By Sgt. Grant Simpson
Clearwater RCMP
Clearwater RCMP responded to 55 calls for service this past week.
Suspected diesel thief makes stops in Clearwater, Williams Lake, 100 Mile House and Kamloops
On Sept. 6, 2023 the manager of Super Save Gas at 10 Old North Thompson Highway attended the Clearwater RCMP to report a theft of diesel.
He provided photographs of a male later identified as a 27-year-old man from Enderby B.C.
The complainant advised that on Sept. 5 attended the Super Save Gas in a maroon coloured Ford F350 bearing Alberta License plates, he entered the gas station and advised the attendant that he needed to fill up his ‘tidy tank’ and truck with diesel and put down a business card on the counter advising he would pay with his company credit card after but had left his wallet in the truck.
The suspect male then proceeded to fill up the truck with $472.48 worth of diesel and once full, drove off.
Queries of the vehicle license plate showed that it was stolen from Sicamous on Sept. 2.
After fleeing from Clearwater the suspect completed a similar theft in Williams Lake. Williams Lake Const. B. Simpson obtained photos of the vehicle and male suspect from good quality video surveillance and forwarded them to neighbouring detachments.
It appears that the suspect then proceeded southbound through 100 Mile house failing to stop for police before being located in Kamloops, by Const. C. Lockwood who had been made aware of Const. B. Simpson’s earlier broadcast.
The suspect failed to stop for police, even after being spike-belted, and intentionally rammed a police vehicle. The suspect eventually abandoned the truck after losing its tires and was pursued on foot by a Police Service Dog and Const. C. Lockwood.
After Kamloops RCMP arrested the suspect, his identity was compared to that of the male captured on camera in Clearwater, and Williams Lake and it was determined that it was in fact one and the same man. The suspect was remanded into police custody and is facing several theft and driving charges.
Truck with trailer and moose collide on Highway 24
On Monday, September 4 at 7:41 p.m., Clearwater RCMP received a call from BC Ambulance Service advising of a truck-verse-moose collision on Highway 24 near Eakin Creek Road. Const. B. Van Woudenberg attended and found the moose dead on the shoulder of the highway with the truck, a 2022 white Ford F350 and a horse trailer, both registered to a 150 Mile House woman, parked at an angle, with the trailer sticking about a foot and a half into the northbound traffic lane.
The four-way flashers were on. No one was around, the moose was clearly dead and a spent round was found near the moose.
There was no cell or radio reception in the area, so Const. B. Van Woudenberg placed cones behind the trailer and police tape around the scene to prevent anyone from running into the trailer if the lights went out.
Const. B. Van Woudenberg returned to Little Fort and the registered owner, who advised her husband, had been travelling with her in the front passenger seat and their seven-year-old son, in the back.
The moose had run out in front of them as was evident. Other passersby brought them home and her husband was returning to pick up the trailer. They were arranging their own tow for the truck which was no longer operational. Thankfully there were no injuries.
