Given the number of impaired drivers Trail RCMP have pulled off the road these past few weeks, the new year has definitely started off with a bang.
Besides reporting on people allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, according to a Feb. 4 news brief from Greater Trail Cpl. Devon Reid, officers have also been dealing with cases involving drug possession, break and enters, and trespassing.
Impaired driving reports:
• Jan. 20, Trail and Greater District RCMP received a call just before 12:30 p.m. of a suspicious vehicle on Casino Road with the horn blaring. Police attended and discovered the driver, a 36-year-old male from Castlegar, was under the influence of drugs while operating the vehicle. As a result of the investigation, the driver was issued a licence suspension, the vehicle was impounded, and a small amount of cocaine was seized from the vehicle.
• Jan. 22, Trail and Greater District RCMP pulled over a vehicle for a minor traffic infraction and discovered that the driver was prohibited from driving. The driver, a 46-year-old man from Salmo, was charged with Driving While Prohibited and his vehicle was impounded for seven days. He is also slated for an initial appearance in the Rossland courthouse on April 2.
• Jan. 24, Trail and Greater District RCMP pulled over a vehicle that was driving erratically on Highway 3B near Marcolin Drive in Trail at 12:15 p.m. The driver, a 37-year-old female from Trail, was found to be impaired by alcohol and there was open liquor in the vehicle. She was issued a 90-day Immediate Roadside Prohibition of her driver’s licence and the vehicle was impounded for 30 days.
• Jan. 24, Trail and Greater District RCMP received a 11:15 p.m. report of a collision where a vehicle hit a power pole in Genelle, damaging both the vehicle and the power pole. The subsequent investigation revealed that the driver of the vehicle, a 28-year-old male from Genelle, was operating the vehicle while impaired by alcohol. The driver was issued a 90-day Immediate Roadside Prohibition of his driver’s licence and the vehicle was impounded for 30 days.
• Jan. 25, Trail and Greater District RCMP were conducting a check stop in Rossland just after 7 p.m., when the driver of one of the vehicles checked was found to be under the influence of alcohol. The driver, a 41-year-old male from Rossland, was issued a 3-day Immediate Roadside Prohibition of his driver’s licence. The vehicle was not impounded, but left parked legally to be picked up by a sober driver.
• Jan. 28, Trail and Greater District RCMP stopped a vehicle for a burnt out headlight in Fruitvale, shortly after 10 p.m. During the traffic stop, police determined that the driver of the vehicle, a 42-year-old male from the East Kootenay, was a prohibited driver. The man was arrested and later released for a first appearance in Rossland Provincial Court on April 30. The vehicle did not have any insurance and was in disrepair, so the driver was also issued a violation ticket for no insurance. The vehicle was impounded, pending an inspection by a certified repair facility.
• Feb. 1, Trail and Greater District RCMP received a report at 4:30 p.m. that a vehicle was involved in a single vehicle collision above Glover Road in Trail. The police investigation revealed that the driver, a 30-year-old man from Trail, was under the influence of illicit drugs and was prohibited from driving. He was issued a 24- hour Driver’s Licence Prohibition and was arrested and later released for a first appearance date in the Rossland courthouse on April 30. The vehicle was damaged to the point where it was not operational and was towed from the scene.
• Feb. 3, Trail and Greater District RCMP stopped a vehicle just after 10 a.m. to investigate an offence of littering. At the traffic stop, the driver of the vehicle, a 20-year-old male from Rossland, was found to be under the influence of alcohol while driving. He was issued an immediate 3-day driver’s licence suspension.
Drug possession:
• Jan. 27, Trail and Greater District RCMP stopped a vehicle for speeding in downtown Trail at 3:30 a.m. During the traffic stop, police discovered that the driver, a 36-year-old Trail man, was in possession of illicit drugs that were suspected to be methamphetamine and fentanyl. The man was arrested and later released for a first appearance in Rossland Provincial Court on April 30. He was also issued a 24-hour driver’s licence suspension under the Motor Vehicle Act as he was under the influence of an illicit substance at the time of driving.
Break and Enter:
• Feb. 1, Trail and Greater District RCMP received a complaint that someone was squatting in an abandoned house in West Trail. Upon attendance, police located a 28-year-old Trail man inside the residence. He was arrested for break-and-enter, and was also found to be in breach of release conditions imposed on him two weeks previous. The man was arrested and remanded in custody, with his court appearance slated for Feb. 6 in Rossland. He is facing charges of Break and Enter, Mischief to Property and Breach of a Release Order.
• Feb. 3, Trail and Greater District RCMP were called regarding a break and enter into an outbuilding on a rural property near 7 Mile Dam. Police recovered evidence at scene left behind by the culprit(s) that has been sent for forensic examination in hopes of identifying the persons responsible. Anyone with information regarding this offence or any other offence, is encouraged to contact the Trail RCMP at 250.364.2566 or Crimestoppers at 1.800.222.TIPS.
Trespassing:
• Feb. 3, Trail and Greater District RCMP attended the complaint of a male who was harassing customers outside the BC Liquor Store in East Trail. An investigation revealed this man had been previously banned from the location for similar behaviour and that he had been repeating the offence over a period of several days, despite being warned by both police and the store employees. As a result, he was charged with trespass.
