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College invasion busy for RCMP

25 people taken into custody for public drunkenness

The annual arrival of thousands of American college students for the President's Day long weekend made for a busy weekend for Whistler RCMP, but in the end it was locals and Vancouver residents that caused the biggest trouble.

Over the weekend some 25 people were lodged in police cells for public drunkenness, specifically related to the invasion weekend. That doesn't include a handful of local calls from Whistler and Pemberton. The police also handed out 20 tickets for open alcohol, two tickets for public nuisance, six tickets for consuming liquor in public and 14 tickets for public intoxication.

According to Sergeant Shawn LeMay of the Whistler RCMP, it was a busy weekend dealing with college-age students - many of whom are still underage in the U.S. and were in Whistler because of the lower age limit. That meant picking up drunk visitors out of doorways, and sweeping the "nooks and crannies" of the village with foot patrols to round up people that had passed out.

One of the most serious calls came on Saturday, Jan. 15 at 10:49 p.m. when an estimated 200-plus people were attempting to crowd their way past door staff into a local nightclub. The RCMP attended and used a 100-foot extension cord to create some order in the line, and to separate guests that had wristbands or were on the guest list.

"It developed into an unsafe situation as they rushed the door as a mob and began to crush other people in line, making the situation unmanageable," said Sgt. LeMay. With some help from door staff to figure out who was first, order was restored and eventually all of the people in line were admitted.

While the crowds and level of intoxication were a concern for police, overall the group was well behaved and the students were not involved in any violence or property damage. The RCMP did assist one hotel in evicting the tenants of one room as a result of noise complaints, but otherwise kept the peace by having a larger presence in the village with some additional officers from outside the community.

Most of the major calls over the weekend involved locals or people from Vancouver.

At 11:43 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 14 the RCMP received a report of an assault in a local nightclub from the managers, involving three males.

It appears that two males got into an altercation and a third male intervened, breaking a bottle over the head of one of the males.

The male hit by the bottle was not injured and the male who used the bottle was the only person charged with an offence after he was detained by bar staff. The other males didn't ask for any assault charges and a 27-year-old from Vancouver was charged with public intoxication.

At roughly 12:30 a.m. on Sunday morning an RCMP foot patrol discovered a group of men that were providing first aid to a male that had fallen over and hit his head on the ground. They had moved the man under cover from the rain and were calling 911 to get an ambulance when the police arrived.

The male regained consciousness and was examined by paramedics before he was released to police custody. The male, a 23-year-old from Whistler, was charged for public intoxication.

At 1:44 a.m. on Sunday morning an RCMP foot patrol discovered a broken window at the TNA store, as well as a trail of blood through the village. The RCMP followed the trail to discover a male in the breezeway by the taxi loop who had badly cut his hand and arm, and who admitted to getting into a fight with another male and cutting his hand when he swung the person into the glass.

The police interviewed the man's friends, who witnessed the incident, and they said the other male was not injured and left the scene. The RCMP are interested in locating the other party, and are asking anyone who may have witnessed the fight to contact the RCMP at 604-932-3044.

Meanwhile the injured male was taken to the Whistler Health Care Centre for stitches and other medical care, while other RCMP members watched the store until the broken window could be boarded up.

No charges have been laid, but assault charges could be laid in the future against a 23-year-old male from Vancouver.

 

Traffic stop results in resisting arrest

Just after midnight on Saturday the RCMP stopped a vehicle at Blackcomb Way and Nancy Greene Drive on suspicion that the driver was impaired.

The male, a 40-year-old from Whistler, was given the approved roadside test, and provided a sample in the "warn" range, triggering an automatic three-day driving prohibition and impoundment.

While conducting their investigation the RCMP also detected the scent of burnt marijuana, and searched the car. At that point the driver became aggressive and swore at officers, and backup was called in to handcuff the male while the search was conducted. He was taken into custody, until the search for drugs was completed and he was released after nothing was found in the vehicle.

So far no additional charges have been laid against the man, other than the driving prohibition.

 

Australians encouraged to be on best behaviour

The RCMP will be out in force this Saturday, Jan. 24 as Whistler's Aussie population celebrations Australia Day in the village. It's a busy, loud and colourful day, but the RCMP have dealt with instances of public drunkenness, public urination and even fights in the past related to celebrations.

Sergeant Shawn LeMay cautioned Australians to be on their best behaviour, as a serious incident could result in their working visas being revoked.

"For people with work visas, if it's a situation where there are serious incidents or assaults, or getting into or starting fights, that could jeopardize their stay here in Canada," he said. "It's a great reason to celebrate, we appreciate that, just do it in a respectful, lawful way."

 

Snowmobilers told to watch where they park

Last week the Pemberton RCMP received a call from the Forest District regarding vehicles that were parked on the Miller Bench Creek Forest Service Road at the end of the Pemberton Meadows. According to the district, the trucks - used to tow sleds to trailheads - were obstructing other vehicles on the road, in violation of provincial laws.

According to the act, a person may not operate a snowmobile on a forest service road if the road has been snowplowed or is fit to travel by another vehicle other than a snowplow. There are posted signs in the area, as well as other areas like the Brandywine and Callaghan Forest Service Road that the Squamish Forest District has asked the RCMP to help patrol.

Drivers that block the roadway or park in areas illegally could return to find their vehicles ticketed, or even towed if they are blocking the roadway. Instead, snowmobilers are being asked to use designated parking areas and pull-outs, and to ensure that their vehicles are not block the main road.