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Columbia Valley RCMP Report
By Cpl. Brent Ayers
This past week, March 19 through to the 25, Columbia Valley RCMP responded to approximately 54 calls for service. In 2017 there were 36 calls for service. Here are a few examples of some of the files that were dealt with by our officers.
Unruly drunk spends night in cells
On March 19, just after 10 p.m., the Columbia Valley Detachment received a complaint through Kelowna dispatch from an intoxicated male who was stating that he put down $100 on the bar, was only served one beer, and then physically removed.
The intoxicated male said which bar he was at in Invermere. Dispatch reported that the male was hard to understand. Two members of the Columbia Valley RCMP attended and spoke to the identified intoxicated male.
The adult male was angry and said that the bar owes him a beer. Officers tried to reason with him, advising him to talk to the manager in the morning; however, the male continued to be unreasonable.
It was quickly evident that the male was becoming more and more agitated and obviously unable to care for himself. The male was arrested for being intoxicated in a public place. He repeatedly asked why he was being arrested, and was told, repeatedly. However, he did not seem to get it.
The bar manager reported that a friend had pre-purchased two beers for the male earlier and then left. The manager reported that the male started bothering other customers by going up to them. The manager did not serve the male his last drink. The manager said that the male is banned from the bar.
The male was brought back to the Columbia Valley Detachment for safety and concerns of continuation. Upon being brought into the drunk tank, the hand-cuffs were taken off the male in order to do a safety search of loose clothing and at this time the male refused to cooperate and resisted completely.
After many attempts of trying to reason with this subject the primary investigating officer had no other option other than to arrest him for resisting arrest. The subject was successfully subdued jointly by the female and male officers without injury to either one of the officers or the intoxicated male.
Upon sobering up in the morning the male was released from cells after being given a violation ticket for being intoxicated in a public place. Section 74(1)of the Liquor Control and Licensing Act, $115 fine. The subject was further banned from attending that specific bar as per direction from the Management. So… the moral of the story is self – explanatory.
Why you should report attempted B&Es
On March 20, a property owner attended the Columbia Valley detachment to report an attempted break and enter at their residence that possibly occurred on the second weekend of December, 2017.
The property owner stated that they had noticed minor damage to the garage door and it looked as if someone had attempted to jimmy it open. The property representative only wanted the file created for information purposes and had no suspects.
In these particular instances it is requested that possible attempts be reported when they are found out. In this instance even though attendance was not made and there is no evidence it is information that could be important. There are several of us at this detachment who do keep tabs of areas of concern within the valley and provide patrols of potential problem areas, time permitting.
If you are away or an out of town seasonal owner it is beneficial if a patrol is made on occasion of your property. There are services available within the valley that do provide seasonal property checks for a nominal fee, which at times is worth the peace of mind.
Diligent officer reels in subject with outstanding warrants
On March 20 at 8:50 a.m., a diligent officer with the Columbia Valley RCMP Detachment was on duty in an unmarked police SUV when he pulled up behind a B.C. registered vehicle close to the intersection of Highway 93/95 and Capilo Way, just north of Invermere.
The vehicle plate was queried in order to confirm the validity of the vehicle’s registration. The license plate query listed the registered owner / driver who lived in Invermere. Queries of the driver listed unendorsed warrants out of Edmonton, Alberta from 2007 for drug trafficking charges. Due to traffic flow the officer had to fall back, but was able to initiate a traffic stop approximately 100 metres south of the intersection of Hwy 95/95 and Athalmer Road.
The lone occupant identified themselves both verbally and through providing a valid B.C. driver’s license. The driver was advised of the outstanding warrants, to which the driver stated they understood and seemed to be aware of.
The driver accompanied the police officer back to the police vehicle where they were arrested for the charges and provided their Charter of Rights. They were then transported back to the detachment, placed in cells, pending a bail hearing once everything was confirmed with Edmonton Police Service, and they exercised their right to speak with Counsel in private.
A Bail Hearing was commenced and the subject was remanded under s.503(3)CC by a Judicial Justice of the Peace for the Province of BC. A Justice of the Peace can only hold the subject for a maximum of six days to have Alberta Sheriffs attend the detachment to execute their warrants and transport the subject back to Alberta.
These things happen from time-to-time, even on old charges. Just because a subject has been charged, and has warrants for their arrest, does not mean that they are guilty of the offence and will be up to the courts to determine by way of a fair trial.
Spring is here supposedly; still another week of vacation for many. Enjoy the family time!
– Cpl. Brent Ayers is Acting Commander of the Columbia Valley RCMP Detachment
