Police
‘He’s grabbing onto my gun,’ says cop charged with assault
LANGUAGE ADVISORY KELOWNA – An RCMP officer accused of assault says the elderly bar patron he took to the ground, punched three times and arrested last year was going for his gun. “I (felt) a very distinct feeling on my right hip,” the accused, Const. Grant Jacobson, 32, said in court today, May 26. “In...
Proactive enforcement takes a hit as Vernon RCMP grapple with heavy caseload
VERNON - Checkstops and impaired driving investigations took a hit over the last few months as police struggled to handle a heavy criminal caseload. In a presentation to Vernon city council Monday, May 25, acting RCMP Supt. Jim McNamara said enforcement initiatives were negatively affected by continued resource-draining serious crime incidents and high calls for...
Vernon’s Green Valley Motel on police and council radars
VERNON - A notorious Vernon motel was thrust under the spotlight at a recent Vernon city council meeting. During a presentation by acting RCMP Supt. Jim McNamara, Coun. Brian Quiring brought up his concerns about the Green Valley Motel on Highway 97 across from Polson Park. “It appears to be a haven for people that...
Vernon woman, 93, wanted help, not a hospital visit
CALLS FOR HELP ANSWERED BY NEIGHBOURS VERNON - A 93-year-old Vernon woman who fell down, crawled to the door and yelled for help remained adamant she did not want to go to the hospital despite her situation. In the end, she did, and it was thanks to the help of two good samaritans who heard...
Traffic halted on Highway 6 for air ambulance landing
VERNON - Highway 6 was shut down and used as a landing strip for B.C. Air Ambulance over the weekend. The aircraft was picking up a 60-year-old man from Edmonton who hit a deer while riding his BMW bike along Highway 6 near Angel Falls (close to the Needles Ferry) around 3:10 p.m. Saturday, May...
Alpaca headed to Armstrong auction makes a break for it
ARMSTRONG - A runaway alpaca caused quite a scene in the Armstrong area Thursday. It jumped out of a truck while being unloaded at Valley Auction, off Highway 97 in Spallumcheen, and made a break for it, May 21. “The little fellow takes off on us,” Valley Auction owner Don Raffan says. “At one point...
Penticton man found badly beaten on side of road
PENTICTON – A man is in police custody after what police are calling “a serious assault” that left a Penticton man badly injured on the side of the road Thursday morning. According to a release, Penticton RCMP were called to the 3 km mark on Shingle Creek Road off Green Mountain Road shortly after 8:30...
Police step up efforts to curb speeding in Armstrong
ARMSTRONG - Several speeders were surprised to find police waiting for them on a backcountry road in Armstrong this week. Residents in the Otter Lake Road area of Armstrong have expressed concerns about speeders to police and city council, and those worries prompted an enforcement blitz early Tuesday morning, RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk said in...
Lumby man crashes car in dense fog, requires rescue
VERNON - Emergency personnel rushed to get an injured man out of his car after it flipped on Highway 6 over the long weekend. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says police were called to the single vehicle accident about 5:45 p.m. Monday, May 18. A 20-year-old Lumby man’s vehicle crashed and rolled, trapping him inside, Molendyk...
‘Two full open cans of beer (dropped) at the officer’s feet’
HAVEN'T HAD ANYTHING TO DRINK SINCE LAST NIGHT, OFFICER LUMBY - It was more a question of what laws a Lumby man wasn't breaking when he was pulled over on Victoria Day. A cop parked at the Lumby RCMP detachment noticed him drive by without a seat belt on and using his cell phone on...
Westside Road shooter could get dangerous offender status
KELOWNA – The man who shot at police as he and two accomplices fled from police along Westside Road in 2012 will be evaluated by a psychiatrist to determine if he is a dangerous offender. In late February, Michael Ellis, 41, was found guilty of unlawful discharge of a prohibited weapon, armed robbery, attempted robbery,...
Vernon dog team nabs neighbourhood thief
VERNON - A man accused of stealing from peoples’ boats, cars and garages was stopped in his tracks by the Vernon RCMP’s dog unit over the long weekend. Police received a report of a suspicious man going through cars and yards in the Cranberry Lane area of Middleton Mountain Monday, May 18. One caller reported...
Police ticket driver after electric wheelchair accident
VERNON - A person driving a motorized wheelchair was sent to hospital Thursday after being hit by a car. Const. Daniel Gow says an investigation revealed the car was reversing out of an alleyway onto 30 Street, near A&W, and struck the electric wheelchair, May 14. The person on the wheelchair suffered minor injuries and...
Emergency personnel respond to traffic accident on Highway 97 in Vernon
VERNON - Emergency crews responded to a collision involving a truck and a motorcycle on a busy Vernon road Friday morning. Witnesses say the accident happened at the bottom of Hospital Hill on Highway 97 in Vernon and a person was seen lying in the roadway. Vernon RCMP confirm there had been an accident between...
Driver ticketed after setting off three vehicle accident at Vernon intersection
VERNON - A driver has been ticketed for setting off a chain of events involving three vehicles the afternoon of Tuesday, May 12. The crash happened around 3 p.m. at Highway 6 and 15 Street and sent two children to hospital. Police spoke with the drivers involved, and witnesses to figure out what happened, RCMP...