Sunshine Coast RCMP reported the following for Jan. 19 to 26:
Missing person
•Shortly after midnight on Jan. 20, police received a report of a missing 61-year-old male in the Gibsons area. As there were concerns for his well being, Sunshine Coast Search and Rescue volunteers were called out to assist RCMP with searching for the male. Around 2:30 a.m., a local taxi driver spotted the missing person, and directed police to his location. The man was found safe and returned home without incident.
Thefts / break and enters
•Overnight on Jan. 19, a thief gained entry to an unlocked vehicle parked in the 4800 block of Laurel Avenue, Sechelt, and stole three BC Ferries Experience Cards, a pair of Oakley sunglasses, and some loose change. Police remind people to remove valuables from vehicles and to leave them locked to deter opportunistic thieves.
•Between Jan. 9 and 17, a thief gained access to an unlocked building in the 6300 block of Highway 101, Sechelt, and stole two wooden oars and a 10-foot-long green Pelican brand kayak. No other theft or damage to property was reported.
•Sometime between Jan. 8 and 22, a thief stole an aluminium boat, a boat motor, and a trailer from a residence in the 8700 block of Redrooffs Road, Halfmoon Bay. The boat is described as a 15-foot silver aluminium fishing boat with a black Mercury 15-HP motor. The boat and motor were on a 15-foot EZ Loader trailer with ball hitch and expired B.C. licence plate UHD69H. Inside the boat were three life vests and two brown fishing rods.
•Sometime between late December and Jan. 22, a thief gained entry to a business property in the 5900 block of Mason Road, Sechelt, by cutting a chain secured with a padlock. The thief stole eight old, large 24-volt industrial batteries. No other theft or damage was reported.
•On Jan. 23, staff at a business in the 900 block of Venture Way, Gibsons, reported a theft of alcohol by a female suspect. The suspect was confronted by staff and returned one bottle of alcohol back to the shelf, but afterwards, staff noted that a second bottle was still missing from their inventory. The suspect is described as a 30-year-old Caucasian female, approximately five feet three inches tall with blond hair and black glasses. Police are reviewing security video footage.
Traffic
•On Jan. 19, police attended a two-vehicle incident in the 600 block of Shaw Road, Gibsons, after the first eastbound vehicle struck a second unoccupied parked car. The driver of the first vehicle was taken to Sechelt Hospital for assessment. After being cleared medically, the driver was transported to the RCMP detachment and given an alcohol screening test. After a fail result, the driver was issued a 24-hour driving prohibition, an administrative driving prohibition and a promise to appear for court. The file is still under investigation.
•Around 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 20, an officer pulled over a vehicle on the Sunshine Coast Highway in Halfmoon Bay after observing a vehicle driving without insurance. A restriction on the driver’s licence required him to have an ignition interlock device, which he did not have. Additionally, the airbag had been cut out of the steering wheel, the driver’s window was held in with glue and rags, and the front seat-belt spring was broken, which would not allow it to retract. The driver was issued multiple tickets and the vehicle was towed.
•On Jan. 21, police attended a single-vehicle incident in the 5700 block of Wharf Avenue, Sechelt, after a motorist lost control of her vehicle, went off the road and into a small wooden structure. The sober driver was uninjured but the vehicle sustained significant damage. The driver advised that due to the rain and poor visibility, she failed to maintain her lane and ended up off-road. The matter has been referred to ICBC.
•Late on Jan. 22, police witnessed a southbound vehicle on Pratt Road, Gibsons, travelling at a high rate of speed. After confirming on radar that the vehicle was travelling almost double the posted 50 kilometre per hour speed limit, police conducted a traffic stop and determined the driver was not impaired. The driver was issued a violation ticket for excessive speed and failing to change address on driver’s licence and his vehicle was impounded for seven days.
•On Jan. 25, police attended a two-vehicle incident in the 1000 block of Chaster Road, Gibsons, after the driver of the first vehicle got distracted and started looking for her cell phone and ran into the rear of a vehicle and trailer that had pulled over to the side of the road to make a phone call. No injuries were reported, but one of the vehicles had to be towed from the scene. The file is still under investigation.
