Police
Some Vernon drivers have lead-foot syndrome
VERNON - A trio of novice drivers were each whacked with $483 fines this weekend for excessive speeding downtown Vernon. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says it appears the three individuals were racing each other down 27 Street around 8 p.m. Sunday. Two were in cars — a blue Honda Prelude and a red Mustang —...
How an Italian woman in a rental car got to meet Vernon RCMP
VERNON - A tourist got herself in some trouble Sunday night in Vernon when she failed to yield to an oncoming vehicle. The Italian woman was driving a rented Kia car in the area of 27 Street and 53 Avenue around 10 p.m. She didn’t notice a Chevy Tracker in the roadway in front of...
Thank-you cards left on police cruisers = day made
VERNON - The hearts of several Vernon cops were warmed earlier this month when they found anonymous thank-you cards tucked on the front windshields of their cruisers. “You know who you are, but we don’t,” RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says of the mystery author. It was July 11 and 12 when officers found the thank-you...
Local bee keeper stung by recent theft
VERNON - Thieves made off with a sweet score last week in Coldstream — bee hives. The bee-keeper notified police July 18 that five of his beehives had been stolen from the 7900 block of McClounie Road. Each hive weighed between 100-300 pounds and were worth at least $3,000 altogether. Long term, the hives would...
Teen arrested for arson in connection with townhouse fire
VERNON - A teenager has been arrested for arson in connection with a townhouse fire that sent residents fleeing the building. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says a 19-year-old man residing in the 44 Street townhouse will appear in court Friday on charges of arson with disregard for human life. Fire officials said the blaze erupted...
Police continue search for evidence after cyclist shooting
SPENCES BRIDGE – Police are searching for evidence relating to the investigation of a shooting which injured a Burnaby cyclist during the Cache Creek 600 cycling marathon. Craig Premack, 59, was shot on the side of the highway near Spences Bridge when he was biking the overnight marathon around 1 a.m. on June 1. The suspect allegedly...
UPDATE: Man dead after leap from moving vehicle
KELOWNA – There are more questions than answers following the death of a Kelowna man who jumped from a moving car on Saturday morning. Victor John Doyle, 23, of Kelowna was riding in the passenger side when, according to the RCMP, he “unexpectedly” leapt from the vehicle on Glenmore Road near Union Road. Doyle was...
Police identify longboarder killed in crash
VERNON - Police have identified the Vernon teen who died in a tragic longboarding accident Sunday night. “We have been in touch with his family,” RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says. “It’s very devastating.” The 17-year-old, who was rushed to hospital in critical condition, had no ID on him and his family did not immediately come...
Thefts and fires in Osoyoos can be easily avoided
OSOYOOS - RCMP say the biggest problems in Osoyoos are ones that can be avoided with a little extra care. There have been numerous thefts from unlocked vehicles and sheds, and unlocked vehicles with keys left inside. Two dirt bikes and a motorcycle were stolen from a locked, detached garage in the Spruce Court area...
Fire destroys Kin Race Track grandstands
VERNON - Fire knocked down the grandstands at Kin Race Track Wednesday night, drawing response from the Vernon Fire Department and police. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says an officer noticed the large cloud of smoke billowing from the fire around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday. By that time, fire trucks were also on their way. The grandstands...
Kin Race Track fire considered suspicious
VERNON - Authorities are treating a fire at Kin Race Track as suspicious, just the latest in a long string of dozens of suspicious fires in the community. The Wednesday night blaze destroyed the grandstands overlooking the race track, leaving a charred and unstable structure too dangerous for investigators to enter. “We haven’t even been...
Caution advised after Armstrong mail boxes broken into
ARMSTRONG - Police are asking the public to watch for unusual activity after a set of mail boxes were broken into in the Armstrong area. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says numerous mail boxes at the corner of Lansdowne Road and McLeery Road in Armstrong were tampered with Monday morning. The damage was reported around 8...
Semi-legal marijuana grow operators arrested
VERNON - Police believe a North Okanagan couple was stealing electricity from B.C. Hydro to power their legal medical marijuana grow-op. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says a man and woman, both 39, were arrested after police executed a search warrant at 1645 Simons Road in Spallumcheen. The investigation between police and B.C. Hydro began in...
Police seek answers in Vernon teen’s death
VERNON - Police are working to give a grieving family answers in the tragic boating death of a Vernon teen. Officers are investigating the death of Miles Wohlford, 14, who fell off his tube and was struck by the boat and its propeller June 28 on Okanagan Lake. “The investigation is to thoroughly look into...
Authorities investigate grass fire in Vernon park
VERNON - A grass fire in Becker Park does not appear to be the work of Vernon’s serial arsonist. The fire broke out around 10 p.m. Sunday in Becker Park, off 39 Avenue downtown Vernon. “It is totally out of the norm of all the other fires we are investigating,” police spokesperson Gord Molendyk says....