Soda Springs, Calif. January 24, 2024 – Three men have been arrested in conjunction with an alleged snowboard heist that took place at Boreal Ski Resort in Soda Springs on Jan. 22, 2024. Shane Farnsworth-Slattery, 25 of Grass Valley; Dakoda Hamilton, 23 of Grass Valley; and Brandon Henslee, 38 of Nevada City; were all charged with grand theft and criminal conspiracy with Henslee and Farnsworth-Slattery incurring additional charges.
On the day in question, two snowboarders placed their two snowboards in ski/snowboard rack holders just outside the ticket area for approximately fifteen minutes. Upon their return, one of their snowboards was missing. The two snowboarders began canvassing the vicinity for their missing board and reportedly located it in the bed of a truck in the parking lot where they encountered the three male suspects.
Upon confronting the suspects, Farnsworth-Slattery reportedly assaulted one of the snowboard victims before fleeing the area with Hamilton and Henslee. The victims successfully recovered their snowboard, called 911, and the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO) immediately responded and executed a search for the reported vehicle.
Updated: Because the victims were able to obtain a detailed description of the occupants and the vehicle with the license plate number, the vehicle was determined to be registered to Hamilton. He is a known affiliate of Farnsworth-Slattery, who is on active probation with grant terms and conditions, including search and seizure (Henslee is also on active probation with grant terms and conditions, including search and seizure).
NCSO coordinated with Nevada County Probation, who intercepted the three suspects at one of the suspect’s residences in Grass Valley. NCSO and Probation recovered four suspected stolen snowboards and drug paraphernalia. All three suspects were arrested without incident and booked into Wayne Brown Correctional Facility.
Continued investigative work revealed two additional snowboard theft victims on Jan. 22 at Boreal Ski Resort. Their snowboards were recovered in the parking lot, adjacent to where the suspect vehicle had been parked. When possible, the Sheriff’s Office recommends that skiers and snowboarders never leave their equipment or belongings unattended, even for a few minutes. If equipment must be left, the Sheriff’s Office recommends utilizing combination locks to decrease the likelihood of theft. Equipment theft is an ongoing occurrence across ski resorts.
If members of the community were recently victims of snowboard theft, they are invited to contact the Sheriff’s Property Unit at (530) 265-1350 with a detailed description of their snowboard to determine if it’s been recovered.
January 24, 2024 at 1:16 PM An earlier version of this press announcement incorrectly noted Hamilton was on probation instead of Henslee. The Sheriff’s Office apologizes for this error.