Police
Vernon convenience store clerk shaken, but not hurt, after robbery
VERNON - A convenience store employee did the right thing when a man in a ski mask told him to open the cash register early yesterday morning. After being threatened with what looked like bear spray around 4:30 a.m., Sept. 20, the lone clerk at Mac’s Convenience Store on 27 Street did as he was...
Why drivers will want to be on their best behaviour this week on North Okanagan highways
NORTH OKANAGAN - Consider this your first warning to follow the rules of the road. Ignore it, and you might get into some trouble with the police over the next week in the North Okanagan. The RCMP is deploying officers from Vernon, West Kelowna, Sicamous, Revelstoke, Golden and the South Okanagan to patrol areas in...
UPDATE: Former Vernon RCMP officer guilty, sentenced for possessing child pornography
"HE HAS... BEEN SUBJECTED TO PUNISHMENT WELL BEYOND THAT... (OF) A USUAL INMATE" KELOWNA - Former Vernon Mountie Ryan Hampton has been found guilty of possessing and downloading child pornography as well as several counts of breaching court orders. Hampton, 37, pleaded not guilty to possessing child pornography, accessing child pornography and six counts of breaching...
UPDATE: Young boy hit by vehicle in Penticton dies; RCMP driver investigated
PENTICTON - The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. is investigating after an off-duty RCMP officer hit and killed a five-year-old pedestrian walking with his family. At roughly 5 p.m. yesterday, Sept. 15, the boy was with his family crossing the road when he was struck. RCMP originally said the boy was four years old but...
Arrest made in Vernon pet store arson
VERNON - Police have charged a local man with arson in connection to a small fire outside AJ’s Pets & Things earlier this month. RCMP Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says surveillance footage released by the store showed a man appearing to start the Sept. 6 fire. Police appealed to the public for help locating and identifying...
Motorcycle crash puts Vernon man in hospital with serious injuries
VERNON - A local man is in potentially life threatening condition after losing control of his motorcycle Sunday afternoon. Police say the 55-year-old Vernon man was travelling east on Bella Vista Road, Sept. 13, when he lost control and crashed around 4 p.m. His bike was extensively damaged in the accident. Both police and B.C....
Vernon RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk off duty for good
VERNON - He was a well known face at the police station and on the news, but you won't be seeing Vernon's longtime RCMP spokesperson anymore. Gord Molendyk, who served over as an RCMP officer, and then a media spokesperson, for over 40 years has announced he’s retiring. “My job over the years working with...
Police investigating another suspicious fire in Vernon
VERNON - Police in Vernon are investigating another suspected arson, this time outside the curling club. RCMP Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says the fire started in a pile of display panels used for hanging merchandise which were stacked at the rear of the building. The Vernon Fire Department managed to put out the blaze before it...
RCMP issue warning over persistent phone scammers in the Okanagan
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Residents are being reminded to watch for red flags if they get a call from someone claiming to be from Revenue Canada. Clues the call may be a scam include getting pressured by the person to pay taxes immediately over the phone, or being threatened that police will come and arrest them if...
New murder charge laid in connection with Vernon death
VERNON - Police have arrested a third person for murder in connection with the death of 42-year-old Jason Hardy, whose body was found in Polson Park Aug. 26. Tal Kalum La Riviere, 28, from Greater Vernon, was arrested in Kamloops Sept. 9 and charged with one count of second degree murder. He was scheduled to...
Multiple residents displaced after Vernon pot lab explodes
VERNON - Several residents of a Vernon apartment complex were forced out of their homes when a neighbouring unit exploded and now, nearly a month later, they still can’t return home, according to one displaced tenant. Resident James Halpert, who gave only his first and middle name, has lived in his Regency Gardens apartment on...
Two suspicious fires under investigation in Vernon
VERNON - Police are taking two separate suspicious fires in Vernon very seriously. At this point, investigators can’t say if the pair of fires are connected, but RCMP Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says these types of cases ‘take a very high priority’ at the detachment, particularly in light of a string of high profile unsolved arsons...
UPDATE: Missing Vernon woman located
UPDATE: 12:01 P.M., SEPT. 8, 2015 Vernon RCMP announced Tuesday, Sept. 8, that Cheryl 'Daisy' McEwan, who left a medical facility last week without completing her treatment, has been found. 6:43 A.M., SEPT. 4, 2015 VERNON - Authorities are appealing to the public for help finding a missing woman. Vernon RCMP say Cheryl ‘Daisy’ McEwan,...
Stolen truck leads Mounties to large Shuswap drug operation
SHUSWAP - Police busted a massive drug trafficking operation in the Shuswap over the weekend, all thanks to a stolen truck that led them straight to it. Salmon Arm RCMP received a report of a stolen F350 with a camper on it Saturday, Aug. 29, and soon got wind of a truck matching the description...
Plan in place to support people evicted from Vernon motel
VERNON - Local organizations have a plan in place to support people evicted from the Green Valley Motel. Tenants must be out of the building by the end of the day today, Aug. 31, and Annette Sharkey from the Social Planning Council for the North Okanagan says local organizations, primarily the John Howard Society, are...