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Police
The surprising place Vernon cops discovered a high number of traffic violations
VERNON - Police didn’t have to go far to catch and ticket a dozen drivers for not wearing seat belts. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says officers noticed numerous driving infractions right in front of the police station on 30 Street recently and decided to do something about it. “So they did a little road check...
Police seek information in bizarre Kelowna handgun incident
KELOWNA - Police are looking for a man who allegedly pointed a gun at a pair of Okanagan residents and then offered to help them change a tire. The strange incident happened Nov. 4 around 12:30 a.m. at the Willow Park Church parking lot at 439 Highway 33, states a release from the Kelowna RCMP....
Attempted break-and-enter gives Enderby woman a scare
ENDERBY - There were some frightening moments for an Enderby woman last week. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says the woman was sleeping in her Larson Avenue home in Enderby around 11 p.m. Dec. 12 when her dog started barking. The motion light went on in the yard, and when she looked out the window, she...
Westside car accident leaves three horses dead
VERNON - Three horses died in a collision with a truck on Westside Road over the weekend. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says a pick-up truck hit the horses around 12:10 a.m. on Dec. 13 on Westside Road near Pinecrest Road. The front end of the truck was badly damaged. Two horses died right away, and...
Convicted killer due for sentencing for ramming police car
"IT DOES NOT APPEAR THAT PERIODS OF INCARCERATION HAVE AFFECTED HIM." KELOWNA – A Kelowna man with an extensive criminal history is being sentenced for using a stolen truck to ram a police car as he tried to evade arrest only one year after being released from prison for a 2005 manslaughter conviction. "It was only...
Vernon RCMP on the lookout for armed robber
VERNON - Police are turning to the public for help locating the suspect in an armed robbery. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says the Interior Savings Credit Union on 32 Street was robbed by a man with a gun around 4:40 p.m. Tuesday. He made off with an undisclosed amount of cash. The police dog team...
Police watchdog finds no connection between Vernon RCMP officer and injured man
VERNON – The province’s police watchdog says a Vernon RCMP officer had nothing to do with a cyclist getting hurt over the summer. The Independent Investigations Office released its findings into the incident this week, saying there was no relationship between the injury and the actions of the officer. A Vernon RCMP officer attempted to...
Vernon RCMP still looking for driver who ran from accident scene
VERNON - Police continue to investigate a two vehicle accident that left a woman with life changing injuries. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk said an appeal for information generated several tips about the Dec. 3 car crash, which left a 44-year-old woman with numerous broken bones and a fractured spine. She continues to recover at Vancouver...
Kelowna lawyer helping veterans get the help they need
"ONCE YOU'RE IN THAT HOLE IT CAN BE VERY HARD TO CLIMB OUT. THAT'S WHERE WE COME IN." KELOWNA – A local lawyer has made it his mission to help marginalized B.C. veterans transition to civilian life. Matthew Canzer is a Kelowna lawyer who recently started the B.C. chapter of the Veterans Emergency Transition Services....
Massive Vernon house party leads to arrests
VERNON - Police spent several hours breaking up a noisy party in a vacant house Saturday night. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says bylaw notified police around 10:35 p.m. of a loud party in the 6200 block of Rimer Road in the BX. When officers arrived, they estimated there were roughly 250 youth and adults there....
An Armstrong resident invited a homeless man back home for a shower, meal, and shelter
HERE'S WHAT HE SHOULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY VERNON - A stabbing incident in Armstrong could have been prevented if the assailant had been connected with appropriate support services, according to Vernon’s homeless shelter. Police say the assault happened when a Spallumcheen resident invited a homeless man to his house for a hot shower, a meal,...
What the police expense report for Boonstock looks like
PENTICTON - The police expense report from the Boonstock festival weekend in August has been made public and reveals hundreds of thousands of dollars in overtime, car cleaning services and general supplies. The police report, released by the provincial government Monday, outlines the $252,715 in policing costs—both anticipated and unexpected—for the August long weekend when over...
