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Winter storm leads to highway mayhem

The first significant snowfall of the winter season caused mayhem on local roads, with the RCMP receiving no less than eight calls for assistance in less than two hours regarding motor vehicle incidents — some incidents involving multiple vehic
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Snow way to drive There was mayhem on regional roads and highways following the first significant snowfall of the season on Nov. 11. Photo by John French

The first significant snowfall of the winter season caused mayhem on local roads, with the RCMP receiving no less than eight calls for assistance in less than two hours regarding motor vehicle incidents — some incidents involving multiple vehicles.

But despite the volume of calls RCMP say most of the drivers were prepared for the snow and road services responded promptly to the conditions.

The first calls came in around 3:40 p.m. on Nov. 11 and continued until just before 5:30 p.m., causing road delays and closures.

At 3:40 p.m. the RCMP received a call from Highway 99 and Crazy Canuck Drive after a vehicle slid off the road into the ditch.

At 3:49 p.m. they received a report from Highway 99 and Nordic regarding a head-on between two vehicles. The police were unable to respond to that call but the two drivers were uninjured and exchanged their information before their vehicles were towed away.

At 3:50 p.m. the RCMP received a call from Highway 99 and Village Gate regarding a vehicle slowly sliding along the road, with traffic building up behind it. The caller was concerned because impatient people were trying to pass the vehicle on the outside.

At 3:57 p.m. there was another head-on at Highway 99 and Alta Lake Road after the northbound vehicle slid over the centre line. Both vehicles were travelling slowly, less than 30km/h at the time of the accident, and there were no injuries. Both vehicles were towed.

At 4:13 p.m. the RCMP received a call regarding another head-on at Highway 99 and Village Gate. There were no injuries and both vehicles were drivable after the incident.

At 4:22 p.m. the RCMP received a call regarding a vehicle in distress on Alta Lake Road. According to reports, the vehicle was following another vehicle up a hill when the vehicle up front became stuck. The van did have studded tires, but started to slide backwards after braking. The driver ended up with his two front tires on the roadway, with his back tires hanging over a 15-metre embankment. The driver held his brakes for more than half an hour until Whistler Fire Rescue Services could pull him to safety. A tow truck was also able to retrieve the vehicle, and the driver was able to drive away from the scene.

Related to that incident, the RCMP received a call from Alta Lake Road in Alpine Meadows, where several vehicles were in the ditch. A person heard shouting and thought there was a chance a fight might break out, but police determined that the drivers were helping each other.

At 5:26 p.m. the RCMP received a similar call from Blackcomb Way, which they took for a distress call. In fact, the caller had just been reporting the conditions of the road and called the RCMP to have that section of the road plowed and salted.

RCMP attribute the number of calls to the treacherous driving conditions rather than people driving without proper tires, and pointed out that one of the affected vehicles had an experienced driver and studded tires.

The police do work with road contractors, the municipality and others to manage snow events, and if necessary they will temporarily close the highway to allow plows through.

During storms, you must have at minimum rated all-season tires with a minimum of 3.5mm of tread depth. Failure to drive with the proper tires is a $109 fine.

Man arrested in successful defrauding of businesses

A 24-year-old man from Garbriola Island was arrested by the RCMP's special investigation unit and Nanaimo RCMP in relation to an invoicing fraud for a fake company called "Enterprise Corporate Web Hosting." Upwards of 1,000 businesses received the invoices for small amounts for an address in the Whistler area, usually for $130 or $155. Many businesses assumed they were legitimate and paid — roughly $15,000 worth — although one business tipped off the RCMP back in September, triggering an investigation. The suspect had a Whistler post office box, as well as other Whistler connections, and would disguise himself when entering establishments to cash cheques.

The police set up a sting operation at a Nanaimo business they believed the man would frequent, and after a few hours the man did show up. He resisted arrest and tried to flee, but was successfully captured on Nov. 9 and held until Nov. 14 before he was released on a promise to appear in court in North Vancouver.

Charges being considered at this point include uttering a forged document, and possessing identity with the intent to commit fraud. Further charges are expected.

The Whistler RCMP thank everyone who reported the scam and want to hear from anyone else who may have received or paid the invoice. Contact Constable Rutherford at 604-905-1952 if you have any information.

Men out thousands in rental fraud

A trio of Australians is out a significant amount of money after being caught up in a rental fraud. The men contacted the RCMP after they arrived in Whistler and were unable to contact their landlord.

According to the RCMP, the men forwarded $5,200 to a man in Pennsylvania for rent and damage deposit, plus a $1,750 advance to secure a lower rent amount through the next four months. As well the scammer said he would purchase ski passes on behalf of the men for another undisclosed amount for a total of over $9,000.

The Whistler RCMP has contacted police in Pennsylvania to try and identify the man and maybe collect any video footage from the location where the amount of money was received.

The RCMP have issued regular warnings to people regarding rental frauds, and advise to always deal face-to-face with the landlord, to visit the physical place before renting to look it over and obtain the key, and to be skeptical when dealing with someone over the Internet.

Man survives fall into Cheakamus

On Nov. 8 at 2:20 p.m. the RCMP received a 911 call from a woman after her friend fell into the Cheakamus River, just south of Function Junction.

They were walking on the trail when the man attempted to cross a log that was down over the river. He slipped and held on as long as he could before dropping into the water.

The man went about 70 metres down the river before he caught himself on some logs and managed to pull himself out. The man was a 33-year-old from Pemberton.

Police seek more information on strange incident

At 4 p.m. on Nov. 9 the RCMP received a call regarding a strange incident that happened at 1:30 a.m. that morning.

A female resident on Alpine Crescent was woken up by someone at the door who claimed to be needing a place to stay the night with his female daughter. He identified himself as "Dave." The woman woke up her male roommate assuming it was a friend of his, only to find out that he did not know the person. They also looked outside to confirm that the man did not have a daughter and challenged him.

When they asked the man to leave he became aggressive, but left.

The residents were unsure whether to call police, but decided the next day that it was a good idea.

The RCMP is looking for anyone who saw anything or may have more information; contact 604-932-3044 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).