Welcome to the Teton County Sheriff’s Office  Website!   Whether you are interested in joining our team, visiting our area, or just surfing the net, I hope this website is helpful to you.  We have endeavored to make it as user friendly as possible; so sit back, relax and enjoy getting to know a little more about us. 

Jim Whalen
Sheriff

Our Mission Statement
 
It is the mission of the Teton County Sheriff’s Office, in partnership with our community, to preserve the peace, seek justice, embrace our roles as public servants and strive to provide a safe environment for all.  We will accomplish this through our commitment to the values of integrity, fairness, compassion, CUSTOMER SERVICE and excellence, forever upholding the constitutional rights of all people.              

Oath of Honor     

Honor, integrity and respect will never be betrayed.  I will always hold myself and others accountable for having the courage to do the right thing.

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

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