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Gord Molendyk
Vernon RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk off duty for good
VERNON - He was a well known face at the police station and on the news, but you won't be seeing Vernon's longtime RCMP spokesperson anymore. Gord Molendyk, who served over as an RCMP officer, and then a media spokesperson, for over 40 years has announced he’s retiring. “My job over the years working with...
Missing Vernon dirt biker facing charges
VERNON – The dirt biker who showed up at home yesterday after he was missing for over 36 hours is facing charges for breaching his bail conditions. Kyle Macinnes, 25, went missing April 21 after telling his family he was going for a ride in the rugged Commonage area south of Vernon. They were concerned...
Speeding driver plays chicken with Vernon cop
VERNON – The hunt is on for a driver who tried to play chicken with a Vernon RCMP cruiser early this morning. At around 3:35 a.m., Monday, March 2, an officer tried to pull over a Honda in the area of 29 Street and 39 Avenue near the Civic Arena, according to RCMP spokesperson Gord...
Marijuana grow operation unplugged near Falkland
VERNON – A month long investigation ended with an RCMP emergency response team raiding a suspected grow operation in the Falkland area. The heavily armed officers executed a search warrant Thursday, Feb. 26 once it was determined there wasn’t a medicinal marijuana license associated with the property, North Okanagan RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says in...
RCMP search for a driver in bizarre crash investigation
VERNON – RCMP have a mystery on their hands after officers showed up at a car crash on Silver Star Road on the weekend to find the vehicle upside down and running, but no sign of the driver. The driver of a Toyota Corolla hit a power pole around 3:40 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 21. The...
Dad suspected of drunk driving crashed car with 8-year-old daughter as passenger
ARMSTRONG – A Kelowna man is facing an impaired charge after driving his car off the road just outside Armstrong on the weekend. His 8-year-old daughter was a passenger. RCMP were called to the car crash at about 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 21 near the intersection of Swanson Mountain Road and Salmon River Road,...
UPDATE: Three injured, one seriously, in Vernon head-on crash
VERNON – A three vehicle crash on Highway 97 just north of Vernon sent three people to hospital and closed the route in both directions for about three hours Friday afternoon. The crash happened around 1 p.m., Friday, Feb. 20 at the intersection of Highway 97 and Old Kamloops Road. Two cars and a semi...
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.,...
Donations for toddler’s funeral stolen from Enderby gas station
VERNON - Police are hoping the public can help them find someone who stole donations for a three-year-old’s funeral. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says police received a report about the unfortunate incident on Saturday, Jan. 3 at the Esso in Enderby. “The suspect stole the donation box that was to assist the family... with funeral...
Man eludes RCMP officer, not police dog
VERNON - You can run and hide from a police officer but it’s much harder to get away from a police dog. A Vernon RCMP officer spotted an 18-year-old man riding a bike without a helmet on 27 Avenue Thursday morning and stopped him to have a word. According to the officer, the man was...
Looks like it’s going to be a big year for excessive speeding
VERNON - Police have nabbed almost as many excessive speeders in the past six months as they did in all of last year. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says 22 drivers have been caught speeding excessively in the North Okanagan so far this year, compared to a total of 25 in 2013. “B.C.'s speeding law compels...
Penticton teen arrested for carrying butcher’s cleaver, bat and hammer
VERNON - A Penticton teen was arrested Monday morning for the possession of weapons, including a butcher’s cleaver and a bat wrapped in electrical tape. A police officer noticed the teen and a second person walking around downtown Vernon near Safeway shortly after midnight while conducting a routine patrol of the area. The teen was...
Boat fire in Armstrong could be connected to string of Vernon arsons
VERNON - Police are investigating whether a suspicious boat fire in Armstrong is connected to a rash of suspected arsons in the Vernon area. Emergency personnel were dispatched to 143 L & A Crossing Rd. Saturday around 10:40 p.m. for a report of a boat on fire. “One boat was completely involved and destroyed and...
Arrests made in Vernon arson case
SERIAL ARSON SUSPECT STILL ON THE LOOSE VERNON - Police have made arrests in one of 13 suspected cases of arson in the Vernon area. Two men, aged 24 and 30, were arrested Friday evening for setting fire to some trash behind AJ’s Pets & Things on 31 Avenue. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says the...
Number of suspected arsons climbs to nine
VERNON - Police continue to investigate a series of suspected arsons as the number of suspicious fires grows to nine within the city. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says police are looking into two fires from the weekend, one a torched car at the Kia dealership and the other a motor home on 26 Street. Molendyk...
Conservation on the lookout for East Hill bear
VERNON - East Hill residents are being warned there’s a bear in their neck of the woods. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says a large bear was spotted in the East Hill neighbourhood over the past few days. There haven’t been any run-ins with people or pets, though the Conservation Service is actively working to locate...
Police believe Trinity Valley suspects were cooking up crystal meth
VERNON - A six day investigation and clean-up at a North Okanagan property wrapped up over the weekend, leaving authorities strongly suspecting crystal meth was being produced there. A significant quantity of hazardous materials believed to be used in the manufacturing of crystal meth were removed from the Trinity Valley Road rental home and secured...
Torched boat latest in series of suspected arsons
VERNON - A torched boat is the latest in a series of suspicious fires under investigation by authorities. Deputy fire chief Jack Blair says an 18 foot recreational ski boat with a For Sale sign on it was set ablaze in a parking lot in the 2300 block of 48 Avenue around 11 p.m. Tuesday....