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Monday, August 17, 2020
Mountain Democrat mtdemocrat.com
ESSENTIALS OBITUARIES Obituaries on this page are written and paid for by the families or funeral homes. They are edited minimally by the Mountain Democrat. To submit an obituary, call (530) 622-1255, e-mail obits@mtdemocrat.net, fax (530) 344-5092, or visit mtdemocrat.com under “Submission Forms” at the bottom of the website. Include contact information with all submissions.
Todd Helms
June 14, 1961-Aug. 8, 2020
Todd Laurence Helms, a man who loved his boys Ty and Chase, a border collie named Hickory and good cooking, died Saturday, Aug. 8, at his home in Pollock Pines. He was 59. For about a decade in the early 2000s, Todd was well known in the Lake Tahoe area, where he was informally called “The Floor Guy,” famous for the artistic and painstakingly installed hardwood floors that graced such locales as the piano room in Liberace’s mansion, the main room at Valhalla and numerous fancy estate homes. He also reveled in applying that artistry to the more mundane — school gymnasiums and working-class houses — wherever a potential palette presented itself. He was owner of Helms Hardwood, a South Lake Tahoe business that flourished for many years until the economic collapse of 2008, when Todd and thousands others lost everything. Todd was quick to tell anyone that he was an alcoholic and also quick to add that he once had 19-and-a-half years sober. Tragically, that stretch ended with the recession and as he put it, “I fell off the planet.” Grieving the loss of his business, his home, his marriage and his beloved sons, Todd Helms found himself in the coldest, most hopeless days of his existence, struggling to put down the bottle and begin to live again. He moved to Placerville to stay in a recovery house and had several periods of short duration when he was able to stop drinking — a few months here, maybe a year there. But he was not able to climb out of his last relapse that began five days before his death. His friend Jenette Richey found him lying in a bedroom at their home that Saturday night. He could not be revived. Todd often would become a stalwart member of local Alcoholics Anonymous groups, where his exuberant laughter always lightened the mood. When he shared about his lifelong battle with alcohol, which he said he knew “is trying to kill us,” AA members would listen intently, his words at once frightening and captivating. He was an inspiration. Todd Laurence Helms loved to have fun, and he loved having fun whether he was drinking or stone-cold sober. He loved to laugh and would find humor in life’s big or small moments, like when his sister’s black Labrador Lexi dropped her stick but left her tongue hanging out through her teeth as she watched a really strange man pass by on the street. Todd “spoke for” the dog, delivering a side-splitting rendition, for several highly creative minutes, of what Lexi must have been thinking. You could tell where Todd was in a crowded room because not only was he 6 feet, 4 inches tall, his booming yet musical laughter pointed the way to the group gathered round him. And they always were around him, this green-eyed, sandy-haired man who could find joy and so many reasons to smile on some of life’s darkest days. Todd Helms is survived by his sons Ty and Chase Helms, their mother Toni Helms, who live in Georgia; his sister Julie Schue and her husband John of Carson City, Nev.; Andrew Ryan of Santa Monica; Jenette Richey of Pollock Pines; and longtime friend Pat Lakey of Placerville. Todd always enjoyed music, fond of pointing out the brilliant guitar solos performed by David Gilmour, the intricate patterns of John Bonham’s pounding drums, the lyrical treasures of Elton John, Tom Petty and especially, Neil Young. One of his favorite songs was by the Little River Band, and he would grab anyone with time to listen as he turned up to full volume “It’s a Long Way There.” Those who love you hope you made it, Todd, and that you are, finally, there. We pray you have found your way home. And while God surely must have a sense of humor … if not … we know you’ll take care of that, Todd. We will hear your laughter forever.
Echo Summit project to resume ■ Highway 50
to be closed two weeks
Cheyanne Neuffer Tahoe Daily Tribune SOUTH LAKE TAHOE — The $14.1 million bridge replacement project on Highway 50 at Echo Summit is set to resume construction Sept. 13. During a portion of the construction project Highway 50 over Echo Summit will be fully closed for 14 days for bridge demolition work and installation of new girders. From Sept. 18 through Oct. 2 motorists will have to use alternative routes. Detours will be in place while the road is closed to traffic. “We know this is an
Photo courtesy of Caltrans
Locals may apply for a pass that will allow them to use Johnson Pass Road to get to South Lake Tahoe while Echo Summit bridge work is completed. inconvenience, but there are other ways,” said Steve Nelson, Caltrans District 3 public information
officer. “Detours that can bring people to and from Tahoe include state routes 89, 88, 49 and 16.”
