Lake Country man faces charges after taking law into own hands

A Lake Country homeowner, who had property stolen, is facing potential charges after taking the law into his own hands.

On March 30, 2021 a resident in the 14000 block of Oyama Road in Lake Country reported his house had been broken into overnight and numerous items were stolen, according to the Kelowna RCMP in a press release.

A few hours later, the homeowner and another man located some of the stolen property near the Wood Lake boat launch.

Two women approached the area the items were stashed in and one of the men allegedly chased both women with a baseball bat. The women fled in a vehicle which was pursued by the men in their own vehicle, RCMP said.

Officers rushed to the area and stopped the suspect vehicle.

A 43-year-old Lake Country man was arrested and was later released on conditions with a future court date.

“Our officers conducted an investigation and determined there was no evidence the two women had anything to do with the break-in or the stolen items,” Sgt. Jon Collins, commander of the Lake Country RCMP, said in the release.

“When people decide to bypass law enforcement and take matters into their own hands it can lead to dangerous situations that put innocent people in danger and land vigilantes in trouble with the law themselves.”

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