Corporal Jeff Witzke

Columbia Valley RCMP

This past week, August 7 to 13, 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 Tuesday Aug. 8, police responded to a stolen vehicle in Invermere. The owner was sitting in the living room just after 10 p.m. when they heard their vehicle back out of the driveway. Initial patrols were negative, but on August 13 an observant citizen reported a suspicious vehicle matching the description nearby. Members attended and confirmed it was the stolen vehicle. It was promptly returned to its grateful owner with no damage. 

That same night, another vehicle was located after a minor collision with a well-built fence. Initially thought to be an impaired driver, further investigation led to the discovery that the vehicle had been stolen. 

The vehicle was inspected for fingerprints with negative results and returned to the owner. No suspects have been identified. 

The RCMP would like to remind everyone to make sure to lock up your vehicles and do not leave the keys or any valuables inside.

On Sunday, Aug. 13 members were on patrol when they noted a suspicious vehicle fail to stop at a controlled intersection. 

Officers began to follow the vehicle and were about to attempt a traffic stop when the vehicle took off and tried to evade the police. A brief pursuit was initiated, however, it was over quickly as the suspect’s vehicle appeared to have blown the transmission and coasted to a stop. The  driver was arrested for failing to stop and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle.