rhea said. "We broke up a couple of burglary rings operating in Valley County and now that the officers are moving out (patrolling) into the county, we're see- ing less theft," Rhea said. Adams County saw significant drops in the numbers of several types of crime, including burglary, assault and destruction of property. Officers had high numbers of arrests in drug offenses and driving under the influ- ence of alcohol. "We're actually handling more calls, but we've got a good prosecution rate and we're deterring crime," Adams County Undersheriff Scot Kump said. "We're hanging right in there." "We're concentrating on visibility - spending more time within the cities and the county instead of U.S. 95 and Idaho 55. We're leaving the high- ways to the Idaho State Police. That's their job and they do it well," Kump said. "We're focusing on taking care of the residents." Kump said burglary complaints are down because officers are patrolling more in neighborhoods and deterring crime. Officers are also concentrating on DUIs and drug arrests because those crimes lead to other crime - like destruction of property and assault, both of which decreased in 1996. "Our resources are limited, so we've put ourheads together and iden- tified the crimes that lead to other crime. We're killing two birds with one stone," Kump said. Both Kump and Rhea said, how- ever, that neither county should become complacent now that reported crime has taken a dip. Both depart- ments are working on writing grants to obtain more officers and equip- ment and are developing new programs to help deter crime. 2 NF_ u;s C / q7 Star News 7/26/07 VCSO seeks man who pretended to be an officer The Valley County Sheriff's Office is looking for a man who portrayed himself as a police officer on Monday on Warren Wagon Road. The man was driving a black SUV with tinted windows, black rims and no front license, a news release said. The car had blue and white lights around the grill which made it appear to be a police car. The man pulled over a vehicle on Warren Wagon Road and told the driver he had a complaint of racing and the driver needed to leave the vehicle and come to the police department with him. The driver refused and drove away, but the suspect car fol- lowed the car until reachingLake Street, when it turned west. The man was described as white, about 6- feet -tall, light brown hair and muscular arms, wearing blue jeans, a black T- shirt and flip -flops. Anyone with information should call 382 -5160. This week's front page stories Page 1 of 1 New Meadows man sentenced to prison for possessing child pornography BY MICHAEL WELLS The Star -Neie; A New Meadows man could serve up to 10 years in prison for viewing and possessing child pornography, a judge ruled last week in Council. Wesley Eugene Roberts, 32, was sentenced to 10 years, with three years fixed, on one charge of child pornography. He pleaded guilty to the charges in September. Third District Court Judge Bradly Ford said Roberts could serve less time in prison if he successfully completes a state program designed to rehabilitate criminals. Roberts was also fined $750 and ordered to pay about $1,500 in restitution. Idaho State Police and Adams County Sheriffs Office deputies searched Roberts' home at 204 N. Cunningham in New Meadows on June 9 after receiving information Roberts was involved in child pornography. Police seized his computers during the raid. Roberts admitted to an ISP investigator that he had "viewed and possessed pomography online multiple times depicting children in various sexual acts and postures and that he had done these acts repeatedly over a period of time in Adams County," court documents said- http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/fD stories page.php 12/8/2011 This week's front page stories Page 1 of 1 Valley sheriff made 30 percent more arrests in 2011 McCall Police report 26 percent increase in traufc stops BY KENDEL MURRANT and DAN GALLAGHER for The Star -News Arrests made by the Valley County Sheriffs Office rose 30 percent in 2011, according to statistics released by Valley County Dispatch. There were 336 arrests last year compared with 280 arrests made in 2010. "We definitely saw an increase in drug crimes and theft crimes are still up," said Lt. Dan Smith, spokesperson for the sheriff's office. Total traffic stops made by sheriffs deputies eased off from 3,163 to 3,025, but slightly more citations were issued, from 1,053 to 1,076. "This past year we were making more stops on Highway 55 due to considerably higher speeds being driven on the new pavement between Cascade and Donnelly," Smith said. The sheriff's office also took part in more traffic - safety programs funded by the Idaho Transportation Department, specifically for seat -belt use, driving while drunk and reckless driving, Smith said. "We had zero tolerance on those," he said. MCCALL POLICE The McCall Police Department had a 26 percent increase in traffic stops in 2011. City officers issued one ticket for every 5-112 stops. The increase in traffic stops reflects the fact that the department is fully staffed for the first time in almost nine years, said Sgt. Pete Riftenger, spokesperson for the department. The number of police calls and arrests made by McCall police last year were nearly the same as in 2010, the figures show. The department responded to 1,854 calls in 2011 compared with 1,659 calls the previous year. A total of 310 arrests were made in the city in 2011 compared to 319 arrests in 2010. The lack of change between the two years is due to a continuing slow economy and no change in the city's population, Rittenger said. "We didn't see a great influx of people or a great reduction in people coming to town from 2010 to 2011," he said. The number of drug offense arrests has gone up by about 33 percent from 2010, from 72 to 108. The department has expanded its investigations division and now has three detectives that work with informants and follow tips, leading to a higher number of cases, Rittenger said. New patrol officers on the force are also proactive about drug detection during traffic stops, he said. The number of DUI arrests went down by 35 percent in 2011 over 2010 and is the lowest number since 2006. There were 34 DUI arrests made in 2011 compared to 52 in 2010- The lower number reflects a downward trend on a state and national level of drunk driver arrests, Rittenger said. The McCall Police Department also has several new officers on the force and "good DUI detection takes time," he added. CASCADE POLICE The Cascade Police Department made 37 percent more arrests in 2011 over 2010, or from 48 to 66. "We've definitely had more thefts and burglaries, and definitely more drug crimes," Cascade Police Chief Ryan Redmon said. Traffic stops were down 21 percent in Cascade, from 1,214 to 957, and citations also fell from 283 to 227. The department's staffing has dropped from four officers to three, so there have been fewer patrolmen to issue tickets, Redmond said. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/fp_stories_page.php 3/1/2012 This week's front page stories Page 1 of 1 Lost Boise hiker found, arrested on outstanding warrants BY DAN GALLAGHER for The Stec -News A Boise man who became lost near McCall on Monday was found Wednesday morning and promptly arrested. Sam Willey Jr., 53, was found at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday by searchers after spending Monday and Tuesday night in the forest near Louie Lake southeast of McCall, Valley County Sheriff's Lt. Dan Smith said. "He was tired and hungry" but otherwise in good condition, Smith said. When he was found, he was arrested on six outstanding warrants from Ada County, most of them for failure to appear in court, Smith said. Willey was hiking with Brad Kenyon, 50, from Boise when the two became separated about 9 a.m. Monday. "They were hiking in to fish,' Sheriff Patti Bolen said Tuesday afternoon. "(Willey) felt like he needed to sit down and take a break. (Kenyon) continued on to see how far the lake was or to check the trail. When he came back, (Willey) was missing.' A search party was organized that included members of Valley County Search and Rescue, three dog teams from Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue and two sheriff's deputies on motorcycles. Back http: / /www.mccallstamews .com/pages /fp_stories _page.php 8/8/2013