By Cpl. L-P. Gendron-Fafard

This past week, July 9 through to July 15, the Columbia Valley RCMP responded to 73 calls for service. Here are a few examples that were handled by our General Duty officers of the Columbia Valley RCMP this week.

Prohibited from driving and impaired driving investigation

On July 8, one of our officers recognized a male with a driving prohibition who was operating his vehicle at a local grocery store in Invermere.

On July 9, as our officer was now on shift he intended to attend the place of work of the driver to serve him some paperwork. To the officer’s surprise, the male drove the same vehicle by him. The driver was stopped and was arrested for prohibited driving. The driver had a six pack of beer in his vehicle with one of the cans was open and half full. The driver had also an odour of liquor on his breath and an impaired driving investigation was initiated. A breath sample was obtained and displayed that a very low amount of liquor had been consumed. The driver later indicated that the half full beer was his first beer of the day.

Hot dog complaint

On June 13, Columbia Valley RCMP received a complaint of a dog locked in a vehicle outside of a local pub in Invermere. The temperature at the time was in the low 30s and the dog was barking in the vehicle. Once on scene, the officer located the owner, who explained that the vehicle should have been running temporarily with the air conditioning but the remote starter on the vehicle did not function properly. The owner was cautioned against this practice by our officer.

Impaired on the boat launch

On the evening July 13, one of our officers was on patrol in Canal Flats by the boat launch on Columbia Lake. The officer observed a driver pull out a boat from the lake and spoke with the driver once the vehicle was parked. The driver indicated that he had consumed liquor and had his last sip while removing the boat from the water. The officer obtained breath samples from the driver that were higher than the provincial set limit. The driver’s licence was suspended for three days.

Hit and run collision with a pedestrian

On July 14, at approximately 12:12 p.m., a collision between a pedestrian and a vehicle occurred in Invermere.

The pedestrian was walking east bound on the north side of Athalmer Road when she was struck by a vehicle as she attempted to cross the road to get onto the north/west island at the intersection. The vehicle in question appeared to be an older model white Ford Explorer with Alberta licence plates with the first two letters “AS”. The vehicle failed to stop to exchange information with the driver. The pedestrian had minor injuries. For any information regarding the vehicle sought or the driver, please contact our office referring to file number 2018-1724.

A little bit of everything

In the early hours of on July 14, a male and a female on a dirt bike drove through the stop sign at the intersection of 7th Ave and 13th St. in Invermere.

The dirt bike had a small flashlight attached to the front but was not allowed on the road. As the officer attempted to complete a traffic stop, the driver was swerving within his lane and ultimately made the right decision to stop not too far off from 7th Ave. The driver almost fell over while dismounting the dirt bike, but his girlfriend and the dirt bike both fell to the ground. A strong odor of liquor was obtained from his breath and the driver was arrested for impaired driving. The male, angered by the liquor he had consumed at the bar, decided to bend the police vehicle’s door by kicking it repeatedly. Once officers looked into the dirt bike, they found it to be stolen from a break and enter that occurred in Windermere in April of 2018.

Once sober, the male was ultimately released Promise to Appear for a September appearance, with a long list of recommended charges including Possession of Property obtained by Crime, Mischief to the police vehicle and Driving while prohibited as he did not have a valid driver license.

Impaired by drugs

In the early hours of July 15, a white pickup truck caught the attention of an officer when it swerved at the last minute in order to avoid a collision with the unattended police vehicle. A subsequent traffic stop revealed a 16-year-old driver who was having a bad reaction to his latest marijuana consumption.

The youth’s pickup truck was impounded for 24 hours and the licence of the driver was suspended for 24 hours as well. The youth was driven home and his mother was able to care for him.

Enjoy the warm days ahead and please leave you pets at home, not in vehicles!

– Cpl. L-P. Gendron-Fafard is a member of the Columbia Valley RCMP Detachment

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