Police recovered a pair of firearms as well as a stolen motorcycle from a Pemberton home as part of an investigation into a reported domestic dispute.
On Dec. 21, a woman contacted Pemberton RCMP to report that she had been assaulted by her husband earlier in the month while attempting to move out of the couple’s shared home. The woman told police she was pushed to the ground, thrown against a wall and bitten by the man’s dog over the course of the incident. She also told police the man “threatened to harm himself” with a firearm.
Based on the woman’s statement, officers executed a search warrant and ultimately seized two firearms and a motorcycle that was reportedly stolen from Surrey in 2011.
The 26-year-old man was arrested on various charges and now awaits a February court date.
All hands on deck for New Year’s Eve
Local police will once again be out in full force for Whistler’s New Year’s Eve celebrations.
Insp. Kara Triance, the Officer in Charge for the Sea to Sky, said the night’s “robust operational plan” will see all local police on duty as well as some additional officers brought in from other jurisdictions.
“We want people celebrating to enjoy themselves as they ring in the New Year. There will, however, be zero tolerance for public intoxication and possession of open liquor and people can expect appropriate enforcement action to be taken,” Triance wrote in an emailed statement.
“The message we want to convey is that we want people to have a great time in Whistler but to do so responsibly.”
Criminal incidents on New Year’s Eve have largely been on the downswing since the municipality brought more family-friendly programming to the village. Last year’s festivities saw Mounties issue 18 bylaw tickets for open liquor, nine provincial tickets for the public consumption of alcohol, and two provincial tickets for minors in possession of alcohol. They also detained six people in custody for a variety of charges, including two Danish males for fighting, an Ontario man for breaching the peace, and a 35-year-old local woman for allegedly waving a knife at her family.
Four-car pileup snarls Boxing Day traffic
A vehicle accident south of Whistler slowed holiday traffic to a crawl on Boxing Day.
Just before noon, Whistler RCMP attended the scene of a crash involving multiple vehicles on a day marked by heavy snow and “very slick, icy” road conditions, police said. R. Cstb. Steve LeClair said the accident occurred when the driver of a Toyota Sequoia slid into oncoming traffic on a downhill curve of Highway 99 near the Callaghan Valley. The Toyota was reportedly struck by another vehicle, triggering the four-car pileup.
“The lesson there is: slow down in poor driving conditions and make sure your tires have good winter tread,” LeClair urged.
No major injuries were reported.
Intoxicated man refuses to go home without a fight
A 21-year-old man was not in the festive spirit this Christmas Eve after he was caught picking multiple fights in the village.
Just after 2:15 a.m. on Dec. 24, officers on foot patrol observed the male fighting with another man in front of a village nightclub, police said. Both men were told to go home, but only 40 minutes later the suspect was seen in front of a different nightclub attempting to start a brawl.
“He was squared off with another male and it appeared as if they were about to fight,” noted LeClair.
The suspect was arrested for causing a public disturbance and held in custody overnight.
Impaired drivers keep cops busy over holidays
Police dealt with several impaired drivers over the holiday period in the Sea to Sky.
At 1 a.m. on Christmas Eve, officers stopped a vehicle that had reportedly skipped a road safety check. The driver, a 26-year-old Whistler male, had liquor on his breath and failed two roadside sobriety tests, police said. He was issued a 90-day driving prohibition and had his vehicle impounded.
Then, only a half-hour later, Mounties stopped a 21-year-old Kelowna man in Lot 4 after he displayed signs of intoxication. He provided two “warn” readings on the breathalyzer and was handed a three-day driving prohibition.
In Pemberton, police observed a vehicle in the early hours of Christmas Day nearly sideswipe a median near a local hotel. The 26-year-old Vancouver man was stopped, and subsequently failed a sobriety test. He was also issued a 90-day driving restriction.
Just after 3 a.m. the same morning, a 21-year-old Mount Currie woman was stopped at a road safety check on Portage Road in Pemberton and provided a warn breath sample to officers. She was given a three-day roadside prohibition.
