Incident Report for July 20 to 26:
Thefts / Recovered property
• Early on July 16, a thief stole a medium sized red Powcon 300SM inverter welder from an address in the 600 block of Wyngaert Road, Gibsons. The welder was on a three-wheeled cart and had three large cables attached to it. The welder has two distinct holes on the top of the casing that have been filled with red caulking and there is black marker writing on the side. A 35-foot long black extension cord was also stolen. Anyone with information is asked to contact RCMP, reference 16-4395.
• On July 17, a thief stole a Giant brand electric bicycle from a residence in the 700 block of School Road, Gibsons. After the owner learned that her stolen bike was subsequently listed for sale on a local online classifieds site, police facilitated a sting to catch the suspect. When the alleged thief showed up to what he believed was a meeting to sell the bike, police arrested him and returned the bike to its rightful owner. A 41-year-old man from Gibsons is now facing a charge of possession of property obtained by crime.
• On July 22, an SLR Canon camera was found in Madeira Park. The photos on the memory card were all of the same subject from differing angles. Owner may claim within 90 days with detailed description, reference file 16-4520.
• On July 24, police attended a break and enter to a business in the 1900 block of Field Road, Wilson Creek, after the suspect cut through a fence and rummaged through several vehicles, stealing a small chainsaw, a solar panel, and a car stereo. The stereo was recovered in a nearby bush. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact RCMP, reference file 16-4589.
Scams
• On July 20, a local business manager reported receiving several emails that appeared to be from a company executive. After a couple of vague emails, the local manager received an email instructing him to wire a large sum of money to a bank and that the matter was urgent. Fortunately, the local manager checked directly with the company executive to confirm the emails were fakes. It appears someone had hacked into the executive’s email account and sent out a number of fake emails. No funds were lost.
• On July 23, a Coast resident reported falling for a common scam after a warning message popped up on her computer telling her that she would lose everything on the hard drive unless she called the number on the screen for an alleged computer tech company. The resident called the number as directed and gave her credit card information to pay for technical support. Fortunately, a family member arrived while the resident was still in the midst of the transaction and told the resident to hang up the phone. It appears the transaction did not go through so the resident was saved several hundred dollars. To learn more about this and other common scams, please visit sites such as Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at www.antifraudcentre.ca and the Better Business Bureau at www.bbb.org
Collisions
• On July 22, police attended a single vehicle incident in the 900 block of Gibsons Way after a vehicle, while attempting to back into a parking spot, backed into a glass bus shelter. One person who was sitting in the shelter was taken to hospital for assessment, but no other serious injuries were reported. The bus shelter sustained significant damage. The driver was not impaired and was issued a violation ticket for reversing while unsafe.
• On July 22, police attended a two-vehicle incident in the 4500 block of Highway 101, Sechelt, after the driver of the first southbound vehicle looked down to adjust the radio and when he looked up ahead, noted too late that the vehicle in front of him was stopped to make a turn off the road. The driver swerved in an attempt to avoid the second vehicle, but clipped the vehicle, spinning it 180 degrees. Both drivers sustained minor injuries and both vehicles had to be towed. The driver of the first vehicle was issued a violation ticket for following too closely.
Impaired driver
• On July 22, police stopped a vehicle for not having properly functioning tail lights and noted that the driver was exhibiting signs of intoxication. She was given a roadside alcohol screening test. After two “fail” results, she was issued a 90-day immediate roadside prohibition and her vehicle was impounded.
