A snowboarder who was reported lost on Mount Thompson at 5 p.m. on Sunday avoided a long night in the cold when an RCMP dog handler came to his rescue.
The 23-year-old male, whom police did not identify by name, was snowboarding with another male, who was riding a snowmobile. The snowboarder got lost after the sun set, Creston RCMP Staff Sgt. Darryl Hammond said today.
“Creston Search and Rescue were activated,” Hammond said in a press release. “They requested assistance from Nelson Search and Rescue.”
An RCMP police service dog and its handler were dispatched from Cranbrook to help in the search. It was the RCMP member, Cpl. Phil Sullivan, who skied into the area in which the man had been last seen, finding him unharmed.
“Other than being cold, there were no apparent injuries,” he said.
Sullivan waited with the male until search and rescue crews arrived at the scene. Volunteers then flattened a path through the deep snow so all parties could depart safely in “treacherous conditions”, Hammond said.
“As always, we are recommending that users of the back country take appropriate precautions, such as carrying equipment suitable for weather conditions and being equipped to be stranded overnight,” he said. “Anyone needing assistance should follow the directions of police and search and rescue team members.”
Police Beat
Creston RCMP responded to 51 calls for service from Dec. 21-27, Hammond said on Monday.
December 21
•Police conducted a roadside CounterAttack check in Crawford Bay and found no infractions.
•An argument on Centre Road resulted in a call to the RCMP.
•An accident that occurred on Corn Creek Road earlier in the week was reported.
•A family dispute was reported on Majestic Road in Kingsgate.
•A small red car hit a parked on vehicle on Northwest Boulevard and drove off.
•A cheque was reportedly stolen in Canyon but it was later located.
•An erratic semi was reported near Yahk.
•When police responded to a report of lights flashing in an orchard near Beam Road they discovered a vehicle was stuck.
December 22
•A vehicle ran into a fence on Canyon-Lister Road and then drove away.
•Icy road conditions contributed to a vehicle going off the road and onto its side near Frenchman’s Slough Bridge.
•When police responded to a complaint of pit lamp hunting near Canyon-Lister Road they discovered a vehicle was stuck in the ditch.
December 23
•A Reclamation Road resident reported receiving a package containing cocaine in the mail.
•Four people attended Creston Valley Hospital after consuming what might have been marijuana-laced brownies at a Northwest Boulevard business.
•Dealer plates were lost on Northwest Boulevard.
•A minor collision occurred on Cook Street when neither driver would give way to the other.
•A couple was reported to be arguing on Dogwood Street.
•Police attended a Wynndel resident to investigate a family dispute involving a youth.
December 24
•When police checked on a report that a male was riding a bicycle and carrying his belongings the cyclist would not co-operate by answering questions.
•A CounterAttack of 30 vehicles on Northwest Boulevard revealed no problems.
•A female faces charges following a domestic assault on Northwest Boulefvard.
•No injuries were reported when a van backed onto Payne Road, causing a collision.
•Police assisted emergency medical personnel with a patient.
•A possibly impaired driver was reported on Devon Street but police were unable to locate the vehicle.
•A truck and the snowmobiles it was carrying were damaged when the vehicle went off Highway 3A near Wynndel and down an embankment.
•Fifty vehicles were checked in a CounterAttack effort on Erickson Street at 11th Avenue South.
•A small amount of marijuana was seized during a check of 62 vehicles in a CounterAttack program on Railway Avenue at Northwest Boulevard.
•Police were called to an Arrow Creek Road resident where a family dispute had taken place.
December 25
•A Cook Street resident reported a suspicious person at the door.
•A Northwest Boulevard apartment resident complained about neighbours playing cards too noisily.
•An injured deer was reported on Highway 3 in Erickson.
•Minor injuries resulted from a single vehicle crash on Highway 3 at Hemlock Road.
December 26
•After a driver collided with a deer on Canyon-Lister Road the vehicle went off the road and collided with a utility pole.
•Police were called about a family dispute in Riondel.
•A vehicle doing donuts in a Helen Street parking lot was not located.
•Cash found on Canyon Street was turned into police.
•An injured deer had to be destroyed on 44th Street.
•Fifty-two vehicles were checked in a Counter Attack stop on Northwest Boulevard.
December 27
•Police are investigating a domestic assault case on Canyon Street.
•A well-being check was conducted on Aspen Place.