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BC  

Dogs track suspects

Three men with ties to the Central Okanagan are cooling their heels behind bars, after they allegedly tried to evade police Wednesday afternoon.

In the early afternoon of May 4, police say an officer patrolling northbound on Highway 5 south of Little Fort noticed two vehicles speeding toward him. The officer pulled over, activated his emergency lights and tried to get the vehicles to slow down.

Instead, the vehicles, a Dodge Neon and VW Jetta, sped up and passed him.

After a short chase, the officer abandoned the pursuit for public safety.

Patrols of the Little Fort area failed to turn up anything.

"An officer did note fresh skid marks on Highway 24 turning off the highway onto a logging road, and came across a motorist who gave the typical nod and they went that a way, when asked if he had seen the suspect cars," said Clearwater RCMP Sgt Kevin Podbisky.

"The suspect vehicles were eventually located four kilometres up Blowdown Road with the three men sitting on the ground behind the vehicles. Upon seeing police, the suspects jumped back in their vehicles and tried to drive away. Unfortunately for them, the vehicles (were) stuck. The three subjects then ran into the bush. The officer noted that the vehicles were left in gear with wheels spinning. The antics of the trio were all caught on police dash cam video."

A search of the vehicle resulted in the recovery of ammunition, as well as two shotguns and an air gun pistol. One shotgun was found loaded with four shells. 

The suspects were eventually located after a three-hour dog search.

The suspects remain in custody, facing a long list of charges.

Mark Pauls, 31, faces 11 charges. Pauls has a long criminal history, dating back to 2003. Andrew Shreenam, 34, and William Hill, 26, each face seven charges.

There were also numerous warrants out for their arrest.



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