Interior Health employee investigated for alleged sexual assault of ‘vulnerable’ resident
NOT THE FIRST ALLEGATION: POLICE VERNON - Interior Heath Authority is reviewing an employee who was investigated by police for an allegation of sexual assault on a 'vulnerable' care facility resident. Interior Health informed police of the allegations in July 2014 but the incident happened some time before. Vernon RCMP says interior health didn't report...
Police seek help in identify attempted robbery suspects
PENTICTON - RCMP are asking the public’s assistance in finding three attempted robbery suspects who tried to steal a man’s wallet Tuesday evening. A 34-year-old male victim was walking alone near the McLaren Arena on Duncan Avenue when three males in a white two-door Honda Civic approached him demanding he turn over his wallet, according...
City and RCMP open to policy changes following jury recommendations
PENTICTON - The City and RCMP are actively considering implementation of recommendations made by a jury following a coroner’s inquest into the death of 30-year-old Steven J. Scott who died in police custody two years ago. The RCMP have already implemented some changes after Scott’s death that the jury also recommended be made. One suggestion...
Penticton remembers those who have fallen
PENTICTON - Remember all those who have fallen for our country at the Remembrance Day ceremonies this Tuesday, November 11. The ceremony will be held at the Trade and Convention Centre and doors open at 10 a.m. The ceremonies will start around 10:30 a.m. as police, veterans, boy scouts and other protective service agents march...
Collision on Highway 6 in Vernon sends two to hospital
VERNON - A head-on collision Wednesday evening on Highway 6 sent two people to hospital. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says a black Volkswagen Jetta traveling west on Highway 6 around 5:30 p.m. suddenly veered into the oncoming lane near Aberdeen Road, hitting a Dodge Ram pick-up. “There was extensive front end damage to both vehicles,”...
Jury finds death accidental, makes recommendations
'STUDY THE FEASIBILITY OF ESTABLISHING AN ALCOHOL DETOXIFICATION CENTRE IN THE SOUTH OKANAGAN' PENTICTON - The coroner’s inquest on the death of Steven J. Scott who died two years ago while in police custody has ended with recommendations from a five-person jury on how to improve conditions to avoid a similar incident in the future....
CORONER’S INQUEST: Penticton lacking substance abuse resources and police manpower
PENTICTON - The need for more rehabilitation resources and police manpower were the running themes of this morning’s testimonies made during the coroner’s inquest on the death of Steven J. Scott who died in a cell at the Penticton RCMP detachment two years ago. Patricia Gartner, a social worker at the Penticton Regional Hospital oversaw...
Vernon RCMP investigate gun theft
VERNON - Police are appealing to the public for information about a break-and-enter over the weekend. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says around 3:45 p.m. Sunday, officers responded to a report of a break-and-enter in the 9500 block of Highway 97. An entire gun safe containing 17 rifles and five handguns was stolen from a shed...
Judge throws cold water on this short cut police use to get warrants
LAKE COUNTRY - Police in B.C. may find it a little tougher to obtain a search warrant after a B.C. Supreme Court justice in the Okanagan put a roadblock on a common short cut used by police for years. Justice Gary Weatherill tossed out a search warrant in a Lake Country pot case Oct. 23,...
Vernon RCMP seek victims of early morning theft from vehicles
VERNON - If items went missing from your car overnight, there’s a chance police have both the culprit and your belongings. Just before 8 a.m. Wednesday morning, police were called to the 900 block of Waddington Drive, where two employees caught a man rummaging through a staff vehicle. The suspect was flipping through papers and...
Suspicious Vernon fires are back
VERNON - A recent spike in suspicious fire activity has the community wondering if Vernon’s alleged serial arsonist is back. The city was hit with over 20 suspected arsons during the summer, from burnt grandstands to torched boats, but there hadn’t been any new fires since September until recently. A construction site suspiciously caught fire...
Vernon man arrested for splattering blood on Tim Hortons customers
VERNON - A man is in custody following a bizarre incident at a Vernon restaurant Saturday afternoon. Police say he was intentionally splattering people with his blood around 1:37 p.m. at the Tim Hortons on 58 Avenue near Walmart. “He had a cut on his hand and was just flicking blood... in the direction of...