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Penticton  

Complaints over beach bust

A woman who was arrested at Three Mile Beach says she will lodge a formal complaint.

Jacqueline Wachell said Wednesday she believes the arrest and the limitations placed on her for the past month to be politically motivated.

She says she has hired legal counsel, but will be representing herself.

Wachell was attending the annual potluck at the controversial nude beach on July 1, when she claims she was arrested for obstruction of justice for not giving her last name.

When she got to the police detachment, she says a nudity charge was added because the arresting officer said she was nude at the beach last year. She says that's not true.

No formal charges have been laid against Wachell at this time. She claims she talked to Crown counsel on Tuesday and was told they were sending charges back to the arresting officer to re-investigate. RCMP and Crown could not be immediately reached for comment on the matter.

Wachell expects the Okanagan Naturist Association will also be lodging complaints. The group had apparently posted its intention to use the beach ahead of time.

"This is scary and tough, and my life has been on hold," she said. "I have to stand up and say no, this is wrong. Somebody's got to do something."

Nudity has been a concern since naturists moved to the public beach last year, when no-trespassing signs went up on a section they previously used for decades.

In April, Penticton council decided to stick with the status quo when it comes to nudity at the beach. 

Cary Pinkowski, a nearby property owner, also filed a civil lawsuit in April against six defendants said to be associated with the beach.



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