A rash of thefts from unlocked vehicles has Creston RCMP concerned that a small group of thieves is roaming the town at night, looking for easy pickings. At least a half dozen thefts and entries into vehicles have been investigated in the last week.
Police Beat
In total, Creston police responded to 74 calls for service from March 4-10, Staff Sgt. Bob Gollan said on Monday.
March 4
•After tracing a 911 emergency call received by Creston Valley Hospital all the way to Alabama, and alerting Interpol about a police officer possibly in peril, a Telus trace revealed the call was generated from a computer and was likely part of a scam.
•A cellphone found on Sixth Avenue South was returned to its owner.
•A complaint was received from Oliver Road in Gray Creek that a male had breached a no-contact probation order.
•A driver who had been consuming alcohol before entering Canada at Rykerts was issued a 24-hour driving suspension.
March 5
•A prank involving the theft of a friend’s shoes on 19th Avenue North went awry when the prankster stole the wrong shoes.
•A male who fell on Northwest Boulevard was taken to hospital for treatment.
March 6
•Note to marijuana growers: keep the music down. When police responded to a noise complaint from Stace Road, a male exiting the residence was bearing the distinct aroma of marijuana and had signs of plant residue on his T-shirt. Police obtained a search warrant and found an indoor grow op with 200 plants. John Norris and Jessica Stoinski, along with two minors, face charges of possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking. Norris was held in police cells overnight when police determined he was in breach of court conditions set out after he was earlier charged with a similar offense.
•The owner of a vehicle found on Highway 95 that had the wrong plates on it was issued a warning and the plates were seized.
•A male resident of 16th Avenue North died suddenly in his home at the age of 54. The death is not considered suspicious.
•A shoplifting was reported by a Canyon Street business, which is handling the incident internally.
•Police received a complaint from 16th Avenue about an intoxicated guest. When they arrived at the residence it was apparent that the guest had not been drinking, but the complainant had.
•A 911 call was traced to a pay phone on Canyon-Lister Road, but there was no caller to be found when police arrived.
•A vehicle rolled over when it went off Highway 3A near Topaz Creek Forest Service Road. No injuries were reported.
•No injuries resulted from a collision on Highway 3A near Wynndel on slippery roads.
•Police could not trace a 911 call routed through the Topaz Creek cellphone tower.
March 7
•A small vacant outbuilding on Highway 21 burned to the ground.
•A 911 call from Osborne Road was blamed on kids playing with the phone.
•Police assisted a provincial agency with the apprehension of a child at a Highway 3A residence.
•Police were called about a property dispute on Pitt Road.
•A break-in on Hall Road at Sanca netted thieves a Yamaha Grizzly 700 ATV, two televisions, some alcohol, an Xbox, a remote control monster truck and a surround sound system.
•An Erickson Road resident reported that he was about to fall for a secret shopper scam until he read a cautionary story in the Advance.
March 8
•A 911 call was made by an intoxicated male who said his friends wouldn’t let him leave a party. Police investigated and determined they wouldn’t let him drive away due to his intoxicated state.
•A 79-year-old female died suddenly in her Airport Road home. Circumstances were not suspicious.
•A key was stolen from a vehicle on Pine Street.
•A Tomtom GPS and Sirius satellite radio were stolen from a vehicle on Cook Street.
•A male fell asleep at the wheel and drove off Highway 3/95, badly damaging his vehicle but sustaining no injuries.
•A 911 call through the Topaz Creek cellphone tower was attributed to pocket dialing.
•A complaint about a harassing phone call was received from Cory Road.
•Harassing phone calls were the subject of a complaint from Highway 3A.
•Four speakers and a GPS were stolen from a vehicle on Seventh Avenue North.
•Police were called about a neighbors’ dispute on Crawford Creek Road.
•A summer residence on Riondel Road North was broken into. Stolen were Husqvarna and Stihl chainsaws, a 3,000-watt Honda generator and 11 saucers.
•A vehicle rolled down the hill on Fourth Avenue South and damaged a cable TV distribution box.
March 9
•Two males wearing black hoodies were spotted stealing a purse from a vehicle on Fourth Avenue South. They fled but the purse and contents were later recovered.
•Nothing was stolen when a vehicle on Third Avenue South was entered and rifled through.
•A breach of probation was reported from Newman Street in Kitchener.
•Alcohol was stolen when a cabin on Smith Road in Gray Creek was broken into.
•Thefts have yet to be determined in another Smith Road break-in.
•A wallet lost on 16th Avenue was dropped into a mailbox and then turned over to police.
•Police responded to a 911 call from Seventh Avenue North, where two males and a female, all intoxicated, were fighting. One male was held in police cells overnight but none would co-operate with the investigation.
March 10
•A vehicle went into the ditch on Highway 3 but no injuries were reported.