Napa County-Based Helicopter Crew Makes CHP's Top 5 Stories Of Week

NORTH BAY, CA — California Highway Patrol's H-30, a helicopter crew that operates out of the Napa County Airport, received a shoutout from CHP headquarters in Sacramento for carrying out its 25th rescue of 2024, according to a list of the Top Five CHP Stories of the Week.

Thursday night, H-30 responded with firefighters from Lake County to a report of an injured hiker on the Redbud Trail in Clearlake Oaks. With GPS coordinates provided by Cal Fire St. Helena Dispatch, H-30 located the patient on a single-track trail and deployed a flight officer/paramedic to her location.

Once the patient was placed into a rescue harness, H-30 returned overhead the patient was hoisted up to the helicopter. H-30 then delivered the patient to awaiting firefighters who took her by ground ambulance to a local hospital for treatment.

Earlier Thursday, H-30 responded to a request from an AMR ambulance crew in Calistoga. The ambulance transferred a critically injured motorcyclist to the H-30 crew who then flew the rider to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.

The call in Lake County was the 25th person rescued by H-30 in 2024, CHP Headquarters said.

The other Top Five stories from highlighted by the California Highway Patrol from last week were:

CHP, Local Efforts In SF Continue To Yield Positive Results

The CHP has seized more than 42 pounds of fentanyl — more than 9.6 million lethal doses of the drug — since May 1, 2023, when Governor Gavin Newsom announced the state’s joint public safety partnership with the City of San Francisco. In addition to the seizure of fentanyl, the Governor’s Office highlighted additional results from the ongoing operation, including nearly 500 arrests for illegal activity and the recovery of 15 crime-linked guns as part of its operation in San Francisco. Citywide, in the first quarter of 2024 (January 1 – March 31), property crime is down 32% and violent crime is down 14% compared to the first quarter of 2023, according to local San Francisco police data.

CHP Recovers Over 400 Stolen Vehicles In Oakland, East Bay

The CHP has recovered 414 stolen vehicles, made 181 arrests and seized over 30 crime-linked firearms in the East Bay as part of undercover sting operations and law enforcement surges over the past eight weeks. The results of the CHP’s continued collaboration with its law enforcement partners in Oakland and throughout the East Bay was highlighted in a press release issued by the Governor’s Office and is part the ongoing effort to improve public safety. The CHP continues undercover operations and uniformed patrol and coordinates with allied local law enforcement agencies.

CHP Uncovers $300K In Legos During Organized Retail Crime Investigation

The CHP's Organized Retail Crime Task Force —ORCTF — conducted a search on April 9 at various locations in Los Angeles and Orange counties to catch four suspects accused of stealing from stores like Target, Home Depot and Lowe's. During the search, approximately $300,000 worth of Lego sets were recovered. The suspects were arrested and charged with organized retail theft, grand theft and conspiracy.

Organized Retail Crime Investigation Leads To Weapons Seizure

A CHP ORCTF investigation led to a major weapons seizure last month in Oakland, along with the recovery of hundreds of stolen electronic devices. CHP investigators, in collaboration with the Alameda County Sheriff’s, uncovered a fencing operation linked to a robbery at a Target store in Alameda County. On March 26, a search in Oakland resulted in seizing more than 500 stolen electronic devices, 10 firearms and ammunition. As a result, a suspect was arrested on felony retail theft and weapons charges.