The Teton County Sheriff's Office and the Jackson Police Department are pleased to announce that they have jointly formalized an agreement with the A Child Is Missing alert program.  This program is a free service provided to law enforcement and will offer assistance in local searches for missing children, missing elderly, college students, and missing persons of any age who may be mentally or physically challenged or disabled.

Effective immediately, upon receipt of a missing person call, the responding officer will be able to place a toll-free call to the national A Child Is Missing headquarters.  The call, answered 24/7/365, will initiate a rapid process of information gathering.  A Child Is Missing will determine an alert area then launch up to 1,000 alert phone calls per minute with a message detailing the missing person's description, last known whereabouts, and pertinent information.  This alert message will also include a contact phone number for use by anyone with information relating to the missing person. 

The phone numbers that will be called by this program include listed business and residence numbers and mobile numbers available to A Child Is Missing in the selected area. Mobile numbers, unlisted numbers, broadband/voice-over IP numbers, or TDD/TTY devices can be added to ensure they, too, are called in the event of an alert.  To enter your cell phone, unlisted, broadband/voice-over IP or TDD/TTY device number visit www.achildismissing.org and click on "add your name" to enter your name, number, and address.  This information will only be used for emergency message alerts.  

To date, the efforts of A Child Is Missing have been credited with more than 1000 safe assisted recoveries.

Contact:
Alyssa Watkins
Teton County Sheriff's Office
175 South Willow Street
P.O. Box 1885
Jackson, WY 83001
307.733.2331
www.tetonsheriff.org

On Friday January 20, at 9:15 AM, backcountry hikers called the Teton County Sheriff's Office to report that one of their party was missing.

On Thursday January 19, at approximately 1245 PM,  a party of three persons left the Moose Creek trailhead in Idaho in route to the Plummer Canyon area where they were planning to spend the night in a yurt.  In route to the yurt, one of the party,  Ernie Moscovics, a sixty year old male from Colorado, fell back from his fellow hikers. Upon reaching the yurt and after waiting for Moscovics to arrive, the two other hikers began back down the trail in an attempt to locate Moscovics. They located Moscovics's backpack but were unable to locate him.

At   915AM on Friday January 20, upon receiving the call stating the case of the missing hiker, the Teton County Sheriff's Office Search & Rescue team after gathering all pertinent information available, began to organize a group of team members to began a search of the area for the missing hiker. Prior to initiating the search, the TCSO Search & Rescue helicopter flow over the area in question and spotted the missing hiker. The helicopter was able to land and pick up Moscovics and fly him back to the trailhead. Moscovics was found to be in good health at the time of his rescue.   

Contact:
Captain Tripp Wilson
Teton County Sheriff's Office
180 South King Street
P.O. Box 1885
Jackson, WY 83001
307.733.4052
www.tetonsheriff.org

On Thursday January 19, the Teton County Sheriff's Office Search & Rescue Team engaged in two separate search and rescue missions simultaneously.

Four Pines Ski Area Rescue

The first call for assistance coming in to the Teton County Sheriff's Office at 2:40 PM was from the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort ski patrol stating that a female subject was injured and in need of assistance in the Four Pines area which is out of bounds from the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort ski area proper. TCSO Search & Rescue personnel then contacted the injured party via cellular telephone to ascertain latitude/longitude coordinates from the Global Positioning System in her telephone. The injured party, identified as Edie Asrow, a 59 year old female from Jackson Hole, advised S&R personnel that while skiing in the Four Pines out of bounds area, she had been avalanched and slid approximately 200 feet, losing her skies and sustaining what she believed to be minor injuries. Asrow stated she had tried to walk but due to her injuries was unable to do so.

Due to the extremely precarious conditions in that area, TCSO Search & Rescue personnel determined that a rescue attempt via skiing in from above the subject was not feasible. It was determined that skis could possibly be dropped from the Search and Rescue helicopter to the subject. At 3:57 PM, the TCSO SAR helicopter was flown from the hanger at the SAR building to the location but  was unable to locate Ascow due to extremely poor visibility. Due to strong wind and poor visibly the helicopter mission was aborted.

Further conversation with Ascow determined that she was actually located south of the latitude/longitude coordinates obtained from her cellular telephone transmission and it was decided an attempt would be made to reach her from below her position. At 6:27 PM, a team of four TCSO Search & Rescue personnel traveling on snowmobiles left the incident command post traveling to a location at the base of the ski run know as "The Hoback's". They then  ski/skinned uphill to her position, reaching her at 6:35PM. Ascow was secured and transported back to the incident command post where she arrived at 8:54 PM. Ascow was treated by an emergency medical services unit at the incident command post and released.

Cache Creek/Game Creek  Junction Rescue

At 3:41PM, a 21 year old male subject from Jackson, Wyoming, Kolin  Smith, contacted the Teton County Sheriff's Office to report that he had become stuck while snowmobiling and was in need of assistance. Smith stated that while snowmobiling in Cache Creek, he became stuck at the junction of Cache and Game Creek. After attempting to dig his snowmobile free for one and a half hours, he began walking back to the trailhead but due to the extremely deep snow, became fatigued and was asking for assistance.

At 4:30 PM, a team of three TCSO Search & Rescue personnel left the Cache Creek trailhead in search of Smith. Smith was located and transported back to the trailhead where he arrived uninjured and in good health at 6:34PM.     

