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Crime

Why a jury found a Vernon man guilty of raping his daughter, but not of incest

VERNON - A Vernon man continues to show no remorse for years of sexual abuse on his daughter and her friend and that got him some extra time in prison. The man, who cannot be named by court order to protect the identity of his daughter, was originally charged with three counts of sexual assault—two...

Unsafe Enderby boarding house possibly a chemical drug lab

ENDERBY - An Enderby building decorated on the outside with brightly painted murals is now being investigated as the site of a possible chemical drug lab. Police discovered evidence of a drug lab Wednesday, Feb. 18 while assisting the City of Enderby with an evacuation order. Eleven boarders, including up to four children, were ordered...

Lumby RCMP appeal to public after two thefts in less than a week

LUMBY - Police are reaching out for public assistance in solving two thefts earlier this month in Lumby. The first was a break and enter Feb. 8 at Tire Craft on Dyffryn Road. The alarm was set off, and when police arrived, they found the rear door had been forced open and money stolen from...

Police believe Cherryville vandal was motivated by logging dispute

CHERRYVILLE - Police believe a recent act of vandalism was motivated by a controversial logging operation in Cherryville. Heavy equipment belonging to the company contracted to build a logging road in the Cherry Ridge area was vandalized sometime around Jan. 13, Lumby Cpl. Henry Proce says. The construction of the road is part of a...

Vernon RCMP issue warning after rash of thefts from vehicles

VERNON - A rash of thefts from vehicles has police asking the public to take precautions.  In the last week alone, there were over 20 thefts from vehicles, RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says. “The Vernon North Okanagan Detachment would like to remind people not to leave items in plain view in your vehicles,” Molendyk says....

Alleged thief fails again, and again, and then it gets worse

VERNON - First, an alleged thief failed to steal the goods and then it went downhill from there. Vernon RCMP brought in the dog unit to investigate a report of a theft of a trailer in progress at Silver Star Mountain Resort, Thursday, February 12. Mounties were called to parking lot "E" at 6:30 p.m.,...

A fraudulent credit card, $400 worth of meat, and an off-duty cop

VERNON - A pair of people trying to buy hundreds of dollars worth of meat on Valentine’s Day attracted the attention of an off-duty officer. The individuals, a 31-year-old man from Penticton and a 32-year-old woman, were trying to pay for approximately $400 worth of meat from M&M Meats on Saturday, but the man was...

Salmon Arm man struck with metal pipe during bizarre altercation

POLICE APPEALING TO PUBLIC FOR INFORMATION ABOUT SUSPECTS VERNON - Mounties say a Salmon Arm man was attacked through his car window last week while stopped at an intersection. The unusual assault occurred last Wednesday, Feb. 11, around 9:15 p.m. in front of the Green Valley Motel on 25 Avenue. A 26-year-old Salmon Arm man...

Former U.S. ski coach admitted to peeping on his students

THE STORY YOU ALMOST DIDN'T GET TO READ VERNON - Jason Paur, the former Seattle ski coach arrested for secretly filming young girls while on a school trip to Silver Star, pleaded guilty to three of the counts against him on Jan. 12, 2015. But we couldn’t tell you about that until today.  When Paur...

Trial begins for man accused in Princeton double homicide

PENTICTON - The trial of a man accused of a double homicide and attempted murder of a third individual near Princeton in 2013  begins in Penticton this morning. The jury  trial of John Ike Koopmans is slated to get underway in Penticton Supreme Court this morning, Feb.16. Koopmans was charged in 2013 with two counts...

Vernon RCMP looking for person of interest after elderly man assaulted

VERNON - Police are appealing to the public for information after an elderly man was allegedly assaulted Thursday afternoon. According to a Vernon RCMP media release, the 83-year-old man was walking along the sidewalk between Coldstream Avenue and 30 Avenue on 34 Street just before 2 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 12. He spoke to a man...

Former Vernon Mountie facing child porn allegations arrested on unrelated charges in Alberta

VERNON - A former Vernon Mountie awaiting trial on child pornography charges was arrested in Alberta last week for impaired driving and possession of stolen property. RCMP media relations officer Cpl. Sharon Franks says Ryan Hampton, 37, was arrested Feb. 2 by police in Strathmore, Alta. After pulling him over, officers searched the vehicle and...

