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Columbia Valley RCMP Report
By S/Sgt. Marko Shehovac
School is back
Police will be back patrolling the school zones. Watch your speed and stay off the phone. I have actually seen drivers in the school zones with kids out and about and drivers on the phone.
Cram the Cruiser
This Saturday there will be an outdoor movie night at the Legend Field in Radium Hot Springs. Organizers are requesting food items be brought in for the Food Bank. Cram the Cruiser will be there to accept food items as well as any money donation. Thanks in advance.
Boat stolen at Twin Lakes
Columbia Valley RCMP Detachment received a report of theft of a 12-foot aluminum boat with red stripes from Twin Lakes.
Canoe stolen at Canterbury Point
At noon on Sept. 4, the detachment received a report of theft of a 14-foot light blue canoe that was left at Canterbury Point in Invermere.
Disturbance complaint results in prohibition Juniper Heights
At 9:37 p.m. Sept. 4, detachment officers responded to a disturbance complaint in the area of Kpokl Road in Invermere. Officers located a 19-year-old male from Wilmer operating a vehicle displaying signs of having consumed liquor. The driver was issued a three-day driving prohibition.
Garbage bear splits
At 12:11 a.m. Sept. 5, the detachment responded to a complaint of a bear going through garbage in the area of Canyon Resort Campground, Sinclair Creek Loop Road in Radium. The bear had departed the area by the time police arrived. Patrols were negative.
Early morning; cranked tunes
At 3 a.m. Sept. 5, detachment officers responded to a noise complaint in the 4900 block of Wills Road in Fairmont Hot Springs due to the music playing too loud. Occupants cooperated and turned down the music.
Unruly male spends night in cells
At 4 a.m. Sept. 5, police responded to a disturbance complaint in the 800 block of 10th Ave. An intoxicated male was found to be part of the disturbance and it was requested that he calm down. The 31-year-old male from Invermere expressed and displayed a desire to not follow police directions to calm down. He was arrested for drunk in public and lodged in cells.
Vehicle vandalism
At 3 p.m. Sept. 5, police received a report of damage done to a 2006 Toyota Sienna on Aug 20. The passenger door of the vehicle was damaged. The owner believed the damage may have occurred in the 7000 block of Pine Cone Lane in Radium or Eagle Ranch Golf Course.
Impaired near Juniper Heights
On Sept. 6, police responded to a disturbance complaint in the 9000 block of Kimpton Road. It was determined that an adult female had departed in a GMC prior to police attending. The vehicle and the driver were later located at Kimpton and Juniper Heights. The driver displayed signs of having consumed liquor and blew a fail on the ASD. The driver was given a 90-day driving prohibition and the vehicle impounded for 30 days.
Night bear moved on
At 11:39 p.m. on Sept. 7, Radium Hot Springs Pools contacted the detachment advising that a bear was roaming the parking lot of their establishment. Pool staff kept people from going out to their cars until the bear was dealt with. Cst Sheppard attended and located the bear. Negotiations resulted in the bear moving on. For now!
Perry Mason moment
This event goes back to the ‘70s. We investigated an outdoor grow operation when we discovered a hidden underground hiding place where we discovered a number of green plastic garbage cans filled with marijuana bud.
I crawled into the underground spot and took pictures for court purposes then backed off. We continued to go back in hopes of setting up surveillance to catch the persons taking care of the plants.
Days later we returned and the plants were gone. Crawled back into the hidden place and the garbage cans with the buds were also gone. We had an idea of who owned the grow operation and we descended on the place with a search warrant.
We seized some of the marijuana and large amount of dried bud and charged the person. A number of green garbage cans were located in the front yard.
The fellow we had charged had graduated from law school and was attempting to become licensed to practice in B.C. He put on his lawyer hat and proceeded to challenge me when I told him that the empty garbage cans we are seizing from his property places him in possession of the drugs we found stored near his property.
Told him I had pictures of the garbage cans filled with marijuana bud.
His challenge went something like this. “Constable, would you agree that these green garbage cans are very typical of what is used throughout the community?” I respond yes.
“Constable, in fact would you not agree that they probably make many thousands of these garbage cans and sell them?” I respond yes.
“In fact Constable, maybe hundreds of thousands sold all over North America.” I respond yes.
“Would you agree with me Constable that the picture you took are typical of these hundreds of thousands sold?” I respond yes.
“Then Constable how is it that you can tell me that the ones you are seizing from the front yard is the same cans that you photographed with the marijuana?”
I turned the can upside down to show him and responded, “because my initial, date, and time, are on the bottom of the garbage cans.”
My Perry Mason moment!
