Police

Change in command at Lumby RCMP detachment

LUMBY - Lumby will soon be losing a familiar face — that of Cpl. Henry Proce, the village’s detachment commander. Proce announced Monday, May 11 he will be retiring as of May 22. He has served at the Lumby detachment for eight years, and 37 in total with the RCMP. Taking his place will be...

Vernon RCMP investigate two home invasions

VERNON - Police are investigating two recent home invasions that may be connected. Around 7:30 a.m. on Friday, May 8, Vernon RCMP responded to two separate home invasions.  In both incidents people entered the residences, one in the 3900 block of 32 Street and one in the 3900 block of 27 Avenue, while the homeowners...

UPDATE: Legion president injured in Highway 97 crash

KELOWNA – A car crash on Highway 97 near Old Vernon Road in Kelowna this morning seriously injured three people, including two members of the Royal Canadian Legion. Branch 26 president Syd Pratt and member Frank Truman were on their way to a Flag Day event at the Lakeview Memorial Cemetery, Lynda Wachter the Legion's manager...

Child escapes Vernon car crash with minor injuries

VERNON - Two people, one of them a nine-year-old, escaped with minor injuries after their car flipped onto its roof Monday. The accident happened just after 3 p.m. Monday, May 4, at Highway 97 and College Way in Vernon, RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk said in a release. “The investigation determined the vehicle had been travelling...

Authorities investigate fire at Vernon bank

VERNON - Police and the fire department are investigating a suspicious blaze that scorched the outside of a downtown Vernon bank Monday night. Deputy Fire Chief Jack Blair says the fire started in a garbage container at the rear of CIBC on 30 Avenue around 9:30 p.m., May 4. “The fire caused extensive fire damage...

Search for lost man in Vernon park extends past midnight

VERNON - A man lost at night in Kalamalka Provincial Park on the weekend made the right decision when he called home to say he was turned around, and losing battery life on his cell phone. That call prompted a quick response from RCMP and Vernon Search and Rescue, who immediately dispatched to the Cougar...

Convicted murderer who rammed police in stolen truck released

KELOWNA – A convicted murderer who Justice Peter Rogers calls a 'serial criminal' will be released from custody later today despite using a stolen truck to ram a police car just one year after being released from prison. Daniel Mader, 31, was sentenced to time served Wednesday in Kelowna Supreme Court. He pleaded guilty to...

VIDEO: Car on fire halts highway traffic near Armstrong

ARMSTRONG - A vehicle on fire in the middle of Highway 97 A near Armstrong tied up traffic for about an hour Wednesday afternoon. The Armstrong Spallumcheen Fire Department was dispatched to the scene, just north of Eagle Rock Road, about 1:30 p.m. April 22. Fire chief Ian Cummings says a Volkswagen was completely engulfed...

UPDATE: Vernon RCMP appeal to public for help finding overdue biker

VERNON - Search and Rescue has joined the effort to locate an overdue, and inexperienced, motorbike rider last seen Tuesday afternoon.  Kyle Macinnes, 25, went out on his dirt bike at 4 p.m. April 21, and has not returned.  “His family is very concerned as he is not a very experienced rider,” Molendyk says in...

Lumby man’s offence not so different from his last

LUMBY - It was deja-vu for a North Okanagan cop dealing with an impaired driving case. The officer was patrolling in the Lumby area April 10 around 2 p.m. when he noticed a prohibited driver in a residential neighbourhood, RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says. “Our officer drove up to the vehicle in a marked police...

Three people injured in logging accident near Lumby

LUMBY - An injured logger stuck down a 500-foot embankment has been rescued and transported to hospital. The victim was one of three workers injured when a tree reportedly fell on them in a remote area east of Lumby Wednesday morning. The industrial accident is under investigation by WorkSafe B.C. and spokesperson Scott McCloy says...

Lumby RCMP continues to report high number of drunk drivers

LUMBY - Lumby residents don’t seem to be getting the message when it comes to drunk driving, says the village’s top cop. Cpl. Henry Proce with the Lumby RCMP detachment says officers are arresting local residents in very high numbers for impaired driving. In the last three weeks, at least six drivers were charged with...