Patrolling a “very well organized” Starbelly Jam on Friday night wasn’t nearly as adventurous as the return back to Creston from Crawford Bay, RCMP Staff Sgt. Bob Gollan said on Monday.
He and fellow officers were returning home early Saturday morning when they came across downed power and telephone lines and then a large tree blocking Highway 3A.
“We waited for seven hours for highways maintenance to come and clear the tree,” said Gollan, from whose belt hangs a large collection of police equipment, but not a chainsaw.
RCMP members eventually arrived back at the Creston detachment at 10 a.m. on Saturday, having learned firsthand the reason for about 20 calls from around the Creston Valley after a severe windstorm swept through the Kootenays.
Police Beat
Creston RCMP responded to 109 calls for service from July 16-22, Gollan said.
July 16
•No theft was evident after a group of people was seen on a Cedar Street construction site.
•A caller complaining about a neighbor mowing his lawn in the 2400 block of Erickson Road before 6 a.m. was referred to the Regional District of Central Kootenay bylaw department.
•Police investigated a report about a screaming child in an Ash Street residence, only to learn that the screams were the result of teasing by a sibling while mom was on the telephone.
•Binoculars, an Olympus 35-millimetre camera, Magellan GPS and pocketknife were stolen from a vehicle on Wiebe Road.
•Police were unable to locate a possibly impaired driver of an Alberta vehicle on Canyon Street.
•A red 2009 Kawasaki loader with a front snowplow attachment was stolen from a business on Highway 3.
•A car sustained minor damage when it collided with a moose on Highway 3. The moose was killed.
•A person reported to be driving erratically on Canyon Street was given a verbal warning.
•An impaired driver attempting to enter Canada at Kingsgate was turned back into the custody of U.S. border officials.
July 17
•A yellow Vagabond bicycle found on 16th Avenue North can be claimed by the owner.
•A deer was killed when it collided with a vehicle near Summit Creek Bridge on Highway 3.
•A driver stopped for speeding on Lakeview-Arrow Creek Road was found to be unlicensed and prohibited from driving. The vehicle was impounded for seven days.
July 18
•No theft was noted after a shed was broken into on Kitchener Road.
•A male was warned after making repeated unwanted phone calls to a Second Avenue South resident.
•Two jerry cans filled with gas were stolen from a shed on Crystal Road in Kitchener.
•Police are investigating a complaint about a minor assault on 19th Avenue North.
July 19
•A report about an assault involving two brothers on Eighth Avenue South was referred to their mother.
•A prohibited driver stopped on Hillside Street was issued a ticket and the vehicle was impounded for seven days.
•Police seized four pipes, a bong and a small amount of marijuana from four youths at Millennium Park.
•A male was arrested following a domestic assault on Reclamation Road.
•A driver stopped on Nick’s Island Road South smelled of liquor and refused to provide breath samples. He was issued a 90-day driving prohibition and the vehicle was impounded for 30 days.
July 20
•Patrolling police heard a loud crash on Northwest Boulevard and investigation showed a female driver had missed a curve and struck a concrete barrier.
•A person accused of making threats to an Aldrich Road resident apologized when confronted by police.
•Participants in an ongoing dispute over a fence between Erickson Road properties have been advised to go to civil court to resolve the argument.
•A warning letter was sent to the owner of an orange Dodge pickup that passed vehicles on a double solid line near Kuskanook.
•Numerous calls were received reporting downed trees and power lines following the windstorm.
July 21
•An intoxicated female who made a 911 call from Seventh Avenue North to get a ride home was put in the care of her mother.
•When patrolling officers stopped a vehicle whose taillights didn’t work on Highway 3, they found the male driver was an impound candidate. He was issued tickets for having no insurance or driver’s licence and his vehicle was towed.
•A Yahk resident reported seeing a large deer pass through his yard and then hearing two shots shortly afterward in the direction the deer was heading. Police have notified conservation officers.
•A statue at the Holy Cross Catholic Church was damaged when it was knocked off its pedestal.
•A wallet found at the Starbelly Jam was turned into police, who have located the owner.
•A male shooting at gophers on 15th Avenue North also shot himself in the leg.
•Eight cows were reported to be loose on Lakeview-Arrow Creek Road.
•Eight cows were reported missing on Lakeview-Arrow Creek Road.
•A vehicle was damaged on Highway 3A when a deer jumped from the ditch and struck its side doors.
•A female made a 911 call from a pay phone on Highway 3A to report she had locked her keys in her car. A tow truck was dispatched.
July 22
•In one of the few police incidents at Starbelly Jam, a 50-year-old woman overdosed on ecstasy and was taken to hospital for treatment.
•A theft was reported on 11th Avenue North but no other details were available at press time.
•Two teenage males who were reported to be casing yards in the Sixth Avenue North area ran off when confronted. Police were unable to locate them.
•An intoxicated male reported to be attempting to fistfight with his vehicle on Canyon Street could not be located by police.