Greater Trail and District RCMP reported a variety of incidents in the area, from a wild raft ride on the Columbia River to more wildlife encounters in Rossland and Trail, and a drug dealer asleep at the wheel.
• On May 5, around 7 p.m., police received a report about a 50-year-old Trail man and a makeshift raft floating down the Columbia River.
An RCMP officer attended the area and located the man and his raft.
The man was not in distress; however, his raft was determined not to be seaworthy.
The RCMP officer asked the man not to repeat his rafting adventure due to the risks associated to this dangerous activity.
• On May 7, 9 a.m., Trail and Greater District RCMP received a report from a 60-year-old Trail woman that a bear had damaged her vehicle in the 2000 block of Topping Street.
During the night, a bear had smelled the small bag of garbage that was being stored inside her vehicle. The bear clawed the side of the vehicle, broke a window to get in, then destroyed a headrest while inside, all in pursuit of the garbage attractant.
• The next night, at 3:30 a.m., RCMP received a report from a 28-year-old Rossland man that a bear was trapped inside his vehicle located in the 2000 block of Columbia Avenue, in Rossland. The man used an extension cord tied to his door handle to open the vehicle door to let out the bear.
The comes just a couple weeks after a well-publicized bear totalled the interior of a Ford-F150 after opening the door, entering and getting trapped inside.
A Trail RCMP officer attended the scene and confirmed that the bear had left the vehicle, which did not contain an identifiable attractant.
The BC Conservation Officer Service was notified about the incident.
Trail RCMP remind the public to lock their vehicles and refrain from storing bear attractants like food and garbage inside their vehicles overnight.
To avoid wildlife conflicts, RCMP also recommends removing all attractants from the outside of business and residential properties. You can report wildlife conflict to the Trail RCMP at 250-364-2566 or the BC Conservation Officer Service at 1-877-952-7277.
• Police received a report on May 9, 6:45 a.m., about a driver taking a nap behind the wheel of his vehicle in a parking lot in the 8000 block of Highway B, near Trail.
RCMP officers attended the location and roused the driver, a 32-year-old Trail man.
While conducting an investigation into possible impairment, an RCMP officer allegedly spotted loaded handguns in plain view inside the vehicle. RCMP officers arrested the man and took him into custody without incident.
A search located two loaded handguns, ammunition, drug trafficking paraphernalia, and approximately 29 grams of illicit substances believe to be Methamphetamine and Cocaine.
The man remains in police custody at this time.
• On May 9, around 7 p.m., Trail and Greater District RCMP investigated an incident in which a 26-year-old Rossland man was located, allegedly passed out inside his vehicle on Whitman Way, in Warfield.
Police entered into a roadside impaired driving investigation, and believed the man was under the influence of a drug. He was issued a 24-hour driving prohibition under Section 215 of the BC Motor Vehicle Act. His vehicle was towed from the scene.
