Theft, unusual odours and annual grad party all part of Penticton RCMP work week

PENTICTON – Thefts kept police busy this week, along with some mischief and an annual unsanctioned graduation event.

Tuesday, Sept. 1, a suspect was arrested by the drug task force after stealing men’s jeans from Mark’s Work Wearhouse at 2607 South Main St., according to Penticton RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Don Wrigglesworth. The man was identified on video as the perpetrator of previous thefts and upon arrest was found to have outstanding warrants on various charges. Penticton resident David Buttress made a court appearance, charged with theft under $5,000 and remanded to Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre.

On Tuesday night, Sept. 1, a Chatham Street resident spotted a man in his backyard attempting to break in. The residents approached the suspect with a machete and detained him until police arrived. The suspect was found to have a number of cheques, jewellery and keys that did not belong to him. He was jailed for trespassing and possession of stolen property.

Sometime in the early morning hours of Thursday, Sept. 3, the rental kiosk at Okanagan Falls’ Kenyon Park was broken into and a yellow Pelican paddle board stolen. The same night a black Blade mountain bike was stolen from a residence at 520 Martin St.

A police investigation into the Thursday evening fire at the Chateau Village townhouse complex indicated the fire was started by a seven year old playing with matches in one of the upstairs bedrooms in the unit.

At approximately 1:50 a.m. Friday, Sept. 4, the attendant at the Government Street Shell gas station reported someone breaking into a shed on the gas station property. A video tape of the incident recorded a masked and gloved suspect prying open the shed door, but an inventory showed nothing missing.

On Monday evening, Sept. 7, police and firefighters responded to a call to McDonald’s restaurant after complaints of a strong smell coming from the men’s washroom. No unusual activity was noted on the restaurant’s video monitor, and police have are unable to say exactly what transpired.

The annual 'Sunrise' bush party took place east of the city up Carmi Road on Monday night, Sept. 7. Police report few incidents after seizing large amounts of liquor at the annual unsanctioned, unsupervised graduation event.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Steve Arstad at sarstad@infonews.ca or call 250-488-3065. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.