The Nelson Police Department reports having been “heavily taxed” with over 60 calls for service over the weekend.
“Of note were several calls pertaining to persons within our community apparently suffering from various forms of mental illnesses,” acting Sgt. Brian Weber stated in a press release. “As the agency of last resort, quite often the Nelson Police Department provides service to citizens that have fallen through the cracks in our community.”
On Friday evening, officers were summoned to the 7/11 store. Inside a teenager had consumed a considerable amount of alcohol and was unable to stand on their own.
The person in question told police that they had taken a double dose of their medications and had clearly consumed a considerable amount of alcohol. After vomiting inside the store, the teenager was moved to the sidewalk.
At that point the young person told police they were hearing voices inside their head. Police were concerned about the health of the person and a decision was made to have the teenager examined by a doctor.
At Kootenay Lake Hospital, the teen became so agitated that the police had to restrain the person as they were launching off of the treatment bed, attempting to kick police and the attending physician, spitting, yelling, swearing and attempting to run from the hospital.
A parent attended the hospital and assisted to calm the teenager. Eventually hospital staff was able to calm the teen.
No charges are contemplated from the incident.
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While on patrol on Friday night, a constable observed a young adult familiar to him in the downtown core. The male was bound by conditions stemming from a recent arrest from the North Okanagan area, ordered to refrain from consuming alcohol and to be inside his residence by his court invoked curfew.
The officer made observations that led him to believe the male had indeed consumed alcohol. The man was arrested for breaching his North Okanagan release conditions.
“Officers often come across members of the public who have been released from custody after they have promised to abide to conditions,” stated Weber. “Some of the common conditions are, to refrain from contacting a particular person, to refrain from consuming alcohol or non-prescription drugs or to refrain from possessing weapons.”
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Late Friday night, a male attended the front counter of the Nelson Police Department to make an unusual complaint. The man told police he was unlawfully squatting in an abandoned home in Nelson.
While he was preparing to bed down for the night, one of the other squatters threatened him with bodily harm. The man failed to explain what took place prior to the threats that would result in one party threatening the other with bodily harm. The complainant did not know the suspect and was not interested in seeing him arrested, instead he wanted police to protect him while he gathered his belongings and make his exit.
Police attended to the house and stood by while the male gathered his tent and four large bags of belongings. The suspect had vacated the area and his identity was not established.
With the help of Nelson Fire and Rescue the abandoned house was secured.
As the complainant had admitted to police that he had been breaking the law by being unlawfully within a dwelling house, police checked him on police computers and learned he was wanted on an outstanding arrest warrant from eastern Canada.
The NPD are requesting everyone to be vigilant and report suspicious activity in and around vacant homes.
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While patrolling the downtown core Saturday night, two officers observed three people panhandling and drinking beer in the 300 block of Baker Street.
The officers became interested in one male when he announced he had no identification on him. As the officers had observed the male violating the BC Liquor Act, he was obliged by law to truthfully identify himself to the officers.
What followed was a long game of cat and mouse in which the male attempted to falsely identify himself.
“Although the male was well schooled at the charade of deception, he was not able to convince the wily officers,” stated Weber. “The male was warned that if he failed to accurately identify himself he would be arrested for obstructing a police officer. The male continued to insist that the name he gave police was accurate. The male was then arrested for obstruction.”
After another round of questioning by officers at the station, the man admitted he had been lying to the officers and divulged his true identity.
Police said the man was lying to the officers because he was unlawfully at large from a federal institution. He was serving a six-year sentence for multiple armed robberies.
The man was arrested for being unlawfully at large and on a Canada wide apprehension warrant. The matter of obstructing the officers of the Nelson Police Department is still under investigation.
The man was held in custody and returned to Corrections Canada.
