Intoxicated man passes out on strangers' couch

A 21-year-old Gardnerville Ranchos man was rousted from a deep sleep Thursday by four Douglas County deputies and canine officer Hondo after a family discovered the intruder on their couch.

A teenage boy awoke his mother about 6:30 a.m. Thursday to report a stranger asleep on their living room couch. The woman and her three children left the house and called sheriff's officers who responded with the dog to find Colton Lee Eldridge passed out on the couch.

According to reports, a deputy yelled at Eldridge to wake him but got no response. The officer gave Hondo the "bark" command, and Eldridge lifted his head and said, "s-h-h-h," but did not open his eyes.

Hondo barked a second time which roused Eldridge who was taken into custody and charged with trespassing.

He told East Fork Justice Jim EnEarl on Friday he had no idea how he got to the house which was several miles from his residence on Tillman Lane.

"I was drinking," he said. "I have no clue what happened. A friend was giving me a ride. I thought I was home."

Deputies said there was no forced entry into the residence and thought the husband may have left the door unlocked when he left for work a few minutes before Eldridge apparently wandered in.

Officers found Eldridge's hat in one of the family's unlocked vehicles on the property indicating he slept in the truck before he entered the house.

"I'm planning to knock off my drinking for awhile," Eldridge told EnEarl.

The judge sentenced him to two days in Douglas County Jail and told him if he drinks, he faces a six-month sentence.

"If you come in here for an alcohol-related offense, you are not going to like what happens," EnEarl said.

-- A 62-year-old transient was arrested for disorderly conduct Sept. 5 after a witness complained that he relieved himself on the mailboxes behind the Adaven Hotel.

Deputies said Karl Berns was stopped as he walked into a grocery store parking lot. A preliminary breath test indicated a blood-alcohol content of .372, nearly five times the legal limit of .08 for driving in Nevada.

-- The Douglas County Sheriff's Office reported 38 contacts for domestic violence Aug. 22-Sept. 4.

There were 18 contacts for verbal domestics, four arrests for domestic battery and six referrals to the district attorney's office for review.

Twenty juveniles witnessed domestic violence with three juvenile suspects in a verbal domestic.

The Family Support Council submitted five requests to East Fork Justice Court for temporary restraining orders with three approvals and two denials.

Four requests were submitted for anti-stalking and harassment orders with two denials and two pending.

Connie Richardson, sheriff's office domestic violence prevention coordinator, said the average range for this time of year is 16-22 per week with 9-11 children per week witnessing domestic violence and 0-2 juvenile suspects.