Submitted by  Sgt. Darren Kakuno
Detachment Commander
Columbia Valley RCMP

This past week, Aug. 2 through Aug. 8, the Columbia Valley RCMP responded to 106 calls for service. The following is a summary of some of the files our officers responded to.

•On Monday, Aug. 2, at about 4 p.m., Columbia Valley RCMP responded to a single vehicle collision on Highway 93 approximately 8 km east of Radium Hot Springs. The driver of a BMW X5 failed to negotiate a curve in the highway and went off the road, rolling the vehicle onto its side. The driver, and lone occupant, was uninjured. 

•On Tuesday, Aug. 3, at about midnight, the RCMP and fire department received a report of squatters starting a campfire in a wooded area behind the Castle Rock Subdivision in Invermere. An officer attended and confirmed the camper had started a campfire contrary to restrictions and issued the individual a $1,150 violation ticket. 

•On Tuesday, Aug. 3, emergency crews responded to a two vehicle collision involving a Honda Civic and a GMC van. Both vehicles were northbound on Highway 93/95 when the driver of the Honda Civic attempted to make a left turn into a viewpoint pullout. The driver of the GMC van was unable to stop in time and collided into the rear of the Honda, then drove off the road and down an embankment. None of the occupants were seriously injured. The driver of the van was issued a violation ticket for following too close. 

•On Tuesday, Aug. 3, at 8:20 p.m., emergency crews responded to a collision involving a vehicle and a cyclist on Highway 93/95 in Fairmont The driver of the vehicle remained on scene and cooperated with the investigation. Witnesses reported the cyclist had suddenly pulled onto the highway from behind a barrier. The vehicle had tried to swerve to avoid the cyclist but ended up striking the individual. The cyclist was transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. 

•On Wednesday, Aug. 4, a resident on Highway 93/95 in Fairmont Hot Springs discovered someone had entered his shed and stole numerous Dewalt and Makita cordless tools. 

•On Wednesday, Aug. 4, RCMP assisted the fire department with a report of a campfire at a property on 10th Avenue in Invermere. The individual was issued a $1,150 fine for failing to comply with fire restrictions.

•On Sunday, Aug. 8, several thefts from unlocked vehicles were reported in Windermere and Invermere. An unlocked vehicle was accessed on Osprey Point and two sets of golf clubs were stolen. Wallets were stolen out of a Subaru Forester and an F150 in Invermere, and sunglasses were stolen from an unlocked Audi. A credit card from one of the stolen wallets was used in Calgary later the same morning.