Grenade, pipe bomb and vehicles thefts keep Penticton officers on their toes

PENTICTON – It was a break from the ordinary for Penticton RCMP this week as they dealt with a grenade and a pipe bomb.

Penticton RCMP were kept busy last week answering numerous calls for vehicle thefts and vehicle break-ins last week. They also dealt with an errant hand grenade and pipe bomb.

A Penticton resident turned a hand grenade into the RCMP detachment after it was discovered by his 10-year-old daughter, who found it outside. The RCMP bomb disposal unit was contacted and the device was determined to be empty.

On Thursday, July 30, workers with the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen discovered a pipe bomb near the Summerland reservoir. It was turned over to police who found the device no longer active.

Penticton RCMP media spokesperson Cpl. Don Wrigglesworth cautions residents who find old ordinances to leave the materials alone and notify RCMP. Old ammunition and shells can become highly unstable with age, and should not be transported.

RASH OF STOLEN VEHICLES

Overnight on Monday, July 27, police were alerted to a a stolen white Toyota Tacoma pickup from 250 Scott Ave., license number 2262 LM. The same night a Mini Cooper, registration 041 PGE, was reported stolen from a Summerland residence. An RCMP officer identified the vehicle when it pulled up alongside him at the intersection of Nelson Avenue and Kensington Street. The suspect vehicle reversed up a sidewalk, damaging a fence as it sped away.

Overnight on Tuesday a lime green Tracker, license number 001 WBT, was stolen from the Elks Hall parking lot. The theft was made easier with keys left in the ignition.

Three motorcycles were also stolen last week, including two from a residence on Naramata Road on Thursday, July 30. An orange 2001 KTM EX 520 dirt bike and a blue and white 2004 Yamaha TTR 125 were taken. A 2014 Yamaha street legal dirt bike disappeared from a Penticton backyard, where it had been chained and locked up.

Residents also reported multiple break-ins to vehicles where thieves ripped dashboards apart to get at stereo systems. The thefts occurred sometime overnight on July 27.

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.