Lumby man will stand trial for school teacher’s murder

VERNON - A Lumby man accused of murdering his girlfriend, a local school teacher, will stand trial in Supreme Court. Following a preliminary inquiry at the Vernon Courthouse last week, the judge ruled there is enough evidence to order Howard Everett Krewson, 55, to stand trial. Krewson is accused of killing Vernon school teacher Linda...

RCMP looking for suspicious vehicle in Kamloops

KAMLOOPS – RCMP would like to talk to the man who was driving his truck around a Kamloops neighbourhood reportedly following some children. Around 9:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 8, there was a report about a suspicious vehicle in Westsyde in the Sandpiper Drive area. “It was reported a mid-1990s, red, Chevrolet truck with some...

RCMP arrest 13 people in drug trafficking investigation

KELOWNA - A drug trafficking investigation led to 13 arrests Friday morning but only five will face the judge. Kelowna RCMP showed up at what they say is a known problem residence in the 1300 block of Belaire Avenue with a search warrant, according to an RCMP media release. Mounties found cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and...

Family pleads for witnesses after father backed over by a car

“HE WAS IN THE WRONG PLACE AT THE WRONG TIME” VERNON - Andrew Raab walked the same route to the Upper Room Mission for lunch every single day, not because he couldn’t afford food—he paid for all his meals—but because he liked the company. “He didn’t like being alone, he liked being out in the...

Judge to hear evidence against Lumby man accused of murder

VERNON - A Lumby man accused of murdering his girlfriend, a local teacher, is before a provincial court judge this week. A preliminary inquiry for Howard Everett Krewson, also known as Howard Everett, began Wednesday, Feb. 4 and is scheduled to last five days. Krewson, 55, was charged with the second degree murder of Linda...

Smoke break proves costly for Summerland man

PENTICTON - A stop for a quick smoke—of illicit materials—cost a Summerland man his freedom earlier this week. On February 2, Penticton RCMP were notified of a male smoking drugs in a vehicle parked in the Lakeside Resort parking lot. Police attended the scene, but the driver had departed. Police had a description of the...

Rock-in-sock attacker loses appeal

PENTICTON - A man convicted of two years less a day for a vicious attack on a Penticton man will serve his full sentence after losing his appeal this week. Anthony Leonard Donald Samuelson argued his sentence was unduly harsh and requested instead a three-year suspended sentence or a reduction of the present jail term....

Vandals spray paint car, garage door in Glenrosa

WEST KELOWNA - Someone is tagging personal property with spray paint in the Glenrosa neighbourhood of West Kelowna. The latest incident happened last night, Jan. 28, in the 3200-block of McMahon Road, a few blocks from Glenrosa Elementary School, according to a post on Facebook. A Subaru Forrester and garage door were spray painted with pink...

100 horses for sale following Armstrong cruelty investigation

"LET'S SAVE THIS THING AND MAKE IT TURN OUT FOR THE GOOD" ARMSTRONG - Homes are being sought for 100 horses in Armstrong following an animal cruelty investigation. The horses belong to Gary Roberts, 69, who faces two counts of animal cruelty charges stemming from a December 2014 B.C. SPCA investigation. Seventeen of Roberts’ horses...

No appeal for man convicted of assaulting woman, biting her labia

PENTICTON - Brian Douglas Louie will remain behind bars for the completion of a 2.8 year sentence after losing his appeal on Jan. 20. Louie was convicted of aggravated assault and assault causing bodily harm for a violent attack on a woman in 2012, during which he bit off a piece of her labia during...

Animal cruelty charges laid against Armstrong horse owner

ARMSTRONG - An Armstrong man is facing criminal charges after animal cruelty investigators seized 16 emaciated horses from his care. Gary Roberts, 69, is charged with causing unnecessary pain or suffering to an animal and failing to provide necessities for an animal. He also faces one count of uttering threats to cause death or bodily...