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Dawn Hodson Staff writer A woman fatally struck by two vehicles on Highway 50 near El Dorado Hills has been identified by the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office as 37-year-old Crystal Mora, a resident of Sacramento. The incident occurred around 4:30 a.m. Aug. 6 after Mora was reportedly driving westbound in the
CRIME LOG The following is from El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office logs:
Aug. 2 7:38 a.m. A 19-year-old man was arrested on Slug Gulch Road in Mt. Aukum on suspicion of driving under the influence. 10:02 a.m. A 38-year-old man was arrested on Pleasant Valley Road in Diamond Springs after he allegedly assaulted an elderly male with a stun gun and attempted to steal money from the victim. 6 p.m. Vehicle burglary was reported on Birchtree Court in El Dorado Hills. 8:09 p.m. Vehicle burglary was alleged on Birchtree Court in El Dorado Hills.
9:54 p.m. A 48-year-old man and convicted felon was arrested on Pleasant Valley Road in El Dorado on charges of possessing ammunition and illegal drug paraphernalia.
reported on Gardenia Circle in El Dorado Hills.
11:04 a.m. Theft of a firearm was reported in Georgetown.
2:43 p.m. A wallet was stolen from an unlocked vehicle in Cameron Park.
11:22 a.m. Vehicle burglary was reported on Post Street in El Dorado Hills.
10:15 p.m. A 22-year-old man suspected of driving under the influence was arrested on Church Street in Georgetown after he was captured trying to flee officers following a vehicle collision.
Aug. 4
11:48 a.m. A 60-year-old man with a searchable warrant was arrested on Greenleaf Drive in Diamond Springs after deputies were dispatched to a report of trespassing where the suspect was in violation of his probation.
Aug. 3 1:23 a.m. A 32-year-old man was arrested on Park Woods Drive in Pollock Pines for allegedly possessing a dirk/dagger. 10:07 a.m. A bullet from an unknown location reportedly went through the roof of a shed in El Dorado. 11:44 a.m. Vehicle burglary was
wEAThER
12:51 p.m. A 44-year-old woman was arrested on Coach Lane in Cameron Park on charges of trespassing.
1:07 p.m. Vehicle burglary was reported on Cascade Trail in Cool.
4:53 p.m. A 47-year-old man was arrested on Sliger Mine Road in Georgetown for reported disorderly conduct due to alcohol. 8:17 p.m. A 29-year-old man with a felony warrant was arrested on Red Hawk Parkway in Shingle Springs after attempting to evade peace officers. 11:42 p.m. A 37-year-old man was arrested on Pleasant Valley Road in Diamond Springs on charges of public intoxication and violating probation.
Aug. 5
Georgetown 101/78 Coloma 107/82 El Dorado Hills 107/78 Cameron Park 103/81
10:16 a.m. Gas was siphoned from multiple U-Haul trucks in Cameron Park.
Placerville 100/78 Diamond Springs 104/80
South Lake Tahoe 85/53
Pollock Pines Camino 97/74 100/78
7 a.m. Two suspects were arrested for theft in Pollock Pines.
Aug. 6 7:12 a.m. A 30-year-old man was arrested on Highway 49 near Placerville after deputies found him to be in violation of his probation.
Aug. 7 11:41 a.m. A 39-year-old man and convicted felon was arrested on Bucks Bar Road in Somerset on charges of possessing illegal drugs, two concealed illegal firearms and four high-capacity, loaded ammunition magazines. 1:14 p.m. A 60-year-old man on probation was arrested on Missouri Flat Road in Placerville.
Mountain Democrat
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See ECHO SUMMIT, page 3
eastbound lanes of Highway 50, between Latrobe Road and East Bidwell Street. She veered off the freeway and drove down a 30-foot embankment, rolling her Mazda 3 several times, according to investigators with the California Highway Patrol. Mora was able to get out of her vehicle, climb up the embankment and then cross Highway 50. When she got to the westbound lanes she was hit by two vehicles; Mora was pronounced dead at the scene.
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Woman fatally struck on Highway 50 ID’d
Krysten Kellum Associate Editor
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