Vernon RCMP officers got more than they bargained for during a routine roadside check.
On Saturday at about 11:20 p.m., officers pulled over an east bound Dodge Dakota in the 4600 block of 27th Avenue.
“The plates had been reported stolen out of Fort St. John,” said Gord Molendyk, RCMP spokesperson.
While the 25-year-old Fort St. John man, who apparently owned the truck, was being arrested for possession of stolen property, officers noticed liquor on his breath.
He failed a breathalyzer test and it was also discovered he had a Criminal Code conviction for impaired driving from 2012 and he doesn’t have a valid driver’s license.
And during a search of the vehicle, officers found a sawed-off shotgun and a rifle. The driver did not have a possession and acquisition license for the guns.
“There’s no report that they were stolen but a sawed-off shotgun can fall into the prohibited category depending on how it is sawed off,” said Molendyk.
The vehicle was impounded and the license plates were seized.
The suspect was charged with having no license, no insurance and the wrong numbered plate. He was also served suspension notices and a notice to seek greater punishment because of previous impaired driving offences and four firearm offenses.
“It was a good check by our officers,” said Molendyk of the truck being pulled over.
