“Let’s get naked!” – Victoria Day weekend cry at Liard Hot Springs
Police, conservation, and park enforcement officers were kept relatively busy over the long weekend up the highway dealing with those folks who really enjoy their liquor while soaking in the therapeutic waters of the Hot Springs.
During the daytime hours enforcement officers had very little problems as families enjoyed the camping and Hot Springs. However once the clock struck midnight things became quite lively with hoots, howls, squeals of delight, and shouts of ?let?s get naked? coming from the hot pools. Over the course of the weekend enforcement officers posted at the entrance to the pools seized a relatively large quantity of liquor, and ejected several of the more rowdy intoxicated individuals and groups of people from the park. The intoxicated young man hollering ?let?s get naked? did not get his wish – instead of getting naked with his friends, enforcement officers seized all of their liquor before unceremoniously tossing the bunch of them out of the campground and requesting they take their sober designated driver and go home. Their weekend at Liard Hot Springs was officially over.
Popping breath mints and/or chewing a little, or a lot of gum, does not hide the smell of liquor
During the late evening hours this past Friday around 11:05 p.m. police received a complaint of a reportedly impaired driver in a red truck driving erratically along Highway #97. Within a few minutes police located what they believed to be their red truck. Police stopped the 2004 GMC Canyon along Highway #97 near Church Road. While police were walking up to the driver?s window they happened to note the female driver was furiously stuffing several pieces of gum into her mouth and avoiding eye contact with the police officer standing outside her driver?s side window. After this observation and clearly smelling the odour of liquor on her breath, police asked the 45-year-old Fort Nelson woman if she had been drinking, to which she replied she had. While speaking with the female driver and her male passenger police noticed a rifle and shotgun sitting on the seat next to the passenger.
Once police had ensured both weapons were safe they went about demanding the female driver provide a sample of her breath suitable for roadside analysis which resulted in a failure indication. As a result police impounded the vehicle for 30 days and issued the female driver with a 90-day Immediate Roadside Prohibition from driving.
Nearly made it home
The week of May 13th began with an impaired driver and a bicycle thief. Starting with the impaired driver, early last Monday morning May 13th at 12:30 a.m. while police were responding to a disturbance call, they became sidetracked by something a little more interesting. That would be a white Ford Ranger truck attempting to turn into a driveway along Cottonwood Road, missing the mark, and driving onto the front lawn before coming to a stop. Police pulled up behind the truck just as the driver?s door swung open and a very intoxicated woman appeared sitting and swaying in the driver?s seat.
Police quickly determined from the woman?s intoxicated demeanour, glossy eyes and difficulty speaking she should probably should not have been driving in this condition.
Police issued the Approved Screening Device demand to the 42-year-old Fort Nelson woman who immediately replied, ?the police had no right to do this, because nobody seen her driving?. Police politely pointed out to the woman that unfortunately for her the police saw her driving. Police obtained two breath samples from the woman that both resulted in failure indications. Police subsequently impounded the woman?s vehicle for 30 days and issued her with a 90-day Immediate Roadside Prohibition from driving.
?The number one rule among thieves is that nothing is too small to steal?
Several hours later a resident of 53rd Avenue East awoke to find his bicycle had been stolen from his yard. The 19-year-old victim told police he had left his black and white Cypress bicycle equipped with thin tires, bottle, and lock holder leaning against the side of his residence. Unfortunately the bicycle was left insecure, presenting the thief with the opportunity to make off with the bicycle.
Apart from stealing bicycles our local thieves have been busy practicing their chosen trade that of thievery throughout the NRRM this past week. Last Monday morning police received a report from the owner of Trans North Developments Ltd at KM 293 of the Alaska Highway that they had been the victim of a break and enter over the weekend. The culprit(s) had broken into mill shop lunch / coffee room, dumped water and coffee all over the floor, and stolen the keys belonging to two loaders. The culprit(s) then proceeded to break into the electrical storage shed by using a piece of pipe to smash a hole through a door that if they had simply turned the door knob they would have found was not locked.
Refused the offer of a ride, preferred to walk
A 70-year-old Whitehorse woman made a difficult situation even more difficult last Tuesday evening after police stopped her travelling 147 kmph in the posted 100 km zone at KM 430. After advising the woman that she would be issued a traffic ticket for excessive speed and have her vehicle impounded for seven days, the woman in turn advised police she had to get to Vancouver and would not accept a ride back to Fort Nelson and was going to walk instead. Police attempted in vain to convince her that walking down the side of the Alaska Highway was not a good plan. Despite repeated efforts by police to convince the woman otherwise she flatly refused to change her mind and told police again that she had to get to Vancouver. Police finally called for the assistance of other police members and victim services to reason with the woman, all attempts failed and the woman walked off down the highway headed to Vancouver. Police followed the woman down the highway until she was offered a ride by a passing truck driver who agreed to provide her with transportation for part of her journey.
Spring and the complaints come in
Police are still receiving almost daily complaints about ATVs and trail bikes tearing up the town, especially at night. As the number of complaints about inconsiderate and the often dangerous operation of ATVs increases the police tolerance level for this type of irresponsible behaviour rapidly decreases. An 18-year-old young man learned this fact last Wednesday morning around 11:15 a.m. when police observed him driving his motorcycle down the sidewalk where he pulled into the Petro Canada to fuel up. Needless to say the young man was not very impressed when police issued him with $955 in traffic tickets for his vehicular indiscretions.
Later Wednesday evening at 10:30 p.m. police received a complaint of an ATV driving around the area of Boundary Road disturbing residents. When police arrived on scene as expected the ATV was nowhere to be seen.
A few hours later during the very early morning hours of Thursday May 16th police received a complaint of motorcycles and ATVs tearing around the area of Kennay Yah Road. The caller told police this is becoming a daily occurrence with the ATVs and motorcycles continually racing around the neighbourhood disturbing everyone.
When those inconsiderate folks aren?t busy drinking, driving and tearing around the roads and streets on their ATVs the local thieves are stealing them. Last Thursday afternoon at 1:20 p.m. police received a report from a local business person that his red 2009 Honda Four Trax ATV had been stolen overnight off of a trailer parked in the company compound in the 4800 block of 49th Avenue.
Another one for the impound lot
A 27-year-old Rycroft, AB, man became the latest person to surrender his vehicle to the local impound lot after police spotted him driving his blue 2005 Honda Civic along the Alaska Highway at 159 kmph in the posted 100 kmph zone. Police impounded the vehicle for seven days and issued the driver with a traffic ticket for $368.
Staff Sergeant Tom Roy
Officer-in-charge
Northern Rockies
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