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Police
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...
Theft stops Shuswap business in its tracks
SHUSWAP - A local business owner is calling a theft from her business planned and devastating. “They broke into the compound, smashed into the truck… moved the trailer and cut all the locks… it was planned for sure,” Barb Rivest of Shuswap Unique Adventure Tours says. “It was my whole business right there, so that...
A closer look at Vernon’s rash of arsons
TIMES AND LOCATIONS DISPLAYED ON ARSON MAP VERNON - While investigators continue to hunt for clues in a continuing series of suspected arsons, a map shows most were set within four kilometers of each other between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. The suspicious fires — set in dumpster bins, pallets, vacant homes and vehicles —...
Crime stats on the rise as cops catch more criminals, RCMP
KELOWNA – Incidents of domestic violence and other crimes are on the rise in Kelowna, but it’s not because there are more bad guys out there, the good guys are just getting better at catching them, according to RCMP Superintendent Nick Romanchuk. In his regular report to city council, Kelowna's top cop said the city saw...
New jail cell death inquest scheduled for fall
PENTICTON - A new date is set for a coroner’s inquest of a man who died in a police holding cell nearly two years ago. Steven Joseph Scott, aged 30, died Aug. 10, 2012 while in locked-up custody at the Penticton RCMP detachment. Inquests — a public presentation of evidence related to a death —...
Residents, business owners warned to take precautions against alleged arsonist
"CLEAN UP ANY PALLETS, DON'T HAVE THEM OUT AND AVAILABLE" VERNON - While authorities have determined at least some suspicious fires are not connected to a string of suspected arsons, investigators believe an arsonist is still on the loose in the city. Deputy fire chief Lawrie Skolrood, one of the lead investigators, says out of...
Trap catches excessive speeders on 97c
West Kelowna – More than half a dozen excessive speeders were stopped and their vehicles impounded during a speed trap in West Kelowna last Friday. Const. Kris Clark says seven vehicles were stopped by members of the Kelowna Integrated Road Safety Unit who were looking for aggressive drivers along Hwy. 97c on May 23. “The...
Child found in home with 11 litres of date rape drug
KELOWNA – When police raided a house in Mission last week, not only did they find a massive amount of drugs, cash and stolen property, but a two-year-old child as well. The child belongs to Desiree Kovacs, 24, one of four people arrested after a three-week investigation resulted in a search of the home that...
Carjacking and stabbing may be linked
KELOWNA – A man who stopped to help what he thought were stranded motorists was instead beaten and had his car stolen Tuesday morning. RCMP Const. Kris Clark says the man stopped on Gordon Dr. at around 6 a.m. after he saw three men and one woman pulled to the side of the road. “When...
Home invasion suspects arrested after standoff with RCMP
KELOWNA - A pair of suspects accused of an armed home invasion were arrested Monday following several hours of negotiation outside a home on Bernard Ave. The men are accused of breaking into a home on Findlay Road and robbing at gun point a 41-year-old Kelowna man who was sleeping in his home early Monday...
Make May long-weekend a safe one
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – Government agencies are advising May long-weekend travelers to remain safe and informed when planning vacation trips. ICBC reports, on average, a total of 1700 crashes occur on the long-weekend. Drivers are advised to plan trips ahead and avoid rushing to a destination. Police will target high-risk behaviours such as speeding, failing to yield,...
Screams deter would-be robber
KAMLOOPS — A woman's screams warded off an armed man who tried to rob her Sunday evening. The woman was talking on her phone while waiting for the bus on Columbia Avenue near Greenstone Drive around 7 p.m. on Mother’s Day when a man with a knife demanded she hand over her purse and phone....
Police looking for alleged groper
KAMLOOPS - A police hunt was launched after a man allegedly groped another man near Kitchner Crescent during the lunch hour Friday. Kamloops RCMP were told of the incident shortly after 12:30 p.m. A man was walking along the riverbank when he was approached by an unknown man. The second man spoke briefly with the...
Kamloops man turns downtown Kelowna into demolition derby
KELOWNA - A police chase on Gordon Drive was called off by Mounties in the name of public safety, but the suspect driving the SUV still managed to crash into four cars. Kelowna RCMP are still looking for the driver, who prompted the initial chase by striking vehicles at 2:30 a.m. May 1. Police were...
Shot fired into Kelowna home
KELOWNA – A large number of police as well as a helicopter were called to Southeast Kelowna Sunday afternoon after a gun was fired into a house. The incident happened at around 4 p.m. on the 1800 block of Saucier Road and Const. Kris Clark says so far their investigation leads them to believe it...
Police have ‘intelligence’ on recent string of break and enters
KAMLOOPS - Break and enters are on the rise according to Kamloops RCMP as they investigate a recent string and bump up surveillance, while encouraging the public to be cautious and observant. Since April 21 there have been a total of 12 business affected. Entry was not gained in five locations. The highest number of...