RANCHO MURIETA, CA (MPG) - A Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office inspection found no active homeless encampment on property behind Rancho Murieta that had concerned residents earlier this spring, although county officials continue to review the presence of several recreational vehicles on the site.

The inspection followed concerns raised by Rancho Murieta resident Carole Thames during Sacramento County Supervisor Rosario Rodriguez’s community meeting on May 4. At the meeting, Thames displayed aerial photographs she believed showed a growing homeless encampment on property near Stonehouse Road and Latrobe Road, and warned that the site could pose a wildfire risk to nearby homes.

Following the meeting, Thames continued communicating with county officials. She said the Sheriff’s Office also used a helicopter to survey the property on May 6 after she provided updated information about the site.

In an email Thames later forwarded to the River Valley Times, Sacramento County Sheriff’s Deputy Matthew Bollinger reported that he visited the property on May 20 with county code enforcement officials and a community prosecutor from the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office.

“We met with the gentleman who maintains the property on behalf of the owner, and did a thorough inspection,” Bollinger wrote. “I’m happy to report there are no encampments on the property, or anyone else staying there on an overnight basis.”

According to the email, officials found two RVs used for storage and a third used as a pen for rabbits. Bollinger wrote that no RVs were being used for habitation or camping.

The inspection followed Thames’ alerting authorities that three RVs remained on the property.

According to Thames, sheriff’s officials had believed the problems on the property had been resolved following enforcement efforts last year, until she provided updated aerial photographs that revealed additional RVs.

Bollinger wrote that county code enforcement officials advised the property representative that the presence of multiple RVs could require a conditional use permit. He also noted that multiple RVs visible on the property could create the impression that camping was taking place.

According to Bollinger’s email, the property representative said the RVs were temporary and that the long-term goal was to remove them from the property.

For Thames, the issue has never been simply the presence of RVs.

“What prompted me was that the fire season has started,” she said. “If there are any homeless encampments surrounding the back of Rancho Murieta, or popping up along the river, we need to know about them.”

Thames said her concerns were heightened by conditions she observed at the same property last year.

“The mess from last year was despicable,” Thames said. “There was garbage everywhere. You could clearly see people were staying there. There were water storage tanks and everything.”

She said another resident originally reported the situation to authorities last year but declined to identify the person.

Drone photographs from 2025 provided to the River Valley Times show multiple RVs, trailers, debris and scattered materials on the property. Thames said sheriff’s officials later assured residents that the site had been cleaned up.

The property remains a concern to nearby residents because it lies roughly 1,000 feet from Rancho Murieta homes and near Stonehouse Park.

“We just have to be really aware of our surroundings,” Thames said. “We don’t need people out behind us starting fires.”

Although the recent inspection found no active encampment, Thames said she and other residents plan to continue monitoring the area.

“We’ll try to get photos every couple of months,” she said. “The residents of Rancho Murieta and Sloughhouse just want to be fire safe with the surrounding neighbors.”

The inspection appears to have resolved immediate concerns about overnight camping on the property. However, county officials are continuing to review whether permits are required for the RVs remaining on the site.