Clearwater RCMP responded to 47 calls for service this past week.
On Wed Oct. 11, 2023 at 6:38 a.m. a Blackpool man called the Clearwater RCMP to report a semi collision on Highway 5 at Pye Rd. in Vavenby BC. The semi was on it’s side blocking the northbound lane and near the telecommunication lines (no poles or lines were damaged). Const. Booi of B.C. Highway Patrol and Const. Klassen attended. A 24 year old Calgary man was identified as the driver by way of his Alberta drivers license photo. The driver managed to extricate himself from the semi and had some scrapes and bruises including a large bruise from the seat belt. The driver said he was northbound from Vancouver to Saskatoon and swerved to miss a deer before losing control and hitting the northbound ditch. The trailer rolled into the ditch and caused the tractor unit to follow. The trailer and tractor were totalled. The B.C. license plate on the truck was registered to a transport company out of Surrey, B.C. No licence plate available on the trailer due to the crash. The driver was transported to the Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital in Clearwater for a cautionary check. Photos of the scene were obtained and an Alcohol Screening Device sample taken from the driver in the hospital. He provided a ‘0’ reading. The local heavy tow company was on scene to complete the recovery of the tractor, trailer and its contents. A Police accident report was completed, scanned and texted to the driver. It was also emailed to the BC Motor Vehicle Branch. A violation ticket for ‘Fail to maintain right lane’ (sec 150 (1) MVA) was served to the driver.
On Friday Oct. 13, 2023 the manager at a local fuel station called the Clearwater RCMP and advised that a male came into the store the previous day and used a $20 U.S. bill to pay for his gas.
When he went through the receipts of the day he noted the fake bill. The manager provided video of the male and his vehicle which included a clear view of it’s BC Licence plate. A photo of the male was also provided.
The male was recognized as a Clearwater local. Cpl.McGeorge contacted the male who advised that he had been working all summer as a guide doing trail rides in Alberta and had received the bill as a tip and had no idea that it was counterfeit. The male advised that he would stop by the fuel station and re-pay them with a legitimate Canadian bill. It appears that the male had no idea the bill was fake and simply used it in a normal transaction as anyone would.
The manager kept the fake U.S. bill for training purposes. Cpl.McGeorge saw no reason to seize it, as it was poorly made and offered no evidence to send to the Canadian Forensics Lab.
On Monday Oct. 16, 2023 at 5:44 p.m. a Clearwater man called to report a suspicious male in the parking lot of the 600 block of Park Dr. that was holding an axe and leaning against a vehicle with a dismantled bike in front of him. The complainant confirmed that the male wasn’t gesturing the axe in anyway, however the overall situation was suspicious. Cst. Tobin attended, observing the axe on a backpack with the bicycle next to a vehicle owned by a Blackpool woman with a known local male sitting on a nearby bench, who matched the provided description.
The male advised he had made the handle for the axe and was sanding it, then realized that the location was not ideal and agreed to leave the item put away until he is somewhere more discreet to work on it. He answered Cst. Tobin’s questions correctly with respect to why he has it (to cut firewood vs. self defense), thus no authority to seize the item. The complainant was updated on police action taken.
No alcohol or drug symptoms were observed on the male, thus he was free to go on his way.
Sgt. G.D.SIMPSON
Detachment Commander
Clearwater RCMP
