Elko County Sheriff's Office

10/26/2026

Search and Rescue - Spruce Mountain

Contact: Undersheriff Justin Ames FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Telephone: (775) 738-3421
Email: [email protected]
Date: October 25, 2026

SEARCH AND RESCUE – SPRUCE MOUNTAIN

On October 24, 2026 at approximately 10:40 p.m., the Elko County Sheriff’s Office was made aware of two overdue hunters. The two hunters had been hunting in the Shafter area but last advised family they were going to change locations and would be hunting in the Spruce Mountain area.

Throughout the night, deputies searched for the overdue hunters. On October 25, 2026, Elko County Search and Rescue, Reach’s medical helicopter, Clover Valley Volunteer Fire Department deployed to the area of Spruce Mountain and continued the search for the overdue hunters. Several citizens also responded to the area and joined the search efforts.

On October 25, 2026 at approximately 5:10 p.m., the two hunters were located walking on a two-track road north of Spruce Mountain Road. The hunters had rolled their side-by-side just after dark the night before and spent the night near the rolled side-by-side.

The hunters were a little cold, hungry, and reported no injuries.

The Elko County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank all that were involved with this search, and all the agencies that reached out and offered to assist with this incident.

10/23/2026

Thanks Nevada Highway Patrol for joining forces with us on this US 93 event.

Traffic Safety Enforcement | US 93, Elko County
On Saturday, October 17, the Nevada Highway Patrol, a division of the Nevada State Police, partnered with the Elko County Sheriff's Office for a special traffic and commercial vehicle enforcement operation along US 93 in Elko County.

“Through enforcement and education, we work to change unsafe driving behaviors and prevent tragedies on Nevada's roadways. Whether you're behind the wheel, responding to an emergency or working along the roadside, everyone deserves to get home safely to their loved ones.” said Matt McLaughlin, Captain, Nevada Highway Patrol Central Command.

Traffic Enforcement Results:
• 97 traffic stops
• 68 citations and 6 warnings
• 10 Move Over Law citations
• Violations included speeding, occupant restraint violations and hazardous moving violations.

Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Results:
• 40 commercial vehicle inspections
• 60 violations identified
• 4 drivers placed out of service

The operation coincided with National Move Over Day and focused on increasing law enforcement visibility, addressing unsafe driving behaviors and improving roadway safety for everyone.

Safe driving is everyone's responsibility. Slow down, move over and make safety a priority every time you get behind the wheel.

10/16/2026

S*x assault arrest

Contact: Undersheriff Justin Ames FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Telephone: (775) 738-3421
Email: [email protected]
Date: October 16, 2026

S*X ASSAULT ARREST

Subhash Chander (40) is an interstate commercial truck driver based out of California. He frequently travels throughout the western United States and overnights in retail parking lots and travel centers.

On March 13, 2025, Subhash Chander forced a sixteen (16) year old Autistic male visiting Wells, Nevada into a public bathroom stall and sexually assaulted the victim.

On September 23, 2026, after an extensive investigation by the Elko County Sheriff’s Office Detective’s Division to identify and locate Subhash Chander, he was arrested in Sacramento, California and confessed to the sexual assault.

On October 14, 2026, Subhash Chander was extradited to the Elko County Jail and lodged on the following crimes pursuant to Nevada Revised Statute (NRS) of: S*xual Assault (NRS 200.366(1)(a) and (2)(b)), Attempted S*xual Assault (NRS 200.366 and NRS 193.153), Kidnapping in the First Degree (NRS 200.310(1)), Battery with the Intent to a Commit S*xual Assault (NRS 200.400(4)(b)).

The Elko County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office and considers this an ongoing criminal investigation with no threat to the community. If you have any information related to this investigation, please contact:

Elko County Sheriff’s Office – Detective Division
Office: (775) 738-3421 or Non-Emergency Dispatch: (775) 777-7300

All individuals should be presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

10/16/2026

UPDATE: Service has been restored.

09/29/2026

Traffic stop leads to felony arrest

Contact: Undersheriff Justin Ames FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Telephone: (775) 738-3421
Email: [email protected]
Date: September 29, 2026

TRAFFIC STOP LEADS TO FELONY ARREST

Elko, Nevada – On September 27, 2026, Elko County Sheriff’s Office deputies conducted a traffic stop in the area of 775 W. Silver Street after identifying a vehicle that displayed a suspended Nevada license plate.
The male driver, identified as 21-year-old, was also found to be driving with a suspended driver’s license. A single female passenger was in the vehicle at the time of the traffic stop and was identified as a 15-year-old child. When the child's parent arrived at the scene of the traffic stop, it was learned the child had been engaging in a sexual relationship with the male driver.
The male driver was interviewed by Elko County Sheriff’s Office detectives and provided a confession related to multiple recent sexual encounters with the child.

The driver of the vehicle was identified as Aaron Kienenberger, and he was booked into the Elko County Jail on the following charges:

NRS 200.368 – Statutory S*xual Seduction

NRS 201.110 – Contributory Delinquency
NRS 483.560 – Driving While License Suspended
NRS 482.456 – Operating a Motor Vehicle with Suspended Registration

All individuals should be presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

09/26/2026

The Elko County Sheriff’s Office would like to send a huge Thank You to Dylan’s Legacy and Candice Cooley for sponsoring and bringing Badge Apps training to Elko, Nevada. On September 23 and 24, 2026, detectives from the Elko County Sheriff’s Office and White Pine County Sheriff’s Office were provided with training on how to obtain and map location data and investigate IP, App and internet investigations. While attending class, detectives identified several training topics covered in class that could be used to help solve current investigations. Detectives also provided feedback that this training will be vital for current and future investigations and will help solve investigations.

