POLICE BEAT: Return It Depot broken into and North Fork firebug has stopped
By Erin Perkins
A 52 year-old Grand Forks man was caught inside the back compound of the Encore Return It Depot on Sunday, March 3 at 11:46 p.m.
An employee saw a suspicious vehicle in the parking lot of the Donaldson Road business and called in the police, said Grand Forks RCMP staff sergeant Jim Harrison.
Police caught the man and have charged him with break and enter and theft. The man was known to police, said Harrison.
Because the crime happened last night, Harrison doesn’t have all the details as to what was stolen.
The man has been released on promise to appear in court.
North Fork firebug took a break this past week
There were no new fires up the North Fork this past week, although police have not arrested anyone for the five arson cases they are still investigating.
Last week Grand Forks RCMP brought in residents from around the neighbourhood of Miller Creek Road for questioning. Police suspect the deliberately set fires were because of a personal vendetta between two or more people in the area.
“ I believe the (cause) of the fires may have been dealt with now,” said Harrison.
Over the past month there have been five fires deliberately set in the area. Four of those were to outbuildings and vehicles on a private property on Miller Creek Road. The fifth one was on Hummingbird Bridge.
Two accidents at Eholt due to icy road conditions
Two drivers discovered the hard way that the morning of Tuesday, February 26 was an icy one around the Eholt summit.
The first accident happened at 7:50 a.m. but was reported to police about 40 minutes later at 8:30 a.m. about 29 kilometers west of Grand Forks on Highway 3. The 56 year-old male driver from Burnaby hit some ice, lost control of his 2002 Chevy Venture and crossed the oncoming traffic lane. His vehicle then went off the road and dropped down a 15-meter (50-foot) embankment. He was the sole occupant of the vehicle and was uninjured in the incident.
The second accident occurred only about 40 minutes later at 8:28 a.m. about 30 kilometers west of Grand Forks on Highway 3. After hitting some ice, the 66 year-old female driver lost control of her 1997 Mazda pickup truck, crossed the oncoming traffic lane and rolled over in the ditch, said Harrison.
The driver went to the Boundary Regional Hospital with some minor head injuries and was later released. Her 66 year-old husband, who was the only passenger in the vehicle, sustained no injuries. Both are from Greenwood.
