North Okanagan

During Funtastic in Vernon police arrested 14 people for being drunk in public, issued several traffic violations and evicted approximately 60 people from the grounds.

Then on Canada Day, officers were conducting foot patrols around 10:45 p.m. at the Funtastic event, when a member of the public alerted them to two people smoking marijuana and drinking liquor.

While a man and woman were being detained under the liquor act an officer noticed a pill bottle in a backpack beside one of the suspects.

Molendyk says the bottle contained multiple MDMA pills or 'ecstasy'.

"A 24-year-old Kelowna man was arrested for possession under the Controlled Drugs and Substance Act. Back at the detachment a closer look of the pill container showed packaging consistent with trafficking. It contained 10 small baggies each containing six pills there were also loose pills as well. "

The suspect will be charged with Possession for Purpose of Trafficking. He will also face charges of Possession of a Weapon for a Dangerous Purpose as bear spray was located in the back pack.The long weekend was busy for tow trucks as 20 drivers faced alcohol related offences and had their vehicles impounded.

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In other files from the area:

On July 1, around 3 a.m. a vehicle roll over on Highway 97 in Westwold, left a Kamloops man feeling a little dazed.

A witness told police he saw the collision and that the vehicle was traveling towards Vernon. According to the witness the vehicle had just passed him prior to the crash and he felt the driver was speeding.

Then the car apparently spun around, showering sparks and then disappeared into the darkness.

The 26-year-old driver received non-life threatening injuries, but did suffer a blow to the head.  He has since been released from hospital.

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On June 30 at 2 a.m. an officer was conducting a road check near Pheasant Ridge Drive and Birban Ave. in Armstrong when he noticed a green Chevy pick-up stop suddenly and turn down a side street, away from the check.

According to RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk the officer jumped into his patrol car and attempted to stop the vehicle.

"The vehicle would not stop and continued to drive away at a high rate of speed, swerving side to side in the lane of traffic."

Police managed to locate the vehicle on Pheasant Ridge Court and the 20-year-old driver was found with the help of a canine unit a short distance from the pick-up truck.

Molendyk says the suspect had a moderate odour of liquor on his breath.

"He also sustained injuries as a result of contact with our police dog and he was transported to hospital for treatment. "

He was issued a 24 hour suspension and his vehicle was towed.

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Police in Vernon managed to stop two drug traffickers on two separate occasions from making another sell.

One incident occurred on June 27, around 10 :15 a.m. when drug unit officers observed a man they believed to be trafficking drugs in the area of 27th Avenue and 33rd Street.

The 32-year-old Vernon man was arrested and searched. Police recovered a small quantity of crack, just over a gram of heroin, a gram of meth, cash and three cell phones.

Molendyk says the heroin was packaged individually and the man had a scale with him.


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