Charlotte Helston

An out-of-town truck driver is without injury after crashing a fully loaded semi on Hwy. 97 near the Vernon Army Camp. Deputy fire chief Lawrie Skolrood said the fully loaded semi tipped into the ditch Sunday morning. The driver had been travelling south. When crews arrived around 10:30 a.m. the 62-year-old driver from Barhead, Alberta...

"THEY CAN BE IN AND OUT IN TWO MINUTES" Enjoying the spring air through an open window could cost you some valuable possessions. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says "green thumb burglars" are out and about now that the snow has thawed.  "We're starting into that time of year when the green thumb burglar comes back,"...

As a man sped out of Kelowna in a stolen vehicle, Vernon mounties were waiting. "At approximately 2:50 p.m. Sunday March 24th, officers from the Vernon office  received an alert from Kelowna with respect to a stolen vehicle that was suspected of being on Hwy 97 heading towards Vernon," RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk said. The...

Enderby cops are asking for the public’s help in identifying an alleged shoplifter.    On February 27, 2013 around 4 p.m., a man walked into Enderby Jewelers, located at 608 Cliff Avenue, and asked to see their gold chains. The clerk opened the glass cabinets containing the chains and the man requested one be weighed. When...

A two month RCMP investigation has ended with the seizure of numerous drugs, $20,000 cash, and a .357 caliber handgun. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk said the investigation began in late January with members of the Vernon North Okanagan RCMP Task Force and assistance from the South East District Emergency Response Team. "When you have this...

By Charlotte Helston There may have been some interesting conversations over breakfast Monday morning after common-law couples woke up with the same property division rights as married couples. And it's not just those who've been living together for the designated two years who are affected. A Vernon family and divorce lawyer thinks the legislation will...

"SHE DID NOT REPORT THE EVENTS EARLIER AS SHE WAS UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL AND SHE THOUGHT SHE WAS OK" An inebriated woman waited over six hours to dial 911 because she didn't think her injuries were serious enough. By the time RCMP arrived on scene, the vehicle was long gone, and members of...

By Charlotte Helston Armstrong's mayor says city hall's agenda wasn't as different 100 years ago as one might think.  Mayor Chris Pieper is getting ready to dress up in an early 1900s suit and stick on a fake mustache as part of the city's re-enactment of the inaugural city council meeting of 1913. The event...

Construction on the 30th Avenue Downtown Revitalization between 33 St. and 35 St. will start early Monday morning. The road will be closed to vehicle traffic on 30th Ave. from 33 St. to 35 St. Initially, pedestrians will be able to get to businesses via the sidewalks which will be in tact while the actual...

By Charlotte Helston Imagine you're holed up in a hotel room because your house just burned to the ground. It's been three days, and emergency support services are cutting you off. You're lying in bed wondering what you're going to do and where you're going to go. Someone knocks on the door, and when you...

By Charlotte Helston A local thrift store is waiting to turn your spring cleaning into charity. As Vernon residents thin their closets and tackle clutter, the Salvation Army is encouraging them to donate their items instead of vanquishing them to the landfill. "We recycle as much as we can, even if clothes are stained or...

"IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT PUTTING AWAY THE DRUGS OR ALCOHOL, IT'S ABOUT CHANGING YOUR THINKING" By Charlotte Helston One moment makes it all worth it for a Vernon addictions worker. It only lasts a second, but it changes everything. "That moment when the light comes back to their eyes, they realize they can change things,"...

"MORE AND MORE OUR OFFICERS EXPERIENCE THIS TYPE OF BEHAVIOUR" A mountie put himself in harm's way Monday when a suspect made a threatening advance on him with a hammer, and Vernon's RCMP spokesperson says moments like that have become increasingly common. It all started as a report of domestic assault in the 6900 block...

By Charlotte Helston Measures are being taken to ensure a downtown construction zone is also an appealing shopping destination. The two blocks on 30th Avenue between 33rd and 35th Street are getting revitalized, and before they look polished, things are going to get a little messy.  Roads and sidewalks will be ripped up, but through...

By Charlotte Helston A Vancouver man began his trial today on several charges after a jailhouse deal with his Vernon inmate soured once they were freed. Darcy Jovic, 47, is charged with breaking and entering a dwelling with intent, criminal harassment, uttering threats, and uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm. He faces a...

By Charlotte Helston The B.C. Transit future bus has welcomed over 800 people aboard over the past few days, and within it, discussions on the next 25 years of public transit have been driving toward results. Within the 20-year-old converted bus are educational posters, pamphlets,  B.C. Transit staff and a new draft transportation plan. The...

By Charlotte Helston A Vernon woman is lucky to be alive after her motorhome burst into flames Sunday night. The blaze started within a 25 foot motorhome parked on a Tillicum Rd. property near Cedar Falls campground. A residence on the property was unscathed. BX-Swan Lake Fire Rescue chief Bill Wacey says the woman was...

Vernon RCMP are reminding the public to take precautions after yet another series of thefts from vehicles hit a Vernon neighbourhood last Saturday, March 16. "Our officers responded to a number of thefts from vehicles in the 4600 Bella Vista Rd. area to the 3000 block of 39th Ave. 3500 of 40th Ave.," RCMP spokesperson...

Crime was underfoot last night in the Walmart parking lot. Just before 11 p.m. mounties responded to a report of two people behaving suspiciously in a pick-up truck. "The two appeared to be snorting something off a piece of paper," RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk said. Police located the vehicle as it was heading southbound in...

Last week Vernon's by-law officers were in the right place at the right time on two occasions. Last Tuesday, March 12, two officers were patrolling in the downtown core around 5 p.m. "They were in the area of 30th Avenue when they witnessed an assault taking place between a 19-year-old pregnant woman and her boyfriend,"...

"I SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE CAUTIOUS" UPDATE: 2 p.m. March 15 By Charlotte Helston Deborah Ashton returned to the witness stand today, two years after allegedly lying under oath in her first trial. Ashton, now 48, is charged with two counts of perjury for a pair of statements she made while accused of sexually assaulting...

By Charlotte Helston An ongoing legal battle over the actions of a former Vernon teacher has further segregated an already struggling family. Deborah Ashton, 48, has been through—and beaten—two trials charging her with sexually assaulting a young student. She's back in B.C. Supreme Court fighting her honour on two counts of perjury for allegedly making...

By Charlotte Helston A sworn statement made over a year ago by Deborah Ashton—who is on trial for perjury—wasn't exactly accurate. According to daycare records, Ashton, 48, who stands accused of lying under oath during a sexual assault trial, did not "always" pick up her son. This is Ashton's third trial, after being acquitted in...

By Charlotte Helston Alcohol has been deemed a factor in a fatal golf cart crash at Vernon's Predator Ridge Golf Course last summer. Glenn Daniel Thordarson, 52, was on a three-day golf retreat with colleagues on June 7, 2012. He was visiting from Edmonton. After breaking for lunch, the group returned to the course, and...