Again, we would like to say Thank You to Candice Cooley and Aaron Benzick (instructor) for making this training happen!!

09/24/2026

Plane crash in Spring Creek

Contact: Undersheriff Justin Ames
e-mail: [email protected]
On September 24, 2026, at approximately 0958 hours, deputies responded to the area of State Route 228 and State Route 227 for a plane crash. A witness had reported seeing a small single engine plane crash approximately 300-500 yards north of State Route 228 and approximately 500 yards west of State Route 227.
Upon deputies arrival, they located the plane at coordinates, 40.78157 N, 115.68475 W. The pilot, John Rice told deputies that for the past several days he had been doing test flights on the plane around the City of Elko Airport. Today he took the flight further into the Spring Creek area when he lost power to the engine and began to descend. Rice attempted to land on State Route 228, however there were too many vehicles to safely land on the highway.
Rice then attempted to land in a large field near the highway. After touching down and rolling on his wheels for approximately 50 feet, Rice hit a small ditch causing his front wheel and the front of his plane to dig into the ground and come to a stop. Rice was the only person on board and received minor injuries. The FAA was notified of the incident.
Rice did an excellent job of choosing the safest place to land the plane where there was not a secondary collision with a vehicle, or any significant injuries to himself.

09/22/2026

Vehicle pursuit

Contact: Undersheriff Justin Ames FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Telephone: (775) 738-3421
Email: [email protected]
Date: September 22, 2026

Vehicle Pursuit

Elko, Nevada - On September 20, 2026, at approximately 04:04 hours, Elko County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to State Route 227 near mile marker 5 for a reported vehicle parked in the southbound travel lane facing northbound.

Upon arrival, deputies located an adult male inside the vehicle who appeared to be unconscious. Deputies were able to wake the male and observed signs of impairment. The male refused multiple requests to exit the vehicle and declined to provide identification.

After deputies gave the male multiple verbal commands and attempted to safely remove the driver from the vehicle, the driver accelerated away, resulting in a vehicle pursuit.

During the pursuit, deputies deployed tire deflation devices known as “Stop Sticks” and were able to disable the vehicle by deflating its tires. The vehicle eventually came to a stop on Interstate 80 eastbound near mile marker 300, where the male barricaded himself inside the vehicle.

Following a brief negotiation, the male surrendered peacefully and was taken into custody without further incident. He was transported to the Elko County Detention Center.

The driver of the vehicle, Sean Nordwig was arrested on the following charges:

NRS 453.335 – Possession of a Schedule I Controlled Substance
NRS 484B.550 – Stop Required Upon Signal
NRS 484B.653 – Reckless Driving Disregard to Persons and Property
NRS 484C.110 – Driving Under the Influence
NRS 199.280 – Resisting a Public Officer

The Elko County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the Elko Police Department, Nevada State Police, Elko EMS, and Elko Regional Communication Center for their assistance and cooperation during this incident.

09/16/2026

Scam calls & fraud

Ongoing scam calls/fraud

September 16, 2026

This is a public service announcement regarding ongoing scam calls. One of the scams we have been dealing with for a few years involves people calling and claiming to be law enforcement. The caller will tell you that you have a warrant for your arrest, and the caller will claim you missed court or fail to show for a jury summons. These calls can show up on caller ID as the Sheriff's Office as they are cloning our number. If this is the case, hang up the phone and call the Sheriff's Office to ensure that it is fraud. These people are very convincing and will often have a police radio playing in the background.

The Elko County Sheriff's Office will never call you and ask you to deposit cash in any way to clear up a warrant. If you do have a warrant it needs to be cleared at Elko County Jail or by the courts. Please do not deposit any cash no matter how pushy these people get! Again, we do not clear warrants this way and they are always scamming you if that is the request. If you believe that you are being scammed, simply hang up the phone and call the Sheriff's Office to clear up any misunderstandings.

Please share this message and tell your friends and family not to fall for this scam. Deputies do frequently call the public to address legitimate law enforcement business, and we will leave a message to call us back at the office or on our cell phones. Our office number is 775-738-3421. Our front office staff can assist you with clearing up any confusion by connecting you with the correct deputy or administrator.

There are many other scams where people are asking for money for many different reasons. There are too many to list. Please do not give money to anyone unless you are 100% sure you owe it to them. If they ask to pay in bitcoin, it is a scam!

Lieutenant Doug Fisher

09/16/2026

Drug arrest

Contact: Undersheriff Justin Ames FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Telephone: (775) 738-3421
Email: [email protected]
Date: September 16, 2026

Drug Arrest

Elko, Nevada – On September 14, 2026, an Elko County Sheriff’s Office deputy noticed a vehicle traveling northbound on 5th Street without proper nighttime lighting.

The driver of the vehicle was identified as Pedro Rivera-Cortes of Spring Creek. The vehicle displayed a fictitious license plate that came back to another vehicle and Rivera-Cortes had a suspended driver’s license.

During the inventory of the vehicle, deputies located seven baggies of white crystalline substance, which was later identified as methamphetamines. The weight of the methamphetamines was approximately 4 ounces.

Pedro River-Cortes was arrested on the following charges:

NRS 453.3386 – Trafficking more than 100 grams of a Schedule I Controlled Substance
NRS 482.545 – Driving an Unregistered Vehicle
NRS 484D.230 – Operating and Unsafe Motor Vehicle
NRS 483.560 – Suspended Driver’s License