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Police
Man arrested following taser incident
VERNON - An altercation involving a man with a taser at Lake City Casino led to an arrest last week in Vernon. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says officers were notified of a man with a weapon at the casino around 11:30 p.m. Friday. “Our officers attend and learned there was a minor altercation with a...
Vernon officials investigate suspicious backyard grass fire
VERNON - Authorities in Vernon are investigating another suspicious fire, this time in a resident’s backyard. Fire crews were called to the 800 block of Mt. Bulman Place about 2 a.m. Monday to fight a backyard grass fire. Deputy fire chief Jack Blair says the fire was quickly contained and the only damage was to...
Mounties exhaust ground search in Samantha Paul investigation
KAMLOOPS - Mounties have wrapped up their search for clues in the death of Samantha Paul near White Lake and Campbell Lake but they aren't saying much about what they found. Cpl. Cheryl Bush said in a release today they discovered some skeletal remains which they believe are Paul's. She was reported missing in September...
RCMP: Pressure for emergency services reaches unprecedented level over long weekend
PENTICTON - RCMP said the pressure Boonstock put on emergency services over the long weekend was taken to unprecedented levels. In a statement released Wednesday, Const. Kris Clark said the large number of overdoses and the death of a 24-year-old Alberta woman caused “alarm for the overwhelmed emergency and security operations”. RCMP provided additional resources...
Cause of barn blaze remains unknown
VERNON - What caused a Vernon barn to go up in flames remains a mystery. Police and the Vernon Fire Department continue to investigate the cause of last Thursday’s blaze on the outskirts of Vernon at a property in the 1100 block of Pottery Road. Deputy fire chief Jack Blair says investigators have combed through the...
UPDATE: Head-on crash sends 4 to hospital
VERNON – The investigation continues into the cause of a head-on collision on Highway 97 south of Vernon near the landfill. A large SUV towing a camper trailer and an SUV crossover hit near Westridge Road around 6:00 a.m. Thursday. Four people were rushed to Vernon Jubilee Hospital with traumatic but non-life threatening injuries, according...
Semi driver ok after flipping rig on Highway 97
VERNON - A semi-driver rolled his rig into the ditch on Highway 97 near O’Keefe Ranch just after 3 p.m. Tuesday. The driver, John Groot, says he was coming up the hill just past O’Keefe Ranch towards Vernon when another vehicle cut right in front of him. “I thought it was kind of close so...
Pilot of downed plane walks from crash site
VERNON - The pilot of a plane that crashed somewhere in the woods off Westside Road has been taken to hospital with undetermined injuries. Reports of a downed aircraft in the Six Mile Creek area on the west side of Okanagan Lake came in around 6:45 p.m. Monday. Emergency officials, and several nearby residents who...
Osoyoos RCMP deal with vehicle-related crime
OSOYOOS - Osoyoos RCMP had a weekend full of vehicle-related crimes, varying from car accidents to drug possession. On Saturday, July 26 a vehicle pulling a boat hit a deer while driving on Highway 3. The car was pushed from the right lane to the left, and another car heading in the fast lane was...
Some Vernon drivers have lead-foot syndrome
VERNON - A trio of novice drivers were each whacked with $483 fines this weekend for excessive speeding downtown Vernon. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says it appears the three individuals were racing each other down 27 Street around 8 p.m. Sunday. Two were in cars — a blue Honda Prelude and a red Mustang —...
Police warn gangsters to avoid Kelowna this weekend
KELOWNA – With one of the city’s biggest festivals taking place in downtown Kelowna this weekend, local RCMP are once again issuing a public warning to gang members planning to take part. Sgt. Lindsey Houghton of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit says every year gangs are drawn to the Okanagan, but they are not...
How an Italian woman in a rental car got to meet Vernon RCMP
VERNON - A tourist got herself in some trouble Sunday night in Vernon when she failed to yield to an oncoming vehicle. The Italian woman was driving a rented Kia car in the area of 27 Street and 53 Avenue around 10 p.m. She didn’t notice a Chevy Tracker in the roadway in front of...
