Theft and snowball fights keep Penticton RCMP busy Christmas week

PENTICTON – Penticton thieves were especially active Christmas Eve last week.

Police responded to 52 files on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24. Among the calls were a rash of thefts from vehicles reported Christmas Eve, including:

– safety equipment stolen from a vehicle parked on Canyon Court
– a vehicle on Wellington Street was rifled through, nothing reported missing
– a Honda minivan on Ridgedale Avenue was also rifled through
– a RAV 4 on Sunset Place had electric ski goggles and a digital camera taken from it
– an iPad 2 and chargers were stolen from a vehicle on Williamson Place
– a Highlander parked on Quebec Street had binoculars taken from it
– a Cavalier on Dewdney Crescent had a snowboard and external hard drive taken from it

Mail theft was reported from Highland Drive and Eastside Road in Okanagan Falls, with a total of six mailboxes broken into and mail taken on Dec. 24. Numerous apartments on the 800 block of Main Street reported mail theft from lobby-based mailboxes on Dec. 24 as well.

Police were also busy the day before, answering a total of 65 calls for service Wednesday, Dec. 23.

Among the Dec. 23 activity was theft from mailboxes at Carter Road and Corbishley Avenue, and a suspicious vehicle in the parking lot of the Penticton Home Hardware. The pickup truck was stolen, and a man found asleep inside. The back of the pickup was filled with tools suspected stolen from Kaleden over the last few days. The man, well known to police, was arrested.

On Boxing Day, Dec. 26, a man and woman outside the Mule on Martin Street were throwing snowballs at passersby until told by police to stop. They then turned their snowy assault onto the officers, resulting in an overnight stay in jail until they sobered up.

Police responded to complaints of a driver of a 2006 Audi towing people on city streets.The driver was issued a ticket for stunting and the vehicle impounded for seven days.

Cpl. Don Wrigglesworth, a spokesperson for Penticton RCMP, says police will be out in force on New Year’s Eve, with extra police on patrol.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Steve Arstad at sarstad@infonews.ca or call 250-488-3065. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.