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Crime

Neighbours fight crime with Block Watch program

CENTRAL OKANAGAN - In a world where social media provides almost instantaneous connections, an anti-crime program that relies on email and the telephone for neighbours to stay connected seems almost anachronistic. But that’s the model the Block Watch program still uses in British Columbia and local crime prevention coordinator Duane MacTavish says it is doing...

This thief rips the rings right off your fingers

KELOWNA - RCMP believe there are more victims out there of a thief who poses as a jewellry buyer, then rips off the would-be seller. Several distraught victims have called 911 in recent days after man stole rings right off their fingers, Sgt. Brad Swecera says in a media release. The victims were asked to meet...

Customer injured trying to stop armed robbery

KELOWNA – Police are looking for a teenager who hurt a bystander while trying to rob the clerk at a convenience store on Bernard Avenue early this morning. RCMP Const. Kris Clark says the boy, who appeared to be around 17-years-old, entered the 7-Eleven at 1115 Bernard Ave. at around 1:55 a.m., Monday, March 9...

RCMP arrest 13 people in drug trafficking investigation

KELOWNA - A drug trafficking investigation led to 13 arrests Friday morning but only five will face the judge. Kelowna RCMP showed up at what they say is a known problem residence in the 1300 block of Belaire Avenue with a search warrant, according to an RCMP media release. Mounties found cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and...

Vandals spray paint car, garage door in Glenrosa

WEST KELOWNA - Someone is tagging personal property with spray paint in the Glenrosa neighbourhood of West Kelowna. The latest incident happened last night, Jan. 28, in the 3200-block of McMahon Road, a few blocks from Glenrosa Elementary School, according to a post on Facebook. A Subaru Forrester and garage door were spray painted with pink...

100 horses for sale following Armstrong cruelty investigation

"LET'S SAVE THIS THING AND MAKE IT TURN OUT FOR THE GOOD" ARMSTRONG - Homes are being sought for 100 horses in Armstrong following an animal cruelty investigation. The horses belong to Gary Roberts, 69, who faces two counts of animal cruelty charges stemming from a December 2014 B.C. SPCA investigation. Seventeen of Roberts’ horses...

RCMP investigate hit-and-run between Kelowna semi-truck and building

SALMON ARM - Alarms rang at a Salmon Arm service station when the building was struck by a semi-truck Monday night. Several alarms rang at The Great Canadian Oil Change located on the Trans-Canada Highway starting at 9 p.m. Jan. 12, 2015. According to a Salmon Arm RCMP media release, the collision resulted in several...

Kelowna duo arrested for stealing country club’s gas

SPALLUMCHEEN - A pair of Kelowna men didn’t make it far after trying to steal gas from the Spallumcheen Golf and Country Club. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says the golf club’s alarm went off around 7:45 p.m. Dec. 27 at the outside gas tanks. Police found one suspect in the immediate area, and a second...

Kelowna family devastated as keepsakes, presents stolen days before Christmas

KELOWNA – When Jenny Beston got home from work Monday evening, an RCMP officer was standing outside her open front door. And her heart sank. Her first thought was that something terrible happened. Her husband Jason is working out of town and as far as she knew, her two kids, ages eight and five, were...

UPDATE: Bank robbery suspect turns himself in to Kelowna RCMP

KELOWNA – A man wanted in connection with a Kelowna bank robbery turned himself into police Thursday night. Rory Richard Feeney, 31, was identified as the man who allegedly demanded money from a teller at the downtown branch of the TD Bank on Tuesday, according to RCMP. Police say no weapon was used, no one...

Police seek information in bizarre Kelowna handgun incident

KELOWNA - Police are looking for a man who allegedly pointed a gun at a pair of Okanagan residents and then offered to help them change a tire. The strange incident happened Nov. 4 around 12:30 a.m. at the Willow Park Church parking lot at 439 Highway 33, states a release from the Kelowna RCMP....

Convicted killer due for sentencing for ramming police car

"IT DOES NOT APPEAR THAT PERIODS OF INCARCERATION HAVE AFFECTED HIM." KELOWNA – A Kelowna man with an extensive criminal history is being sentenced for using a stolen truck to ram a police car as he tried to evade arrest only one year after being released from prison for a 2005 manslaughter conviction. "It was only...

Hells Angel sentencing could be postponed until after Christmas

KELOWNA - What was supposed to be a day of final submissions ahead of sentencing has turned into a multi-day examination into the lives of two men convicted of multiple weapons charges. Admitted Hells Angel Joseph Bruce Skreptak and alleged gang associate Cory Montemurro asked to postpone sentencing until early January so they can spend...

West Kelowna hit and run foiled

WEST KELOWNA - A car involved in a three vehicle crash Monday morning in West Kelowna was allegedly fleeing from police. Officers were investigating a suspected stolen vehicle when the driver, who did not have insurance left the scene and crashed into three other vehicles according to an RCMP media release. The incident happened at...

Native court workers protest for equal pay

OKANAGAN - Native court workers are standing up against the government asking for equal pay after being cut out of a deal five years ago that increased the wages of others but not court workers. Jack Kruger, a veteran native court worker and counsellor, has spent the past two days outside the Penticton and Kelowna...

Murder victim was a popular employee of Kelowna Flightcraft

KELOWNA - The man killed in what police are calling an unprovoked attack on a city bus last week is being remembered by coworkers as a popular, unique man dedicated to his job. Before he was murdered on a bus on Baron Road last Thursday, Caesar Rosales, 55, was a business systems analyst for Kelowna...

Trial date set for three accused of killing Jonathan Bacon

KELOWNA – Three men accused of killing gang leader Jonathan Bacon will face a jury trial in April 2016. Jujhar Khun-Khun, Jason T. McBride and Michael K. Jones are each charged with one count of murder and four counts of attempted murder. Bacon died after he was shot while in his Porsche Cayenne outside the...

Penticton man sentenced to five years in prison for sex assault

PENTICTON - A local man was sentenced today to nearly five years in prison after he pleaded guilty to charges of sexual and aggravated assault. Darren MacDonald, 42, appeared in Penticton Supreme Court via video conference from Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre where he has been in custody since Aug. 11, 2013. He pleaded guilty this...

RCMP say Boonstock needs to reimburse government for additional police costs

PENTICTON - RCMP say Boonstock organizers need to reimburse the provincial government for additional police officers required during the festival weekend, after private security failed to provide adequate resources. The two final days of the festival required additional personnel since RCMP had to shift their focus to security and public safety. A new cost analysis...

This is how a 76-year-old woman responded to threats from Penticton city hall

PENTICTON - A local woman refuses to apologize to city staff about comments she made in letters sent to city staff and council, and puts herself at risk to be sued. Elvena Slump, 76, has been an outspoken member of the public and has written several letters to local media and city council critical of...

Police search for bear spraying robber

KELOWNA – RCMP officers are searching for a suspect who sprayed bear spray after robbing the Dilworth Drive Scotia Bank Tuesday afternoon. Before deploying the spray, a man walked in the bank with his face covered and demanded cash. He fled with an undisclosed amount. After searching the scene, police were unable to find the...

RCMP see surge in thefts due to residents’ negligence

KELOWNA – Calling it a “crime of opportunity” Mounties are advising Kelowna residents to keep doors and windows locked when leaving home; thieves are taking advantage of those who fail to do so.  Unlocked doors and open windows have led to a surge of break-and-enter cases in the city, with officers noting most offenses in...