A special program to eradicate outdoor marijuana crops continues to reap dividends for Creston RCMP.
Eleven small grow-ops, most on the East Shore of Kootenay Lake, were located and destroyed last week, Staff Sgt. Bob Gollan said on Monday.
“Our members have been working hard on this,” he said.
Funding comes out of a provincial pot of money that allows local police to use a helicopter to identify locations from the air and then use GPS co-ordinates to locate the grow-ops with their vehicles or on foot.
On Aug. 12, 400 plants were cut and removed from four spots in the Crawford Bay area. On Aug. 14, four more grow-ops near Gray Creek were dismantled, removing 433 plants. Another patch with 215 plants was taken out on Saturday, pushing the week’s total to more than 1,000 plants.
RCMP do not provide street value estimates for marijuana plants, but other sources estimate a single plant can have a $1,000 value when the product is sold on the street. That estimate indicates that more than $1 million was potentially removed from the local drug market last week.
Police Beat
Creston RCMP responded to a total of 97 calls for service from Aug. 11-17, Gollan said on Monday.
August 11
•Suspicious boxes were left in a dumpster at a Helen Street business.
•No injuries were reported when a speeding vehicle rear-ended another on Northwest Boulevard. The offending driver was issued a ticket for driving too fast for conditions.
•A possible breach of a no-contact court condition was reported from Vancouver Street.
•A password protected cellphone was found on Highway 3A. The owner can claim the HTC Android device at the police station.
•Two jerry cans of gasoline were stolen from Seventh Avenue South.
•A vehicle-deer collision was reported on the Hazel Creek Forest Service Road.
•A pet owner reported a dog was injured while being groomed on Northwest Boulevard.
•A vehicle reportedly left the road and drove through a ditch on Highway 3 in Yahk to get around an ambulance that was on the scene for a fatal head-on car crash.
•Two people involved in making defamatory comments were warned about their behaviour.
•Police were called to a Highway 21 residence to intervene in an ongoing father-son dispute.
August 12
•Two occupants on their way home from Shambhala sustained minor injuries when their truck went off Highway 3 and struck a power pole. The driver was given a ticket for driving without due care and attention.
•Ten marijuana plants were destroyed at a McDonald Street location.
•A driver returning from the Shambhala Music Festival struck a building on Helen Street. Only his vehicle was damaged.
•When a male and female reported to be fighting on Eighth Avenue South were located, they told police they had been arguing and there had been no physical contact.
•The Alberta owner of a suitcase found near Highway 3 on Kootenay Pass was notified of his loss.
•A well-being check on 10th Avenue North revealed no problems.
August 13
•A vehicle collided with a deer on Kitchener Road.
•A male was reported to be lying beside Canyon Street at three locations before police located him. He was intoxicated and was arrested and held in police cells until sober.
•Dog feces were thrown by a neighbour into a Dogwood Street yard in an ongoing dispute. The offender agreed to retrieve his ammunition.
•When police investigated a complaint that a cyclist had driven over the foot of a pedestrian on 11th Avenue South, they concluded the incident was accidental.
•Two males reported to be fighting in Erickson were gone when police arrived.
•A male who passed out on Simon Road was taken to hospital for observation.
•Two people on Vancouver Street were embroiled in a dispute over the sale of a van.
•Tools were stolen from a Highway 3 location.
•Four hundred litres of marked gas were stolen from a construction site near Crawford Bay.
•Police attended a Cook Street residence to serve a ticket on behalf of Kamloops RCMP.
•Police served a summons on 16th Avenue South on behalf of Nelson police.
August 14
•Tools, a watch and a portable stereo were stolen from a vehicle on Canyon-Lister Road.
•An 11.5-foot Sears aluminum car-topper boat has gone missing from Duck Lake during the past two months. It has three seats and a blue painted interior. Anyone with information about the boat is asked to contact the RCMP.
•A vehicle was egged on Regina Street.
•A GMC pickup with a camper struck a sign and fence on 11th Avenue North and then drove away. The investigation continues.
•Two males in a fight on Canyon Street fell against a vehicle, causing damage.
•A vehicle was damaged by a Dodge pickup truck in a Cook Street parking lot.
•A house on Scott Street was egged.
•A wallet was found on Canyon Street.
•When police conducted a well-being check on Highway 95 they learned that the elderly female resident had been taken to hospital for observation.
•A break-in during the last seven days was reported on Ninth Avenue South.
August 15
•A red Ford pickup was reported to be driving erratically on Clement Road.
•Youths were reported to be throwing rocks on Canyon Street in the 16th Avenue area.
•A logging truck rolled over on Lower Wynndel Road, strewing its contents and damaging a power pole.
•A vehicle in a Canyon Street parking lot was damaged when struck by a cream Toyota 4Runner, which then drove off.
•When a vehicle driving on Highway 3 in town stopped suddenly, a tailing vehicle stopped too. A third driver wasn’t as aware and rear-ended vehicle No. 2. The driver was ticketed for following too close.
•A parked boat was the subject in an ongoing Dogwood Street neighbours’ dispute.
•A male was arrested on Canyon Street after making threats in a domestic dispute. He was arrested and held in cells, then released with no contact conditions.
•An intoxicated male was arrested on Highway 21 and held in cells until sober.
•A fire twirler was reported to be performing in a Canyon-Lister Road parking lot.
•Following another alcohol-fueled couple’s dispute on Vancouver Street, a female was transported to a relative’s home to quell the disturbance.
•Ammunition was given to the police for destruction by a Cavell Street resident.
August 16
•A vehicle made a hard left turn on 20th Avenue South, cutting off a motorcycle and causing injury to the rider. The driver was given a ticket for failing to yield.
August 17
•A female pedestrian on 25th Avenue was assaulted when a female driver got out of a vehicle and punched her.
•When police attended a complaint about a male refusing to leave an Elm Street residence they noted evidence of marijuana in the home. They returned after obtaining a warrant and founded seven pounds of marijuana. The investigation continues.
•A well-being check on a couple on Cook Street revealed they are OK.
•A duffle bag containing clothing and personal items was found in an alley behind Canyon Street.
•A male was arrested on 18th Avenue South after assaulting a female. He was held in police cells and later released with a court date and no-contact conditions.
•An intoxicated male was arrested at a Highway 21 residence and held in cells until sober.