Break-ins and thefts from vehicles keep Penticton RCMP hopping

PENTICTON – Thefts from vehicles and break-ins have kept Penticton RCMP busy.

There were a rash of vehicle break-ins on Rogers Place in the city on Dec. 8, according to Cpl. Don Wrigglesworth. The next day an unlocked vehicle on South Main was entered and a GPS and sunglasses were taken.

Wrigglesworth says police also responded to a break-and-enter at a seasonal residence located on Green Mountain Road in Okanagan Falls last week. He says the building’s main door was forced and the basement door left ajar after perpetrators gained entry sometime before the break-in was reported on Dec. 8. Police are continuing their investigation following notification of the residence’s owners in Vancouver. Stolen items are still in the process of being determined.

Police responded to a complaint of mischief to vehicles in the Dynes Avenue area the evening of Dec. 8. A Toyota Camry’s window was broken, but nothing taken from the vehicle.

The vending machines at Skaha Laundry were broken into three times on Dec. 8. Surveillance video shows a 6' tall man with a red, blue and white striped jacket and an elderly woman with purple jacket and black pants entering the laundry and taking cash from the machines, Wrigglesworth says.

There was a two car crash at the corner of Orchard Avenue and Young Street on Wednessday morning, Dec. 9. A Nissan pathfinder travelling north on Young Street failed to stop at the intersection and collided with an eastbound Buick LaCrosse, he says. There was extensive damage to both vehicles, but no major injuries.

Police responded to a fight that broke out in the parking lot of Penticton Lakeside Casino at approximately 12:45 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 11. One person was treated for head and facial injuries by paramedics and taken to the hospital for assessment.

The Quick Stop Car Wash in Okanagan Falls was broken into on Friday, Dec. 11 and Saturday, Dec 12. Both break-ins happened at night.

A refrigerant recovery machine was stolen from the back of a work truck parked on Main Street overnight Friday, Dec. 11. The blue, yellow-coloured unit, the size of a small generator, is valued at $1,300.

On Monday, December 14, a construction site on Government Avenue was broken into.  A work light, extension cord, and several rolls of copper tubing was taken. Police recovered the work light and extension cords at a Penticton pawn shop. The copper tubing was found at a local salvage company. The same man was involved in the transactions at both locations. Police are continuing their investigation.

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.