Police
Foul play involved in body found in Polson Park
VERNON - Police are revealing more information about a man found dead last week in Polson Park. He has been identified as 42-year-old Jason Thomas Hardy, and police believe foul play was involved in his death. His body was found the morning of Aug. 26 in Polson Park. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says Hardy has...
Pot oil extraction cause of explosion in Vernon apartment building
VERNON - An apartment fire that sent two men to hospital with serious burns was caused when a marijuana extraction operation exploded, police say. The occupants, a 21 and a 22-year-old, were badly burned in the fire and remain in hospital. Vernon police are now confirming the Aug. 14 fire was started by a marijuana...
Serious crimes unit investigates body found in Vernon park
VERNON - Police continue to investigate the death of a man found in Polson Park Wednesday. The man’s body was discovered shortly before 10 a.m. Aug. 26. In a media release issued today, Aug. 27, RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk confirmed the man was in his late 40s, but said his identity is not being released...
Coroner identifies North Okanagan man killed in crash
SPALLUMCHEEN - The B.C. Coroners Service has released the name of a North Okanagan man who died in a car accident last week. He was Matthew Jordon Maxime, 30, of Enderby, the Coroners Service says in a media release. Maxime was driving on Highway 97 near Eagle Rock Road in Spallumcheen, just south of Armstrong,...
Police investigate deadly crash in Spallumcheen
SPALLUMCHEEN - A man is dead after crashing his car on the highway just south of Armstrong early this morning. RCMP say an off-duty police officer discovered the man’s flipped car around 4:20 a.m., Aug. 21, on Highway 97A at Eagle Rock Road. “The investigators have determined the vehicle was north bound (and) jumped the...
Police investigating apartment fire that left two Vernon men with severe burns
VERNON - A pair of Vernon men were airlifted to Vancouver last week after suffering serious burns in an apartment fire. The two men, ages 20 and 21, were inside an apartment building in the 3400 block of Okanagan Avenue when a fire started in the bathroom. Deputy Vernon Fire Chief Jack Blair says they...
Driver tells Vernon RCMP he didn’t hear alarms, didn’t see flashing lights before hitting train
VERNON - Alarms and flashing lights apparently didn’t stop a man from driving into a moving train Monday evening in Vernon. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says police were notified of the collision just after 6 p.m., Aug. 10. When officers arrived, the train was blocking the roadway at 43 Avenue and 31 Street. All lights...
Credit card skimmer discovered at Vernon gas station
DEVICE IS DIFFICULT TO DETECT VERNON - A device used to skim credit card information from unsuspecting victims might have been used at a Vernon gas station. Staff at the Esso Gas Station at 3400 32 St. in Vernon discovered the device Friday, July 31, and reported it to the RCMP. “The device was on...
Pedestrian struck on Vernon crosswalk in critical condition
VERNON - A pedestrian is in critical condition after being hit by a car while using a Vernon crosswalk Saturday morning. The 53-year-old Vernon woman was walking in the crosswalk at Tronson Road and Okanagan Landing Road just after 7 a.m., Saturday, July 18, when she was hit by a car, RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk...
Independent investigators hear from witnesses of officer involved shooting near Salmon Arm
SALMON ARM - Multiple witnesses have come forward to help the province’s police watchdog after a call for witnesses to an officer involved shooting near Salmon Arm. The Independent Investigations Office is looking into a July 3 incident, which began with an armed robbery. The suspect fled the scene in a vehicle which was found...
Cow found shot to death in North Okanagan leads to police investigation
VERNON - A police investigation is underway after the discovery of a cow found shot on a North Okanagan forest service road. Vernon RCMP received a report Saturday, July 11, of a cow found shot to death on King Edward Lake Road, near Coldstream, spokesperson Gord Molendyk says. The cow was part of a rancher’s...
Kelowna women killed in Vernon car crash identified
VERNON - The B.C. Coroners Service has released the identities of two women who died in a head-on car accident in Vernon over the weekend. They were Chantal Diane Bazin, 22, and Kayla Elizabeth Cartwright, 26, both from Kelowna. According to a press release from the coroner Larry Marzinzik, Bazin was the driver, and Cartwright the...
Police watchdog looking for witnesses to Shuswap shooting
SALMON ARM - B.C.’s police watchdog is asking for anyone who witnessed a shooting involving an officer in the Salmon Arm area to come forward. The Independent Investigations Office is looking into a July 3 incident that left an individual, and an officer, injured. The extent of their injuries has not been disclosed. All that...
Officials suspect Molotov cocktail used in Lumby fire
LUMBY - Police believe a Molotov cocktail is to blame for a small, yet potentially serious, fire in Lumby. Firefighters were called to a residential road in Lumby around 10 p.m. Tuesday, July 7, for a report of a grass fire. While the fire was small and did no real damage to the property, officials...
Three Vernon cyclists hit by vehicles cause for concern
VERNON - All road users are being reminded to be careful after three separate incidents over the past week left two cyclists injured and a third dead over. Jennifer Wadsworth, a mother of two, was biking on 25 Avenue on July 2 when she rode in front of a pickup truck. She was rushed to hospital,...