It would appear local authorities’ messaging around COVID-19 precautions paid off this Easter Weekend, with police reporting a relatively tame holiday.
RCMP in Whistler and Pemberton ramped up their presence, with additional officers in the backcountry, waterways, closed provincial parks, and on-mountain, as well as road checks on Highway 99.
In all, police responded to 57 calls for service between April 10 and 13. “The files were relatively minor in nature and did not impact local police operations,” read a release.
“The Whistler and Pemberton RCMP wish to thank our community for abiding by recommendations from multiple agencies and municipalities to remain close to home, practice good physical distancing and help plank the curve over this Easter Weekend.”
Bus driver arrested again days after being released on charges
The driver of a converted bus was arrested for the second time in just a few days on April 8, police said in a release.
Just after midnight, police on patrol noted a “familiar bus”—a black 1990 model that had been converted into a camper—travelling in the 8900 block of Highway 99.
As previously reported by Pique, just days earlier, on April 4, the bus had been stopped by police after the driver had damaged a highway sign near the entrance to Function Junction. The investigation turned up a quantity of stolen goods and suspected meth in the vehicle, and a 36-year-old Vancouver woman and a 40-year-old Vancouver man were taken into custody before being released, pending approval of the charges.
Investigators believed the suspects were planning to stay in the area for several weeks, if not months, if police had not tracked them down.
Prohibited from driving, police then stopped the man on April 8 and, during his arrest, uncovered a quantity of suspected ketamine and a large sum of money. He has since been released a second time pending approval of charges for prohibited driving and possession of a controlled substance.
The bus was also impounded for seven days.
Ontario man arrested after refusing breath sample
A 35-year-old Ontario man learned that there’s no point in refusing a police officer’s breath sample this week after being arrested and having his driver’s licence suspended.
At approximately 10:45 p.m. on Monday, April 13, Whistler RCMP observed some erratic driving and stopped the vehicle in question at the corner of Highway 99 and Lorimer Road.
Despite having the grounds to demand a breath sample, the driver refused to give one and was arrested. Refusing a breath sample carries the same penalties as driving while intoxicated.
The man’s driver’s licence was suspended for 90 days and his vehicle was impounded for a month, police said.
Police warn against speeding after vehicles removed from road
With the novel coronavirus comes less crowded roads—and, as it turns out, a need for speed for a pair of drivers.
On the afternoon of Thursday, April 9, Pemberton RCMP noticed a vehicle travelling “well in excess” of the posted 60 km/h speed limit on Highway 99 near One Mile Lake. The 2007 Porsche 911 was clocked going 133 km/h, police said.
The driver, a 55-year-old Langley man, was issued a $368 ticket and had three demerit points added to his licence. His vehicle was also impounded for a week, and the man had to taxi back to the Lower Mainland.
Then, on the afternoon of Monday, April 13, Whistler RCMP spotted another speeding vehicle on Highway 99 near the Callaghan Valley. The 2020 Toyota Camry was noted going 139 km/h in a 90 km/h zone.
The driver, a 24-year-old English man, was issued a $368 ticket and had his vehicle impounded for seven days.
“Police want to remind people that we are looking out for dangerous drivers who do not seem to understand the harm they risk to themselves and others in the community by driving at such excessive speeds,” police said in a release.
