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Theft
Dragon’s head, bracelets stolen in Osoyoos
OSOYOOS - A couple of unique items have gone missing, along with cash, following break and enters at two businesses in Osoyoos this week. The first occurred on Dec. 20 at Wander Home Furniture store where a small amount of cash and a large ornamental wood dragon’s head were taken. Two days later several bracelets,...
Kelowna family devastated as keepsakes, presents stolen days before Christmas
KELOWNA – When Jenny Beston got home from work Monday evening, an RCMP officer was standing outside her open front door. And her heart sank. Her first thought was that something terrible happened. Her husband Jason is working out of town and as far as she knew, her two kids, ages eight and five, were...
UPDATE: Masked thieves hit storage lockers in Sun Rivers
HAVE POLICE RECOVERED YOUR STUFF? KAMLOOPS — Police are looking for three people wearing masks who broke into several storage units in Sun Rivers early this morning. Police say the thieves got into 16 storage lockers in the storage rooms for three apartments on Talasa Way. They used bolt cutters to open the lockers but...
$400,000 worth helicopter parts stolen in West Kelowna worthless to thief: police
WEST KELOWNA - Someone has made off with $400,000 worth of helicopter parts from the back of a van in West Kelowna but police say they're worthless to the thief. Alpine Helicopters reported the theft to the RCMP on Saturday, saying 31 helicopter parts in several boxes were taken. Jill Seaton, the company's chief financial...
$20,000 worth of pro camera equipment reported stolen
KELOWNA – An early morning break and enter has cost a Kelowna camera store close to $20,000 in professional equipment. The theft happened at Lens and Shutter on Harvey Ave. around 4 a.m. Wednesday morning. Store manager Jaime Paniagua says he found out about the theft when the security company called and told him three...
Former accountant handed jail time for fraud schemes in Vernon
"IT MAKES ME WONDER HOW I FELL FOR HER THE LAST TIME:" JUDGE VERNON - A former accountant who tried to cash a forged cheque grew more sophisticated in her ploys since her last court appearance for fraud, a Vernon provincial court judge said. Abigail Marie Mcelman, 36, was arrested at Vernon’s Venue Financial Centre...
Strange sight prompts call to Vernon RCMP
VERNON - Two men pulling a trailer with a quad on it by hand, late at night, drew some unwanted attention to themselves. A good citizen noticed the unusual scene at 16 Street and 30 Avenue and tipped off police around 11:20 p.m. Friday. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says police went to the area and...
Store owner wants shoplifters to know they’re being watched
PENTICTON - A downtown shop owner has caught another two thieves robbing his store in the last week by posting surveillance footage on Facebook. Leigh Follestad, owner of SmartShopper on Main Street, has been hit several times, but he wants them to know that if they’re going to steal from him, he will put their face...
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...
Former teacher pays price for theft
PENTICTON - A former Osoyoos school teacher got a conditional sentence after embezzling $42,000 from the Osoyoos Rural Fire Protection District, the organization for which he was a volunteer secretary treasurer. Michael R. McWhinnie, born in 1946, appeared in Penticton Provincial Court Monday where he was sentenced by Judge Gregory Koturbash to a 12-month conditional...
RCMP report nine break-ins and thefts in five days
PENTICTON - There's been a recent rash of break-ins and thefts over the past week and Mounties believe some may be linked. Police responded to eight break-ins between Friday, Oct. 17 and Monday, Oct. 20. Six of the break-ins happened in apartment building laundry rooms. The unknown suspects broke into and damaged coin-operated laundry machines...
Two cars stolen from North Shore home Tuesday night
KAMLOOPS – RCMP officers are following up on a report of two vehicles stolen last night from a North Shore residence. Kamloops RCMP Cpl. Cheryl Bush says officers received a call around 6 a.m. Wednesday. A 2004 black Dodge 2500 and a 2004 grey Grand Prix were stolen from a residence on the 1000 block...
Social media comes to the rescue in robbery of local shop
PENTICTON - Social media came to the rescue once again for a local shop owner who was able to confront the man who stole from him. Leigh Follestad, owner of SmartShopper on Main Street, posted to Facebook footage from security cameras of a man stealing form his store Tuesday night. Someone saw the video and...
RCMP see surge in thefts due to residents’ negligence
KELOWNA – Calling it a “crime of opportunity” Mounties are advising Kelowna residents to keep doors and windows locked when leaving home; thieves are taking advantage of those who fail to do so. Unlocked doors and open windows have led to a surge of break-and-enter cases in the city, with officers noting most offenses in...
Two Boonstock security guards fired for attempted liquor theft
PENTICTON - Two 24-7 Security employees appear to have been fired after they were were caught on security camera allegedly trying to steal liquor from Last Call Liquor Mart on Saturday. Navneet Dhaliwal, a principal at the company in control of Boonstock's security, posted to Facebook that the two men have been fired. "We need...
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...
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...
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...
Thieves targeted non-profit 11 times in a month
KAMLOOPS – “Frustrating” and “disheartening” are two words Jan Lingford uses to describe thieves targeting the disadvantaged. The executive director of the Kamloops Habitat for Humanity non-profit says thieves stole from the branch’s supply storage facility 11 times last month. Copper, aluminum, and steel – metals the organization uses to build houses for those who...
RCMP ride UTVs and respond to crime spikes
OSOYOOS — RCMP have responded to a spike in thefts from vehicles in the Osoyoos area over the last couple of weeks. While many of the vehicles were unlocked, RCMP are reminded people to make sure their cars are locked and no valuables are in sight. And as some people are stealing from cars, others...
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...
Leaded gloves used to assault her victim
KAMLOOPS – A local woman with a lengthy criminal record will have her sentencing for two separate guilty pleas in June. Mary Lynn Dyson, born in 1984, is facing sentencing from two separate incidents. The first is from a break and enter in 2012. For her involvement, Dyson was charged with assault, use of weapon,...
Fraud trial for former city councillor, treasurer set for 2015
KAMLOOPS - A former city councillor charged with fraud, two counts of theft over $5,000 and breach of trust is set for trial next summer. The 15-day trial of Joe Leong is scheduled 15 days beginning Aug. 15, 2015. Leong was charged after the Kamloops Heritage Railway Society discovered $100,000 was missing from the society...
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...