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<I>The Union is listing the names of those who are being sought today as part of Operation Clean Sweep. The Union agreed to publish this information after it was approached by Sheriff Keith Royal, who provided the list of names that can also be found on our Web site, theunion.com/cleansweep. The Union did not compile these names nor does it intend to maintain a database of these names. This information is part of the public record. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty. If you have any questions about the list, call the sheriff's office at 265-1473.
- The Editor</I>
Law enforcement officers are asking for the public's help in tracking down the county's most wanted fugitives as part of Operation Clean Sweep.
A total of 28 officers from the Nevada County Sheriff's Office, the Nevada County Probation Department, the California Highway Patrol, the Grass Valley Police Department and the Nevada City Police Department will make a countywide sweep, followed by anticipated arrests generated by calls to the sheriff's most wanted hotline at 265-1473 or 265-1474.
The Nevada County Sheriff's Warrant's Division has posted a list of approximately 4,000 fugitives on the county's Web site along with pictures of the 24 most wanted.
"We're asking for the community's help on this," Sheriff Keith Royal said. "It's an all-hands-on-deck sort of thing."
He's hoping citizens will call in with tips on fugitives who are wanted for a variety of crimes, including drunken driving, burglary, narcotics violations, and child-support evasion.
"As the calls trickle in, we'll divert the officers according to information we receive," Royal said.
While the Nevada County Sheriff's Office has a list of approximately 4,000 people who have outstanding warrants for various felony and misdemeanor crimes, they've whittled the list down to 613 warrants for local felonies and misdemeanors in Operation Clean Sweep.
The remaining warrants are minor infractions, or citations, out of the area or warrants issued before 2002.
Royal said he got the idea for Operation Clean Sweep while reading about a similar operation in 2005 by The Newport News Police Department in Newport News, Va.
Newport News Police Chief James Fox proposed that every wanted person should be listed in the local newspaper when he was confronted with 4,000 outstanding warrants.
He said the operations - a total of four last year - were more successful than he imagined.
"It created so much excitement in the community," Fox said Tuesday afternoon. "We locked up hundreds of people."
He said the sweeps generated 500 arrests last year in Newport News. He is planning three more sweeps this year.
Nevada County Sheriff's Lt. Ron Smith said there are a few fugitives county deputies are looking forward to capturing, such as one Grass Valley man wanted for several robbery and narcotics violations.
"He's caused us a lot of problems," Royal said.
Deputies recently learned of the man's whereabouts, Smith said, but he left the location before deputies could apprehend him.
Another fugitive wanted for lack of child support evaded deputies last week, Smith said.
"He'll fight us," Smith said. "We're probably going to have to take him down to the ground."
At full capacity, the Wayne Brown Correctional Facility houses 250 inmates. There were 197 in custody Tuesday night.
If deputies arrest more people today than the jail will hold, Smith said, one or two Nevada County Superior Court judges will go to the jail this afternoon for a mass arraignment.
"The jail commander said 'bring them on'," Smith said. "The judges are all set up to go to (the) jail if they have to."
For those wanted people on the list that would like to turn themselves in instead of being led away in handcuffs, court "self surrenders" each Tuesday through Friday between 7 and 7:30 a.m., and the cases are heard in court beginning at 9 a.m. Self surrender takes place at the Nevada County Superior Courthouse in Nevada City, not at the Wayne Brown Correctional Facility.
Self surrenders should enter through the courthouse's front entrance and ask a security guard where to go from there.
<I>To contact Robyn Moormeister, e-mail robynm@theunion.com or call 477-4236.</I>
- The Editor</I>
Law enforcement officers are asking for the public's help in tracking down the county's most wanted fugitives as part of Operation Clean Sweep.
A total of 28 officers from the Nevada County Sheriff's Office, the Nevada County Probation Department, the California Highway Patrol, the Grass Valley Police Department and the Nevada City Police Department will make a countywide sweep, followed by anticipated arrests generated by calls to the sheriff's most wanted hotline at 265-1473 or 265-1474.
The Nevada County Sheriff's Warrant's Division has posted a list of approximately 4,000 fugitives on the county's Web site along with pictures of the 24 most wanted.
"We're asking for the community's help on this," Sheriff Keith Royal said. "It's an all-hands-on-deck sort of thing."
He's hoping citizens will call in with tips on fugitives who are wanted for a variety of crimes, including drunken driving, burglary, narcotics violations, and child-support evasion.
"As the calls trickle in, we'll divert the officers according to information we receive," Royal said.
While the Nevada County Sheriff's Office has a list of approximately 4,000 people who have outstanding warrants for various felony and misdemeanor crimes, they've whittled the list down to 613 warrants for local felonies and misdemeanors in Operation Clean Sweep.
The remaining warrants are minor infractions, or citations, out of the area or warrants issued before 2002.
Royal said he got the idea for Operation Clean Sweep while reading about a similar operation in 2005 by The Newport News Police Department in Newport News, Va.
Newport News Police Chief James Fox proposed that every wanted person should be listed in the local newspaper when he was confronted with 4,000 outstanding warrants.
He said the operations - a total of four last year - were more successful than he imagined.
"It created so much excitement in the community," Fox said Tuesday afternoon. "We locked up hundreds of people."
He said the sweeps generated 500 arrests last year in Newport News. He is planning three more sweeps this year.
Nevada County Sheriff's Lt. Ron Smith said there are a few fugitives county deputies are looking forward to capturing, such as one Grass Valley man wanted for several robbery and narcotics violations.
"He's caused us a lot of problems," Royal said.
Deputies recently learned of the man's whereabouts, Smith said, but he left the location before deputies could apprehend him.
Another fugitive wanted for lack of child support evaded deputies last week, Smith said.
"He'll fight us," Smith said. "We're probably going to have to take him down to the ground."
At full capacity, the Wayne Brown Correctional Facility houses 250 inmates. There were 197 in custody Tuesday night.
If deputies arrest more people today than the jail will hold, Smith said, one or two Nevada County Superior Court judges will go to the jail this afternoon for a mass arraignment.
"The jail commander said 'bring them on'," Smith said. "The judges are all set up to go to (the) jail if they have to."
For those wanted people on the list that would like to turn themselves in instead of being led away in handcuffs, court "self surrenders" each Tuesday through Friday between 7 and 7:30 a.m., and the cases are heard in court beginning at 9 a.m. Self surrender takes place at the Nevada County Superior Courthouse in Nevada City, not at the Wayne Brown Correctional Facility.
Self surrenders should enter through the courthouse's front entrance and ask a security guard where to go from there.
<I>To contact Robyn Moormeister, e-mail robynm@theunion.com or call 477-4236.</I>
