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Body recovered from Kootenay Lake following June 30 drowning

Idaho body recovery expert on location near Gray Creek this morning to recover body of male who drowned in Kootenay Lake June 30...
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The Creston RCMP detachment is located on 16th Avenue South.

An Idaho body recovery expert was on location near Gray Creek this morning in an attempt to bring up the body of a 25-year-old male who drowned in Kootenay Lake June 30.

“Gene Ralston arrived yesterday but the wind made it too difficult to get out onto the lake with divers,” Creston RCMP Staff Sgt. Bob Gollan said this morning. “They were going to go out at eight this morning.”

Shortly after the interview, Gollan updated the situation.

“The body has been located and is currently being brought to the surface,” he said.

The man, who turned 25 the day before his drowning, was diving from a popular spot with a friend when he apparently hit the water awkwardly.

“His friend said he heard a loud noise and then saw him floating face down, not moving,” Gollan said.

The friend jumped in the water, but was unable to pull the man out before the body sank straight down. They had been diving at that spot for years, Gollan said.

Riondel Fire Department volunteers and emergency health services employees started a shoreline search as soon as they arrived on the scene, to no avail. On Tuesday, RCMP divers from Victoria, Surrey, Vernon and Cranbrook worked with Nelson Search and Rescue volunteers, but were unable to reach the body, which an underwater camera located 146 feet below the surface. The divers were only able to dive to a level of 115 feet.

“When we determined that Gene Ralston was our best option I contacted him and learned that he was coming up to the Okanagan anyway,” Gollan said. “He and his wife have recovered 94 drowning victims — they are renowned for the work they do. When I asked him what about the cost of his services, he told me we could pay for a tank of diesel fuel for his motorhome.”

 

Police Beat

Creston RCMP responded to 72 calls for service from June 30-July 6, Gollan said.

June 30

•When police investigated a report of children yelling and one saying he couldn’t breathe, they found kids playing on a trampoline, having so much fun they couldn’t catch their breath.

•Police attended a 25th Avenue South residence to keep the peace while a female retrieved some belongings.

•Police served a subpoena on behalf of Calgary city police.

•A reported erratic driver on Highway 3/95 was not located.

July 1

•An injured deer reported on Highway 3 was gone when police arrived.

•A male who was reported missing in Ontario visited the Creston detachment to explain that he had heard about the missing report and was fine. He had left Ontario suddenly to come to Creston to meet a woman he had met on the Internet.

•Police were unable to locate a male who was reported to be driving erratically and drinking beer on Canyon Street.

July 2

•A break-in to a Majestic Road residence in Kingsgate resulted in the theft of numerous small items and prescription medications.

•An electronic gate on a Huscroft Road driveway was damaged.

•A Highway 3 motel owner reported a male was squatting in one of the rooms.

•Furniture reported stolen by a vacating renter on 10th Avenue North was returned the next day.

•Two males refusing to leave a Highway 21 South residence were gone when police arrived.

•A vehicle counter on a West Creston road was stolen.

•The breach of a no-contact order by a male was reported on 24th Street.

•A pedestrian was not injured when a vehicle backed into him on Northwest Boulevard. The man took responsibility, saying he had carelessly stepped into the path of the vehicle.

•A driver who passed a vehicle on Highway 3A near Gray Creek was then followed by the vehicle, whose driver honked the horn repeatedly in an apparent act of road rage.

•Responding to a concern about door-to-door visits, police checked the identity of the males in question on 10th Avenue North and confirmed they were Telus employees talking to residents about fibre optic services.

•Two intoxicated males reported in a Canyon Street parking lot were located in a pub, where they were warned about the consequences of driving. Shortly after, they were seen by police leaving in a vehicle. The driver refused to provide a breath sample and was issued a 90-day driving prohibition and the vehicle was impounded for 30 days. He was also held in police cells until sober.

July 3

•An Ainsworth Avenue resident in Riondel reported that sometime in the last three months a case of cassette tapes with music from the 1970s-1990s was stolen.

•When police checked on a report of a male making anti-police comments on the Internet, they learned he is a Portland resident “who hates police, governments and Canada,” Gollan said.

•A Dyson vacuum cleaner was stolen from a Northwest Boulevard business.

•Tools were shoplifted at a Northwest Boulevard business and a suspect has been identified. The investigation continues.

•A drinking driver reported to have driven away from Twin Bays in a 2008 Ford F-350 was not located.

July 4

•A stranded motorist near Twin Bays was given a battery boost and continued on his way.

•A Dogwood Street resident reported a slashed tire.

•A report was made about an intoxicated male on Centre Road yelling and swearing at a driver in an attempt to get a ride.

July 5

•An intoxicated male who was found lying on Cook Street said he had fallen and hit his head. He was taken to hospital for evaluation, where he was abusive, then arrested and held in police cells until sober.

•A swerving motorhome on Highway 3/95 was not located.

•A complaint about threats was made from Eastman Road in Riondel.

July 6

•A complaint was received about fireworks on Settlement Road.

•A wallet reported lost in the Burns Park area was returned to its owner by a Good Samaritan the following day, with everything intact.

•Both vehicles were damaged when a driver pulled out to pass a vehicle that was making a left turn on Erickson Road.

•An injured male on Campbell Avenue in Riondel was transported to hospital.

•An older bike was found on Crawford Street.