Wild Wild West
On Sunday Aug. 18, four members of the Kamloops RCMP Integrated Road Safety Unit conducted an enforcement blitz on Hwy. 1 between Kamloops and Ashcroft, from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm. The unit does analyses of areas throughout the region, identifying problem areas and then doing a concentrated enforcement blitz.
According to the local detachment, there are complaints from the public almost every day regarding aggressive drivers on this stretch of highway, so the focus of the blitz was that type of driving. Some three dozen violators were ticketed and/or fined for offences ranging from speeding to not having a driver’s licence to following too closely. Another 22 warnings were given out for various violations, such as vehicle defects, lack of a front licence plate, and changed addresses on vehicle documentation.
There were also two impaired drivers removed from the highway during the blitz, and one person served with documents preventing him from driving. One of the impaired drivers was stopped at 8:40 am, showing us that impaired drivers are on the highways at all hours of the day and night.
Deer 4, car and driver 0
On Aug. 15, traffic police came across a vehicle on Hwy. 1 south of Hat Creek Rd. which was pulled off to the side of the road and was heavily damaged. The 45-year-old male driver from Victoria, who was travelling with his family, reported that his 2013 Toyota Corolla had been struck by a deer. None of the people in the car were injured, and the deer was nowhere to be seen. No one reported seeing a blue stuffed walrus in the vicinity.
A little help from his friend
On Aug. 15 at 2:00 am, police were called to an address on Collins Rd. in Cache Creek near the Husky station. A male who was associated with a truck parked in the Husky lot had become involved in an argument with local residents, and was threatening to break into their house. Police found the man to be intoxicated but cooperative. The man’s partner was asleep in the truck, and was found to be sober. He agreed to look after his friend, and the rest of the night was peaceful.
Doggie in the (car) window
On Aug. 15 at 2:00 pm, a call was received regarding a dog in distress in a car parked outside the Oasis in Cache Creek. Police attended and found that the vehicle was parked in the shade with all the windows partially open. The dog was barking because its water bowl was empty, so the dog’s owner was located and more water was obtained, which made the dog a good deal happier and very friendly. No charges are being laid.
Hard feelings
On Aug. 15 at 6:00 pm police were called to a disturbance at the Nugget Motel in Cache Creek. An ex-client of the motel, who had been evicted the previous month, had returned to retrieve some belongings that had been left behind when she was evicted. The woman, now a resident of Kamloops, was reported to be causing problems, but police presence defused the situation and enabled everything to be resolved peacefully, with all parties getting what they wanted.
Dognapping?
On Aug. 16 a woman from Kamloops reported to Ashcroft police that while visiting Cache Creek two days earlier her dog had gone missing. She suspected that it had been taken by someone, and confronted a group of people living in the area where the dog went missing. They denied having the dog, but on the 16th the owner received an anonymous phone call from someone who purported to have seen the group dropping the dog off on a corner in Cache Creek. The dog was retrieved safely, but the owner wanted to report the matter as a warning to other dog owners in the area, in case any other canines go missing.
Speed costs
On Aug. 16 at 4:00 pm a Toyota Camry heading south on Hwy. 1 was stopped near the Starhouse Restaurant in Cache Creek for doing 95km/h in a 50 zone. The male driver was fined for excessive speed and had his car impounded for seven days.
Rocks for brains
On Aug. 18 at 3:20 am there was a report of an alarm going off in the Service B.C. office at 318 Railway Ave. in Ashcroft. A patrol of the area revealed that a window in the office had been broken; further investigation showed that the 8 – 10 inch hole in the window was caused by a rock, which had been thrown through it and was discovered inside the office. Both the office doors were secured and there was no evidence of any theft. There are no suspects at this time. If anyone has any information as to who was involved, please call Ashcroft RCMP or Crime Stoppers.
Crossed signals
On Aug. 18 at 9:30 pm, police were called to check on the welfare of a woman from West Vancouver who was travelling through the area on her way home via Lillooet. She had her two children, aged three and five, with her, and was expected home in the afternoon; when she had not arrived at 9:30 pm, the children’s father called police after failing to get an answer on the woman’s cellphone. Police discovered the woman’s vehicle at Pavilion Lake, where the woman and children were camping. There is no cell service in the area, and she said there had been a misunderstanding regarding the date and time of her return to West Vancouver. She and the children were safe and well.
Unhappy families
On Aug. 19 at 8:30 pm there was a disturbance on Retasket Rd. near Hat Creek. A family member was causing problems for the rest of her family, but the 30-year-old Kamloops woman had gone by the time police arrived. There was no report of an assault and no damage had been caused. The incident was described as a family disagreement that was escalating, with the woman deciding to leave before something serious happened.
Barbara Roden