CRIME CLIPS: ATV and car impounded, ambulance tailgater facing charges

By Michelle Croissant

With Christmas just around the corner and weather alternating being snow and rain, local RCMP continue to caution people to be safe this season. "It is the holiday time," said Staff Sgt. Jim Harrison, "but people are reminded—don't drink and drive, as we will likely catch you...there's an excellent taxi service in town and we always tell people if you know you're going out drinking, make your plans on how you're going to get home before you have that first drink."

There were 77 reports on file with the Midway and Grand Forks RCMP detachments last week. "We're pretty constant," said Harrison.

Stolen travel trailer recovered

On Nov 30 police received a report that a 1980 Prowler travel trailer was stolen from East Lake Drive in Christina Lake. Later in the week police located an RV matching the description parked in the front yard of a house in Grand Forks."

After receiving permission to enter the front yard and checking the VIN number to confirm that it was the missing trailer, police arrested one individual for possession of stolen property. "Police are still investigating," said Harrison. "We have two other suspects to locate and deal with...we will be recommending a charge of possession of stolen property or theft—we're not sure which yet until the investigation is complete." No formal charges have been laid as of yet, so no names can be released at this point.

Quad driver facing multiple charges

On Dec 3 at 7:50 p.m. two constables on patrol were coming onto Central Ave when they noticed a person dressed in black driving a small quad on the roadway. "The ATV was driving westbound on 73rd," said Harrison," and proceeded to cross Boundary Drive into the parking lot at the Shell gas station."

The officers located the 32-year-old Grand Forks driver and discovered he was driving under suspension in BC. A recommended charge of driving while prohibited has been made. Police also laid charges of "driving with no insurance, riding without a helmet and driving without lights." The ATV was impounded.

Drunk driver suspended

On Dec 6 at 8:35 p.m. police stopped a motor vehicle on 2nd Street in Grand Forks. The driver was suspected to be under the influence of alcohol but failed to provide proper breath samples. As a result the 46-year-old Grand Forks woman was given an immediate 90-day roadside prohibition and her vehicle was impounded for 30 days. In addition, she was charged with having open liquor in the vehicle. 

Passing in icy conditions “poor decision”

On Dec 7 at 12:44 p.m. there was a report of a collision near Wilgress Lake on Hwy 3. A white 2006 Toyota Tundra heading eastbound on Hwy 3 attempted to pass a blue 2006 Nissan Armada. The Toyota driver lost control of his vehicle, striking the side of the Nissan and causing both vehicles to lose control and spin around. There was approximately $10,000 in damage to both vehicles.

The driver of the Nissan, a 39-year-old female from Robson, received minor shoulder injuries. A 52-year-old man from Elko was charged with driving too fast for road conditions. "The conditions at the time were very icy and slushy," said Harrison, "and it was obviously a poor decision to pass in those types of conditions."

Constable had “never seen anything like it in his life”

"One more of interest," said Harrison. "One of our constables—I believe it was Saturday or Sunday, I'm not sure which—advised me that he'd never seen anything like it in his life before and ended up laying a ticket." 

The officer was following behind a vehicle that was tailgating an ambulance. The ambulance was responding Code 3 with lights and sirens to a call. The tailgating vehicle then pulled out and passed the ambulance. 

"It caused a bit of a problem," said Harrison. "Obviously that vehicle—the vehicle driver—didn't realize there was a marked police car behind them." The driver was stopped and subsequently charged with impeding an emergency vehicle. 

"People are reminded," said Harrison, "that when an emergency vehicle is responding with lights and sirens, they are not to pass the vehicle. If the vehicle is coming towards them or approaching them from the rear, they are to immediately pull their vehicle over to allow the emergency to pass safely." 

The same rules apply with an emergency vehicle on the side of the road. Drivers are to slow down and use the utmost care when passing the scene of an accident or other situation where there is an emergency vehicle with its lights activated. 

"Keep...in mind that, you know, that law's in place there because that emergency vehicle is responding to something that might be a life and death matter," said Harrison. Impeding an emergency vehicle while responding could make you could be directly responsible for somebody's death.

“These rules are put in place to protect people and certainly to protect the emergency responders and allow them to get to where they need to do their job. So just a reminder for people...if you see an emergency vehicle—be it police, fire or ambulance—responding with their lights and sirens, then please give them a wide berth and let them get to where they need to get to do the job they need to do."

 While the Boundary Sentinel endeavors to report on any files of interest to the community, anything under the Mental Health Act cannot be published.