Sunshine Coast RCMP reported the following for June 17 to 24:
• On June 17, police attended to a two-vehicle collision eastbound on Highway 101 near Shornecliffe Avenue in Sechelt after the first vehicle came to a stop behind other stopped vehicles and was rear-ended by a second vehicle.
The driver of the second vehicle advised that just before the collision, a passenger in the back had tapped his shoulder to ask a question and the driver had turned back quickly to respond. When the driver faced forward again, he noticed that traffic had stopped and slammed on the brakes, but could not avoid striking the vehicle in front of him. Fortunately, no serious injuries or damage to vehicles resulted.
The driver of the second vehicle was issued a violation ticket for follow too close. The matter has been referred to ICBC.
• On June 17, police stopped a northbound vehicle on Gower Point Road in Gibsons, after recognizing the driver as being a prohibited driver.
When police detected the odour of alcohol, the driver advised he'd consumed alcohol a short while prior. The driver was given a roadside alcohol-screening test which resulted in a warn reading. The driver, who was aware of his driving prohibition, was issued a three-day immediate roadside prohibition, a vehicle impound notice and an unlicenced driving prohibition notice.
The driver was also served an appearance notice to attend court for driving while prohibited and his vehicle was impounded.
• On June 17, police witnessed a southbound vehicle on Port Mellon Highway near Twin Creeks Road, travelling at a high rate of speed. Radar indicated the vehicle was travelling more than double the posted speed limit of 60 kilometres an hour.
Police initiated a traffic stop and issued the driver, who advised he had just passed a vehicle and hadn't had time to slow down, a violation ticket for excessive speed.
The vehicle was also impounded for seven days.
• On June 17, a witness reported a possible impaired driver while following the suspect vehicle from Langdale and watching it swerve all over the road and cross the centre line several times.
While the witness gave the dispatcher updates on their location, police located and pulled the suspect vehicle over in West Sechelt. The driver, who was not impaired, advised that she was not used to driving such a large vehicle.
• On June 17, a Coast resident used an automatic teller machine at a business in Gibsons and, distracted by a cell phone call, left his card and account info open in the machine.
By the time the resident noticed and returned to get his card, someone had used the card to withdraw several hundreds of dollars. Police are reviewing surveillance video.
• On June 19, a Coast resident reported a possible fraud after receiving a solicitation call from someone purporting to be from "Cops for Kids."
After giving her credit card info to the caller to make a donation, the resident looked up the company on-line and discovered that this company does not solicit donations by phone. The resident was advised to cancel her credit card immediately and referred to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Call Centre. To learn more about popular fraud schemes and how to protect yourself, visit www.phonebusters.com.
• On June 21, a local real estate company reported a possible fraud after receiving an unsolicited cheque for a large amount of money from a purported "investor" from the United Kingdom who had, through email and phone only, expressed interest in purchasing property on the Coast.
The agent told the "investor" no funds were necessary at this stage, but the "investor" insisted on sending the funds to pay for any future expenses. The agent then received a cheque from the Canadian Olympic Committee, along with a letter from explaining this cheque was on behalf of the "investor."
The agent contacted the COC and confirmed it was fraudulent and that the Ontario Provincial Police were investigating. This is a variation on the popular overpayment scam.
• On June 23, a witness saw a male suspect climb over a fence into a business property in the 5400 block of Trail Avenue in Sechelt. The suspect attempted to steal a wheelbarrow and fireplace, but fled empty-handed when the witness confronted him. The suspect is described as a Caucasian male in his 20s, approximately 5 feet 10 inches tall with light short hair, wearing jeans and a T-shirt.
