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Columbia Valley RCMP Report
By Sgt. Bob Vatamaniuck
Over the past week the Columbia Valley RCMP responded to about 60 calls for service. The following is a small sample.
Little benefit from confronting road ragers
During the afternoon hours of September 12, someone attended the detachment to report a road rage event. The young man said that he honked his horn at another vehicle while at a traffic light in downtown Invermere because the vehicle was not proceeding when the light turned green. The driver of the vehicle in front of him proceeded to give the young man some sign language that comprised of only using one finger. At that time both vehicles went on their own way. A few minutes later the man was pumping some gas at a local store and the other driver drove past and proceeded to utilize the sign language again. This time the young man followed the vehicle and they confronted each other on the side of the road. However, when the confrontation began a male passenger carrying some bear spray got out of the ‘sign language car’ and approached the young man. This ended the confrontation and the male attended the detachment to report the event. Police remind individuals to not follow other vehicles out of frustration as little benefit can emerge from such a confrontation.
Trespassing at Panorama
During the morning hours of September 13 there was a report to the RCMP claiming there have been ongoing issues with people cutting the locks on a private entrance near Panorama Mountain Resort; this could be done to possibly to hunt on Panorama property or collect firewood.
No one was seen cutting the locks or trespassing and no evidence was left at the scene. The property owners promised that the locks and fence will be reinforced and there will be signs advising of no public access to entrance in attempts to warn and deter future gate vandals. If the trespassing persists the culprits will be caught and charges could arise from the continued damage and trespassing.
Stunt driver arrested in Radium
During the Columbia Valley Classics Car Show and Shine in Radium Hot Springs on September 16, a RCMP member was in an unmarked police vehicle filling up with fuel when he overheard a male telling a group of people that he had been doing burnouts all throughout Radium and people have been cheering. As it happened, the RCMP member and this young man left the gas station parking lot at the same time. It is important to realize that hundreds of people had set up lawn chairs to watch the hundreds of classic cars drive by which were in town for the annual Show and Shine Car Show. The young man, not realizing that police were watching, then came to a full stop with no traffic immediately in front of him and spun his tires while keeping the vehicle stationary (brake stand) causing a cloud of smoke to build before letting go of the brakes and proceeding forward while his tires were spinning. The young male then drove approximately 50-metres down the road before doing the same thing again. This time the rear end of the vehicle slid out to the right causing the front end of the vehicle to point toward oncoming traffic. This second burn out was longer and caused a larger cloud of smoke. The RCMP member witnessed both brake stands and felt that this behaviour was an immediate safety concern to all those watching only feet away, as well as to the oncoming traffic. The male was confronted by police and ticketed under the Motor Vehicle Act for Driving without Due Care and Attention. The dangerous behaviour also led to his vehicle being impounded for Stunt Driving. Everyone watching was fortunate that he did not lose complete control of the vehicle.
Fight at local hotel
During the morning hours of September 18, RCMP was dispatched to a disturbance at a local hotel. Two women were fighting and staff required assistance. The members attended and spoke with an employee, who showed the police some scratches that were suffered as a result of trying to break up the fight; fortunately the employee was not badly hurt and no medical attention was required.
As it turned out one of the female guests requested hotel assistance to get into a room she was staying at with her friend. Once inside the room one woman attacked the other and the women started to physically fight inside the room. Subsequently the staff tried to intervene and were slightly injured. Hotel staff requested that the instigator of the fight be removed from the property by police while the other woman be relocated to a new room as she was not an issue. RCMP attended the room and arrested the aggressor for assault. The intoxicated female was lodged in cells until she was sober and released with no charges after explaining she was no longer welcome back to the hotel.
Sgt. Bob’s notes
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone in the Columbia Valley for the tremendous warm welcome my family and I have received since we have moved to the area. As the article mentioned last week, we are so excited to be Columbia Valley residents and are looking forward to enjoying and participating in the sincere sense of community that the valley is famous for.
I am continuing to learn and get accustomed to my new posting. This recent posting back to a uniform role takes me back to when I first started with the RCMP. My first police car was one of those blue and white ones (I think it’s in a museum somewhere) with two red cherries on the roof for emergency lights. There was a CB radio and one switch to turn on the emergency equipment. Now, just a couple of days ago, I got into a car and had to get a constable to show me what all the buttons were for. In fact, I had to get him to show me how to turn on the vehicle computer; I did not even know how to turn it on. Sometimes you just have to eat humble pie and ask for help. With that said, by the time my shift ended, I was too embarrassed to ask him how to turn it off.
– Sgt. Bob Vatamaniuck is the new Commander of the Columbia Valley RCMP Detachment.
