By Lorraine Jewett | Special to The Union
Paws on Patrol. Canine cop Rüdiger is back on the beat after a severe injury, complicated surgery, and lengthy recovery. Rüdiger has been out on five months of “sick leave” from the Grass Valley Police Department. “One morning last fall, Rüdiger was awkwardly climbing the stairs, started falling backwards, and luckily I caught him,” recalls GVPD Canine Handler Jesse Cloyd, who has worked and lived with Rüdiger for three years. “Veterinary examinations revealed he had a sciatic nerve injury, likely incurred before he joined our force. The pinched nerve, inflammation, and bulging disc ultimately made it difficult for him to walk.” Rüdiger endured a multi-hour surgery and 20-plus staples to close the foot-long incision in his back. Jesse who still had to perform his own job while Rüdiger recuperated at home thanks his wife for helping keep Rüdiger calm, quiet, fed and medicated properly during the K9’s recovery…
A man was found dead in a heavily wooded area near Brunswick Road early Wednesday, authorities say.
Police found the body around 8:30 a.m. on the west side of Brunswick Road, about a half mile south of Sutton Way, according to Grass Valley Police Capt. Steve Johnson. The body was found after authorities had been searching the area for a 48-year-old male who had been reported as missing last Friday.
It has not been confirmed that the body found is that of the missing individual, though there is some evidence to support this conclusion, Johnson said.
Neither the identity of the missing man nor that of the man found dead have been released by authorities.
California Violence Intervention and Prevention social worker Kelly Gallaugher, left, and Grass Valley Police Officer Jonathan Brown speak with a member of the community last week in the Glenbrook Basin. Brown and Gallaugher are both trained in the Peace Officers and Standards Training (POST), which teaches officers how to work with mental health challenged people and encourages de-escalation.
Photo: Elias Funez
Nevada County law enforcement officials and advocates for homeless people are applauding a training program designed to improve police officer’s interactions with the homeless.
Hospitality House, the county’s largest homeless shelter, introduced the Peace Officers and Standards Training (POST) curriculum to Nevada County earlier this year, in partnership with regional law enforcement entities. These partner agencies include the Grass Valley Police Department, the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office, and the Nevada City Police Department.
An Orange County man was sentenced to a year in jail after pleading guilty to attempting to meet a 15-year-old Nevada County girl for sex, authorities said.
James Dewayne Nivette, who was 50 at the time of his arrest, pleaded Friday after reaching an agreement offer with prosecutors. Under the negotiated settlement, Nivette was sentenced to a year, though he’ll only serve 180 days in jail because of credit he’ll receive for good behavior. Jail time will be followed by two years’ supervised probation. He will also have to register as a sex offender with the state of California, District Attorney Cliff Newell said.
Police received a report of possible shots fired in the 11000 block of Ridge Road Monday afternoon.
The Grass Valley Police Department and the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office both responded around 2 p.m. after a caller reported a man carrying a black pistol in the area. The caller stated that the man may have fired the gun which might have been either a pellet or Airsoft gun into the ground, but had not discharged the weapon at anyone. The report came from a location near Ridge Road and Sierra College Drive, police said.
There was no further immediate information or description as to the man with the gun, according to Grass Valley Sgt. Clint Bates. Both police and the Sheriff’s Office conducted extensive area checks in the vicinity of the report, but did not locate the individual, Bates added.