Thank-you cards left on police cruisers = day made
VERNON - The hearts of several Vernon cops were warmed earlier this month when they found anonymous thank-you cards tucked on the front windshields of their cruisers. “You know who you are, but we don’t,” RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says of the mystery author. It was July 11 and 12 when officers found the thank-you...
Local bee keeper stung by recent theft
VERNON - Thieves made off with a sweet score last week in Coldstream — bee hives. The bee-keeper notified police July 18 that five of his beehives had been stolen from the 7900 block of McClounie Road. Each hive weighed between 100-300 pounds and were worth at least $3,000 altogether. Long term, the hives would...
Teen arrested for arson in connection with townhouse fire
VERNON - A teenager has been arrested for arson in connection with a townhouse fire that sent residents fleeing the building. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says a 19-year-old man residing in the 44 Street townhouse will appear in court Friday on charges of arson with disregard for human life. Fire officials said the blaze erupted...
Police continue search for evidence after cyclist shooting
SPENCES BRIDGE – Police are searching for evidence relating to the investigation of a shooting which injured a Burnaby cyclist during the Cache Creek 600 cycling marathon. Craig Premack, 59, was shot on the side of the highway near Spences Bridge when he was biking the overnight marathon around 1 a.m. on June 1. The suspect allegedly...
Police identify longboarder killed in crash
VERNON - Police have identified the Vernon teen who died in a tragic longboarding accident Sunday night. “We have been in touch with his family,” RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says. “It’s very devastating.” The 17-year-old, who was rushed to hospital in critical condition, had no ID on him and his family did not immediately come...
Thefts and fires in Osoyoos can be easily avoided
OSOYOOS - RCMP say the biggest problems in Osoyoos are ones that can be avoided with a little extra care. There have been numerous thefts from unlocked vehicles and sheds, and unlocked vehicles with keys left inside. Two dirt bikes and a motorcycle were stolen from a locked, detached garage in the Spruce Court area...
UPDATE: Man dead after leap from moving vehicle
KELOWNA – There are more questions than answers following the death of a Kelowna man who jumped from a moving car on Saturday morning. Victor John Doyle, 23, of Kelowna was riding in the passenger side when, according to the RCMP, he “unexpectedly” leapt from the vehicle on Glenmore Road near Union Road. Doyle was...
Kin Race Track fire considered suspicious
VERNON - Authorities are treating a fire at Kin Race Track as suspicious, just the latest in a long string of dozens of suspicious fires in the community. The Wednesday night blaze destroyed the grandstands overlooking the race track, leaving a charred and unstable structure too dangerous for investigators to enter. “We haven’t even been...
Fire destroys Kin Race Track grandstands
VERNON - Fire knocked down the grandstands at Kin Race Track Wednesday night, drawing response from the Vernon Fire Department and police. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says an officer noticed the large cloud of smoke billowing from the fire around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday. By that time, fire trucks were also on their way. The grandstands...
RCMP vow to keep Penticton safe during Boonstock
PENTICTON - RCMP continue to work with Boonstock organizers to ensure concertgoers and the general public will stay safe during the August long weekend. Boonstock organizers shared an updated version of their security plan with RCMP after a new security company was hired to run the event. RCMP are not required to approve the plan,...
Caution advised after Armstrong mail boxes broken into
ARMSTRONG - Police are asking the public to watch for unusual activity after a set of mail boxes were broken into in the Armstrong area. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says numerous mail boxes at the corner of Lansdowne Road and McLeery Road in Armstrong were tampered with Monday morning. The damage was reported around 8...
Semi-legal marijuana grow operators arrested
VERNON - Police believe a North Okanagan couple was stealing electricity from B.C. Hydro to power their legal medical marijuana grow-op. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says a man and woman, both 39, were arrested after police executed a search warrant at 1645 Simons Road in Spallumcheen. The investigation between police and B.C. Hydro began in...