Submitted by  Sgt. Darren Kakuno

Detachment Commander

Columbia Valley RCMP

This past week, Nov. 15 through Nov. 21, the Columbia Valley RCMP responded to 81 calls for service. The following is a summary of some of the files our officers responded to.

• On Tuesday, Nov. 16, a resident of Panorama discovered someone had gone through his unlocked vehicle and stole a Dell laptop computer and a Canon D6 camera. The theft occurred sometime during the previous night.

• On Wednesday, Nov. 17, a resident in Radium Hot Springs reported someone had accessed their shed and stole a number of DVD’s, clothes and a Wii gaming console. An officer attended the scene and seized evidence for forensic examination.

• On Wednesday, Nov. 17, a white Ford F350 was reported stolen from a parking lot in the industrial area of Invermere. On Thursday, Nov. 18, Columbia Valley RCMP members located the stolen truck on a property near Dry Gulch. An adult male was detained for investigation of the stolen truck and arrested on outstanding warrants. The man was held in custody and released before a Judge the following day.

• On Thursday, Nov. 18, at about 8 p.m. Columbia Valley RCMP received a report of a motor vehicle incident on Highway 93 near Kootenay Crossing in Kootenay National Park. An officer arrived to find a commercial transport truck had jackknifed and was obstructing traffic. The truck was towed from the highway and traffic was allowed to proceed.

• On Saturday, Nov. 20, at about 11 p.m., an officer noticed a vehicle travelling at a high rate of speed on Highway 93/95 near Windermere. The officer conducted a traffic stop with the driver and read a mandatory roadside breath demand. The driver complied with the demand and provided two breath samples, both of which resulted in fails. As a result, the driver was issued a 90-day Immediate Roadside Driving Prohibition and his vehicle was impounded for 30-days.

• On Sunday, Nov. 21, at about 2:30 p.m. Columbia Valley RCMP members were advised by Golden RCMP that a stolen F150 was spotted travelling south on Highway 95. Shortly after 5 p.m., officers located the stolen truck on Highway 93/95 near Fairmont Hot Springs. The Columbia Valley officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop with the truck and the driver fled from police. The decision was made not to pursue the truck out of concern for public safety. Later in the evening, the officers located the stolen truck at a business in Fairmont Hot Springs and, following a search of the area, located the female driver. The adult female was arrested for possession of stolen property and held in custody to be brought before a judge.