Contact:
Captain Tripp Wilson
Teton County Sheriff's Office
180 South King Street
P.O. Box 1885
Jackson, WY 83001
307.733.4052
www.tetonsheriff.org

Communications Technicians Riclyn Betsinger and Valerie Blair receive Hometown Hero Awards for their roll in aiding a cardiac arrest victim.  Their fast response at gaining critical information regarding the medical emergency and broadcasting crucial information to responding Fire/EMS and Law Enforcement helped save the gentlemen's life.

Teton County Sheriff's deputies are investigating a residential burglary that took place in the Crooked Creek Road area sometime between Saturday November 12, 2011 and Monday November 14, 2011.

Preliminary investigation showed that unknown suspect(s) forced entry into rear doors of a residence.  Once inside, suspect(s) removed three 32" Panasonic televisions, one 64" Samsung television, one Quisinart coffee maker, and one Bosch espresso maker.

Due to the number and size of the stolen items, the suspect(s) likely used a vehicle to leave the scene of the crime.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Teton County Sheriff's Office at (307)733-4052.

Crimestoppers is offering a reward of up to $5,000.00 for the arrest and conviction of suspect(s) in this case.  You can remain anonymous when calling Crimestoppers at (307)733-5148.

Contact:  Sergeant Tom Combs

Teton County Sheriff's Office
180 South King Street
P.O. Box 1885
Jackson, WY 83001
307.733.4052
www.tetonsheriff.org

Teton County Sheriff's deputies are investigating a grand larceny that took place at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort in early May 2011.  The initial report indicates that Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR) purchased Teton Village Sports in April 2011.  An inventory was conducted shortly after the purchase by JHMR and the store was closed for the spring off-season.  As employees began returning to work and boxing up winter merchandise, it was discovered that 46 women's down coats of various sizes and colors were missing.  A full inventory would reveal several more thousands of dollars in missing items.

Investigation by JHMR staff led to the stolen coats possibly being sold on the internet.  Sheriff's detectives and JHMR staff believe the stolen coats as well as other possible merchandise were shipped to an internet seller outside of Wyoming.  Detectives are seeking assistance from the community in solving this crime.  Anyone with information on this crime is asked to call the Teton County Sheriff's Office at (307)733-4052.

Crimestoppers is offering a reward of up to $5,000.00 for the arrest and conviction of suspect(s) in this case.  You can remain anonymous when calling Crimestoppers at (307)733-5148.

Contact:  Sergeant Tom Combs

Teton County Sheriffs Office
180 South King Street
P.O. Box 1885
Jackson, WY 83001
307.733.4052
www.tetonsheriff.org

On Saturday November 19 at approximately 9:15 AM, two hunters traveling in the area just east of the Cache Creek Trailhead in Teton County, Wyoming, located a deceased male buried under snowfall. The hunters immediately notified the Teton County Sheriff's office. Two deputies, one being the acting county coroner, responded to the scene which was approximately 1300-1600 vertical feet above the Cache Creek Trail. Investigation revealed that the deceased was a male, later identified as fifty-nine year old David Wayne Percival from Dallas, Texas. It is estimated that Percival had been deceased for seven to ten days. Due to the precarious location of the scene, TCSO Search & Rescue members were called out to assist in the removal of the decedent.  Although the deputies found no signs of foul play or criminal conduct, the area was processed as a crime scene. The investigation is on going into this death with an autopsy scheduled for Monday November 21.

Contact:
Captain Tripp Wilson
Teton County Sheriff's Office
180 South King Street
P.O. Box 1885
Jackson, WY 83001
307.733.4052
www.tetonsheriff.org

On Wednesday, November 2, 2011, at approximately 7:50 PM, Teton County Communications Center experienced a failure of all radio and phone capabilities to include 911. Communications personnel reacted quickly and implemented the protocol for back-up services. 911 services were non-existent for approximately 30 minutes before limited service was available. The Nixle email and text message notification system (sign up at www.nixle.com) and the Emergency Alert System (EAS) was used by Emergency Management to alert the public to the outage, plus provide an alternate number to call for emergencies.

 Teton County Facilities personnel and Teton County Sheriff's Office IT staff worked feverishly to temporarily restore services and determine the root cause of the failure. By 9:10 PM, all services were functional and normal communications resumed. During the  time of the outage/diminished capabilities, no 911 calls went unanswered.

 The root cause is still undetermined but the cause of the failure appears to have been two circuit breaker failures deep within the power supply infrastructure.

On Thursday, November 3, 2011, at approximately 11:00 AM, Teton County Sheriff's Office staff had a planned outage of the normal systems to replace the temporary fixes, and are operating under back-up procedures. The phone system is still experiencing some problems due to the outage and 911 is still working in a diminished capacity.   

The public is reminded not to call 911 unless you have an emergency, as 911 capabilities are diminished. If you have an emergency and there is another call on the line, you might experience some delay in your call being answered. The Sheriff's Office and Teton County are dedicated to 911 services and are working hard to restore 911 to full service.           

In only six weeks of the program, the Teton County Sheriff's Office has turned over 2 ½ pounds of expired or unused prescription medication to the Drug Enforcement Agency.  The drug drop box is located in the lobby of the Sheriff's Office, 180 S King Street.  Medication can be dropped off Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 5:00pm.