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Police
Interior Health employee investigated for alleged sexual assault of ‘vulnerable’ resident
NOT THE FIRST ALLEGATION: POLICE VERNON - Interior Heath Authority is reviewing an employee who was investigated by police for an allegation of sexual assault on a 'vulnerable' care facility resident. Interior Health informed police of the allegations in July 2014 but the incident happened some time before. Vernon RCMP says interior health didn't report...
Judge throws cold water on this short cut police use to get warrants
LAKE COUNTRY - Police in B.C. may find it a little tougher to obtain a search warrant after a B.C. Supreme Court justice in the Okanagan put a roadblock on a common short cut used by police for years. Justice Gary Weatherill tossed out a search warrant in a Lake Country pot case Oct. 23,...
UPDATE: RCMP investigate downtown Vernon fatal crash
VERNON – A Kelowna woman is dead and a Vernon woman is in hospital with life-threatening injuries after their car was T-boned by a mini-van in downtown Vernon in the early hours Thursday morning. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says the accident happened around 1:15 a.m. at the intersection of 30 Avenue and 32 Street (Highway...
Body found near Okanagan College in Kelowna
KELOWNA - Mounties are investigating a report of a body found in a parking lot in Kelowna this morning. The body was discovered inside a maroon coloured mini van parked in the staff parking lot behind the Mission View medical building Oct. 17. Police are releasing few details, but say the death does not appear to...
A Penticton proposal getting support from unexpected places
PENTICTON - Penticton council has an unexpected supporter for its push to put oversight for large-scale events under the provincial umbrella—the Boonstock Music and Arts festival. All but one member of Penticton's councillors and mayor used the Union of B.C. Municipalities Convention this week to lobby provincial government ministers hard to take on the regulatory...
Prolific fraudster at it again
KELOWNA - A man known as a serial scammer is believed to be behind the latest string of reports in Kelowna. Police investigators say it appears a 40-year-old Kelowna man with a long list of convictions appears to be at it again, often using the story of a broken down truck or claiming he's a...
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...
UPDATE: Head-on crash sends 4 to hospital
VERNON – The investigation continues into the cause of a head-on collision on Highway 97 south of Vernon near the landfill. A large SUV towing a camper trailer and an SUV crossover hit near Westridge Road around 6:00 a.m. Thursday. Four people were rushed to Vernon Jubilee Hospital with traumatic but non-life threatening injuries, according...
Pilot of downed plane walks from crash site
VERNON - The pilot of a plane that crashed somewhere in the woods off Westside Road has been taken to hospital with undetermined injuries. Reports of a downed aircraft in the Six Mile Creek area on the west side of Okanagan Lake came in around 6:45 p.m. Monday. Emergency officials, and several nearby residents who...
Police warn gangsters to avoid Kelowna this weekend
KELOWNA – With one of the city’s biggest festivals taking place in downtown Kelowna this weekend, local RCMP are once again issuing a public warning to gang members planning to take part. Sgt. Lindsey Houghton of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit says every year gangs are drawn to the Okanagan, but they are not...
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...
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...
Two of three accused Westside shooters plead guilty
KELOWNA — Two of three suspects accused of getting into a shootout with police in West Kelowna almost 2 years ago have pleaded guilty. Ashley Alexandria Collins, 21, and Shawn Adam Wysinski, 34, entered their pleas Wednesday in Kelowna Supreme Court. The case dates back to July 31, 2012 when Collins, Wysinski and Michael Edward...
One year later, police still need help solving Glenmore murder
KELOWNA – One year after a Kelowna woman was found murdered in her Glenmore home, RCMP are still no closer to identifying a suspect. The body of Theresa Ashley Neville was found by paramedics shortly after midnight June 18 and an autopsy revealed Neville was murdered. Frank Schlief says he rented the home to Neville,...
RCMP warn out-of-town gangsters to stay away
KELOWNA - With summer just around the corner and numerous high draw events on the calendar, the local RCMP are warning out-of-town gang members to stay away from Kelowna. RCMP Const. Kris Clark says police have noticed a considerable rise in gang presence over the past several years, especially during the summer months, and they...
Police swap suspects in hit and run case
KELOWNA – Charges have been dropped against a Kelowna man accused of critically injuring a paper carrier while fleeing from police and RCMP have arrested a new suspect. Nathan Fahl, 24, was riding in a vehicle with two other people Dec. 6, 2013 when they allegedly tried to avoid a police road check on Springfield...
Traffic stop results in dial-a-dope arrest
KELOWNA – A traffic stop of a high-end SUV in Kelowna last Friday resulted in the arrest of a man police believe was operating a dial-a-dope service. RCMP Const. Kris Clark says Street Enforcement Teams have been investigating a group of individuals selling drugs out of a rental apartment downtown. Last Friday plainclothes officers conducted...
Police investigating person of interest in burning hedge
KELOWNA – RCMP are investigating a person of interest who may have information about how a row of hedges caught fire Monday night. Kelowna fire crews were called to a home on Raymer Rd. and Grenfell Cres. at around 9:30 after neighbours reported seeing 30 foot flames coming from a dozen tall cedars on the...
Crime stats on the rise as cops catch more criminals, RCMP
KELOWNA – Incidents of domestic violence and other crimes are on the rise in Kelowna, but it’s not because there are more bad guys out there, the good guys are just getting better at catching them, according to RCMP Superintendent Nick Romanchuk. In his regular report to city council, Kelowna's top cop said the city saw...
Trap catches excessive speeders on 97c
West Kelowna – More than half a dozen excessive speeders were stopped and their vehicles impounded during a speed trap in West Kelowna last Friday. Const. Kris Clark says seven vehicles were stopped by members of the Kelowna Integrated Road Safety Unit who were looking for aggressive drivers along Hwy. 97c on May 23. “The...
Child found in home with 11 litres of date rape drug
KELOWNA – When police raided a house in Mission last week, not only did they find a massive amount of drugs, cash and stolen property, but a two-year-old child as well. The child belongs to Desiree Kovacs, 24, one of four people arrested after a three-week investigation resulted in a search of the home that...
Carjacking and stabbing may be linked
KELOWNA – A man who stopped to help what he thought were stranded motorists was instead beaten and had his car stolen Tuesday morning. RCMP Const. Kris Clark says the man stopped on Gordon Dr. at around 6 a.m. after he saw three men and one woman pulled to the side of the road. “When...
Home invasion suspects arrested after standoff with RCMP
KELOWNA - A pair of suspects accused of an armed home invasion were arrested Monday following several hours of negotiation outside a home on Bernard Ave. The men are accused of breaking into a home on Findlay Road and robbing at gun point a 41-year-old Kelowna man who was sleeping in his home early Monday...
Make May long-weekend a safe one
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – Government agencies are advising May long-weekend travelers to remain safe and informed when planning vacation trips. ICBC reports, on average, a total of 1700 crashes occur on the long-weekend. Drivers are advised to plan trips ahead and avoid rushing to a destination. Police will target high-risk behaviours such as speeding, failing to yield,...