By Sgt. Bob Vatamaniuck

The past week saw the Columbia Valley RCMP detachment receive about 40 calls for service. The following is a small sample of those calls.

Tractor swerve ends in crash

On January 24, at approximately 1:10 p.m., Columbia Valley RCMP received a complaint that there was a two-vehicle accident on the road in Fairmont Hot Springs. Police immediately attended and quickly determined that no one was injured as a result of the collision. Upon further investigation RCMP saw a grey Toyota Sienna in the ditch and a nearby tractor. The driver of the tractor reported that he was reversing onto the road when he saw the minivan swerve to miss the tractor and subsequently drive into the ditch and hit a tree across from a residence.

The driver and owner of the Toyota was spoken to. He reported that he was travelling south when he hit the brakes and swerved to miss the tractor, which had emerged onto the road. As a result of the swerve, he said that he ended up in the ditch and could not avoid colliding with a nearby tree; he further claimed that the tractor was across both lanes of the road when he had to swerve and brake.  The roads were compact snow, covered with sand, and there were sections of exposed ice underneath the snow.  The Toyota was not drivable and was subsequently towed.  No charges were laid because of the road conditions.

Early morning DUI

During the very early morning hours of January 29 Columbia Valley RCMP was conducting a roadblock in Invermere. During the roadblock, RCMP confronted the driver of a Jeep Patriot. The driver had glassy eyes and his breath smelled of liquor. Furthermore, the driver admitted to drinking prior to driving.  The driver provided two breath samples into a roadside screening device and both registered a ‘FAIL’ reading. Consequently, the driver lost his licence for 90 days while at the same time his vehicle was impounded for 30 days.

House hit by paintball

Later that day, a resident of Radium Hot Springs contacted Columbia Valley RCMP to report that a house appeared to have been hit with a paintball. Given the proximity of the house to a small green space the homeowner suspected someone may have been trying to hit a deer with the paint. RCMP attended to the scene and noted that only one paintball hit the house while another one ricocheted off a nearby canoe, and a few others hit the ground just shy of a garage. This does not appear to be a targeted incident.  Although a paintball gun is not considered a firearm for its intended purposes, police remind those that use the tool to be sure of your target and what lays beyond your target as if you cause property damage you could be charged with mischief under the Criminal Code.

– Sgt. Bob Vatamaniuck is Columbia Valley RCMP Detachment Commander

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