By Sgt. Bob Vatamaniuck

This week the Columbia Valley RCMP responded to about 50 calls for service; last year that number landed on 70. The following is a summary of a couple of the more interesting calls.

Three-day driving prohibition in Radium

On November 27, at about 9:30 p.m., Columbia Valley RCMP was on routine patrol in Radium Hot Springs when an officer noted an older style Jeep leave the downtown core of the village. The vehicle was noted to be crossing the centre line, which essentially led it to be travelling down the middle of the road. The vehicle was pulled over and the driver spoken with and they admitted to consuming some beer prior to driving. In addition to admitting he had drank beer, he displayed glossy eyes and there was an odour of liquor coming from the vehicle.

The officers believed he may be too impaired to drive and therefore demanded he provide samples of his breath into a screening device. The driver ultimately agreed and those samples were analyzed as “Warn.” Consequently, his driver’s licence was seized and he was prohibited from driving for three days.  The driver had a sober friend come and get the vehicle; perhaps something that could have been considered before he got behind the wheel.

Too much wine before picking up teenage child

During the evening hours of November 30 Columbia Valley RCMP was on patrol in Invermere when an officer noted a small sedan approach a stop sign and make a turn without signalling.

The officer initiated a traffic stop and approached the driver to educate her on the importance of using her signal lights. As the officer spoke to the driver he could smell liquor on her breath and consequently asked her if she had anything to drink prior to driving. The driver admitted to having some wine before she went to pick up her teenage son who was also a passenger in the vehicle. She was demanded to provide samples of her breath into a screening device and she complied. Both samples were analyzed as “Fail.” Subsequently, she is prohibited from driving for 90 days while her vehicle was towed and seized for 30 days.

Unlocked vehicle plundered of Christmas shopping items

On November 30, at about 9 p.m., Columbia Valley RCMP received a call from a complainant in Invermere reporting that a bag of belongings was taken form a car that was unlocked while parked in an underground parking lot. The taken items included a Lulu Lemon reusable shopping bag with a pair of black Lulu Lemon pants, Lulu Lemon burgundy top, Roots grey sweat pants, black under armour shorts and some make up. The items were valued at about $500. If you are going to be doing some Christmas shopping please make sure your items are out of sight and your vehicle is locked when you are leaving it anywhere for a period of time.

Thanks for helping make Cram the Cruiser a success

This last weekend we participated in a Cram the Cruiser for the Christmas Bureau and it was resounding success. I want to thank all those who came by to drop off a toy and those who stopped for a visit. I received a lot of feedback; some good, some bad, and I appreciate it all. Although we are trying the best we can, there is always room for improvement.

Cram the Cruiser will be at Holiday Train Dec. 13

We will be having one more Cram the Cruiser event before Christmas. On December 13 the RCMP and the Columbia Valley Food Bank will have the cruiser at the CP Holiday Train in Radium Hot Springs. It is a wonderful event for the family and we are asking everyone that comes to please bring a non-perishable food item for the Food Bank so we can ‘Cram the Cruiser’ and help those that need a hand up.

– Sgt. Bob Vatamaniuck is commander of the Columbia Valley RCMP Detachment.

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