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Rcmp

First wife testifies in trial of former Vernon cop charged with child porn

KELOWNA – The first wife of a former Vernon RCMP officer charged with child porn described him as a confrontational man who often raised his voice. Jennifer Fisher and Ryan Hampton’s marriage officially ended in 2011, the same year he married his accuser, Valerie Little. Little, herself a member of the RCMP, told police she...

Kelowna Fire Department rescues exhausted cops from Okanagan Lake

KELOWNA - A lake rescue took a dangerous turn last night when the drunken victim turned on a couple of Kelowna RCMP officers trying to save her. Exhausted by the struggle, the two cops had to hang onto a bouy in Okanagan Lake until rescued by the Fire Department’s marine unit. Police were called out...

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...

RCMP investigating disappearance of migrant workers from Vernon orchard

VERNON - Police are on the lookout for a group migrant workers from Mexico who went missing from a Vernon orchard in June. The four men left personal items behind, but appear to have taken their identification papers, RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says. The orchard owner told police they disappeared June 26. The men are...

Volatile South Okanagan prolific offender suspected in Oliver armed robbery

OLIVER – The corner store in Oliver was held up by a man with a weapon on Thursday and the RCMP suspect a prolific offender wanted for not showing up to serve his jail sentence may be their man. RCMP say a man walked into Eastside Grocery at the corner of Park Avenue and Eastside...

Hampton disputes testimony he left images of child porn for his wife to find

KELOWNA – The former Vernon Mountie facing child porn charges in Kelowna says he didn’t tell an investigator he left images and videos of child porn on a flash drive for his wife to find, directly contradicting testimony given by the Sargent who first interviewed him in May of 2013. Ryan Hampton is on trial...

RCMP are looking for help to find South Okanagan prolific offender

PENTICTON – RCMP are on the hunt for an Okanagan Falls man with a long criminal record who has been on the lam for almost three weeks. Ronald Teneycke was sentenced to 90 days in jail following a conviction April 9, 2015 on a charge of making or possessing an explosive without lawful excuse. He...

Speed considered factor in crash; two sent to Kelowna hospital

KELOWNA - A crash on Gordon Drive last night sent two Kelowna men to hospital and damaged a nearby fence. Const. Steve Holmes with Kelowna RCMP says a driver in a Nissan SUV was attempting to make a left turn from Gordon Drive onto Bothe Road when he was struck by a man driving a...

Kamloops RCMP member may face charges after independent investigation

KAMLOOPS - The independent investigation office of B.C. delivered a report to Crown counsel following an RCMP incident which left a man with serious injuries to his spine last year. Investigators with the office independently examine cases when members of the public sustain injuries after coming in contact with RCMP members.  According to members of...

Fire danger rating climbs back up despite rainfall

CAMPFIRE RESTRICTIONS STILL IN PLACE THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Fire danger ratings are back to a high rating for the majority of the province’s interior, with some pockets still rated as extreme. B.C. Wildfire information officer Kayla Pepper says a bit of rain lowered the rating to a low to moderate risk over the past week or...

Sweet ending to mystery of the missing ice cream cone

KELOWNA - The owners of a giant ice cream cone have been reunited with their over-sized sweet treat, stolen from outside their ice cream and candy store on Bernard Avenue. “We’re just happy that someone called and we got it back,” Meaghan Ross, an employee of Sweet Cravings and daughter of Ken Ross who owns...

Man facing multiple charges following arson at Kelowna law firm

KELOWNA - A Kelowna man has been charged after setting fire inside a law firm building in downtown Kelowna Monday morning. Cody Weninger, 22, has been charged with assault, resisting arrest and arson following the incident at Pihl Law Corporation on Ellis Street. Weninger entered the building around 10:20 a.m. yesterday, July 13, and set...

RCMP divers search waters around CNR wharf in Gellatly Bay

WEST KELOWNA - RCMP divers are searching the waters around the CNR wharf in Gellatly Bay but the won’t say what they are looking for or what investigation the search is tied to. “All I can say is that it is related to an investigation,” Const. Steve McBride, the senior officer on the scene, says....

In Kamloops, tossing a cigarette butt will cost you

KAMLOOPS - Fair warning, smokers: If you discard your cigarette out the window, expect a ticket. Kamloops RCMP Const. Jason Epp says police got about a dozen calls about people discarding their cigarettes. So far, four have already been ticketed; more are on the way. Rain over the weekend lowered the fire danger rating in the...

Man in jail after starting a fire in a Kelowna law office

KELOWNA - Police don’t have a motive for why a man tried to start a fire inside a downtown law firm earlier today. RCMP media spokesman Const. Steve Holmes says the man entered the Pihl Law Corporation building at 1465 Ellis St. and started a fire in some clothing on the third floor at about...

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...

Boat sinks itself doing stunts on Okanagan Lake

KELOWNA - A boat that sunk Sunday night in Okanagan Lake may have sunk itself by doing doughnuts. “That’s what it looks like. On a calm surface, you won’t have much issue but if you do doughnuts, you’re now churning up the water and creating an unstable situation for the boat,” RCMP spokesman Const. Steve...

Hey Kelowna, is this your giant ice cream cone?

KELOWNA - RCMP are looking to find the rightful owner of a giant ice cream cone and admit they are ‘licked' without further information. A Bertram Street resident woke early yesterday morning, July 12, to find a large ice cream cone sitting on his front lawn, according to police spokesman Const. Steve Holmes. “The homeowner...

Suspicious salesman going door to door in Kelowna

KELOWNA - A man going door to door on MacKenzie Road has raised suspicions in the neighbourhood. Const. Steve Holmes says a man claiming to be selling furnaces and hot water tanks was going door to door but had no company identification and refused to leave a business card or brochure. It seems he is...

UPDATE: False call brings swarms of police to downtown Kelowna

KELOWNA - A downtown street was blocked off and under heavy police presence Thursday evening, but RCMP Cst. Steve Holmes says it was all because of a false call. "Investigators are relieved that no one was injured in the incident but are disturbed at the complete disregard for public safety," he says in a release....