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RCMP find man lost near Lillooet Lake

Police News: fire damages home, drunken shennanigans, alleged drug use
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A West Vancouver man who became lost near Lillooet Lake on a canoe trip Saturday, June 7, has a diligent RCMP officer to thank for helping him return home safely.

At around 5 p.m., police received a 911 call from the man, whose call was cut off before officers could determine his whereabouts. Eventually, the man was able to call the detachment again, and told police he was stuck on the south side of Lillooet Lake.

"He had canoed across to hike up a mountain and got lost on his way back and couldn't find his canoe," said Whistler RCMP Staff Sgt. Steve LeClair.

After contacting a cell phone service provider, the RCMP was able to determine the approximate location of the man using GPS coordinates, and officers attended the scene.

As the Green River Forest Service Road runs along the south side of Lillooet Lake, police formulated a plan where an officer would drive down the road to the man's nearest GPS location, while the other would drive down Lillooet Lake Road to find the red houses the male had reported seeing across the lake.

One officer, parked near the 17-kilometre mark of the service road, walked through the dense bush in an attempt to locate the man, tracking his route with flagging tape.

The man followed the sound of the officer's whistle blasts, and noticed the flagging tape, following the track back to a police vehicle, where he waited for the RCMP member's return.

The 34-year-old man was dehydrated, but suffered no major injuries.

Late-night fire damages Emerald home

Shortly after midnight on Saturday, police attended to a fire at a home in the 9100 block of Summer Lane in Emerald.

A resident of the house told police "he had a fire earlier in the stove, and went to bed only to see smoke coming from the attic where the chimney was," LeClair said.

All of the home's occupants and dogs were evacuated without injury.

Police said the fire was not suspicious.

Drug arrests outside detachment

In a stroke of brilliance, two Whistler males were arrested Friday, June 6, for possession of a controlled substance after they were found sitting under an RCMP detachment window with what appeared to be cocaine.

At approximately 1:20 a.m., officers inside the detachment overheard someone speaking right outside a window located near an emergency exit. Police opened the exit and found two males sitting outside the door. One of the men, a 24-year-old Australian citizen, "had a cell phone with white power on the screen in his hand," said LeClair.

Immediately after noticing the police officer, he placed his other hand and a university ID card over the phone.

Upon searching, police found a bag containing a half-gram of suspected cocaine in one of the suspect's back pockets. The man was released with a promise to appear in court on charges of drug possession.

The second male was released without charges.

Intoxicated man reportedly starts nightclub fight

While on foot patrol in the village after midnight on Sunday, June 8, officers received a report from a nightclub doorman that an intoxicated man was inside attempting to fight staff.

Police entered the club and found staff attempting to remove the male, who was "resisting, fighting and pulling away," LeClair said.

Staff told officers the man was trying to pick fights with several people in the club. Police said the 25-year-old man was visibly intoxicated and smelled strongly of liquor.

A check of the male found that he was on condition not to consume alcohol, stemming from a domestic assault from the night before.

The Surrey man now faces charges of failing to comply with his conditions.

Drunken male passes out on stranger's patio

A woman called police after 1 a.m. on Tuesday, June 10 to report an intoxicated male was repeatedly knocking on the door of her home in the 3300 block of Lakeside Road in Whistler.

Police attended and found the man passed out in a patio chair near the front door. The 25-year-old Whistler male, by way of Quebec, was roused after considerable effort from police. Officers said he was highly intoxicated, smelled strongly of liquor and was slurring his words.

The man was lodged in cells and issued a violation ticket for public intoxication.