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Australian diver’s body recovered in Squamish

Police Briefs: Woman attacks cellmate; no charges after bar fight
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The body of an Australian diver was recovered near Britannia Beach in Squamish last Wednesday, Sept. 30, four days after he first went missing.

Stephen Quinn Burnham, 49, was diving with a partner on Sept. 26 when he failed to resurface, according to police.

A team made up of the RCMP’s Underwater Recovery team, the Canadian Coast Guard, Squamish Search and Rescue, the local fire department and a commercial diver conducted several searches before Burnham’s body was found.

The death is not being treated as suspicious and has been turned over to the coroner’s office, Mounties said.

A fundraiser in memory of Burnham will be held at Matches on Thursday, Oct. 8 from 6 to 10 p.m., with proceeds going to Squamish Search and Rescue and the Britannia Beach Volunteer Fire Department.

Woman attacks cellmate after being arrested for public intoxication, police say

The night went from bad to worse for a woman being held at the Whistler RCMP detachment this week when she was reportedly attacked by her cellmate.

The woman was “kicked and punched multiple times” by an “aggressive” North Vancouver teen who had been arrested for public intoxication earlier on Oct. 4 and lodged in the same cell, Staff Sgt. Steve LeClair said.

Police quickly intervened and placed the women in separate cells. The 18-year-old now faces charges of mischief and assault.

No charges for pair of Whistler men following attack on bar staff, patron

Two Whistler men accused of attacking the staff and patron of a local pub escaped the brawl with only a minor ticket.

Shortly after midnight on Friday, Oct. 2, police were alerted to a fight taking place in front of the village bar. When officers arrived, staff at the establishment told police it was two males in particular causing the disturbance, said LeClair.

Five vehicles broken into at Joffre Lakes, police say

Police have yet to identify a suspect after several vehicles were broken into at Joffre Lakes Provincial Park last week.

A woman called Pemberton RCMP on Saturday, Oct. 3 to report that she found one of her car windows smashed in and a GPS stolen once she returned to the parking lot. Police noted that four other vehicles also had their windows smashed, LeClair said. The investigation is ongoing.

Squamish couple nabbed with 50 grams of pot at routine roadcheck

Something smelled off to a local police officer last week when a Squamish couple rolled up to a routine roadstop in Emerald.

Turns out the suspicious odour was due to the 50 grams of marijuana the couple had stashed in their vehicle, police said.

A small amount of a second substance unknown to police was also seized as evidence, said LeClair.

A 39-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman now face possession charges.

Home intruder takes nap

Police believe a home intruder may have needed to sleep one off after entering the wrong house on Oct. 3.

The following morning RCMP got a call from a woman who noticed the front door of the vacation home she and several friends were staying in on St. Andrews Way had been left ajar. Curiously, no valuables had been taken, but there was evidence that something was amiss: Namely, a small pool of water near the entrance and a ruffled bed that appeared to have been slept in. The occupants also believe the toilet had been used.

“This could be one of those ‘got-drunk-and-went-into-the-wrong-house’ (instances) we see in Whistler,” LeClair said.

An iPhone was also left at the scene, but police have so far been unable to identify a suspect.