Sunshine Coast RCMP reported the following for March 19 to 26:
Workplace Accident
• On March 20, police attended an incident in the 4900 block of Dusty Road, Sechelt, after a male who was unloading window glass into a dumpster threw a piece towards the dumpster that hit a railing instead. The glass piece rebounded back towards the male and punctured him in the chest. The male was airlifted to Vancouver General Hospital for treatment of his injuries.
Scams
• On March 19, a Coast resident reported receiving a very threatening call from someone purporting to be from the Canada Revenue Agency. The scammer convinced the resident, who tried to explain that she was up to date on her taxes, that she had made an error and she was now behind on her taxes. The scammer further threatened the resident with legal action if she didn’t immediately pay the amount owing. The resident, following instructions from the scammer, attended a local retailer to purchase a large number of iTunes gift cards. Fortunately, the cashier questioned the large purchase and when the resident told him she owed a debt to the CRA, the cashier informed her she was being scammed. The resident, still doubtful, contacted police who corroborated the helpful cashier. To learn more about this particular scam, please visit the Canada Revenue Agency’s website www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/corporate/security/protect-yourself-against-fraud.html. To learn more about other popular and common scams, please visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website at www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca or the Better Business Bureau at www.bbb.org. Please share this information with your friends and family.
• On March 22, a Coast resident reported being defrauded out of a significant sum of money after agreeing to help someone he met online by depositing a cheque sent to him by them, then withdrawing those funds and depositing that money into several different accounts at different banks on the Coast. After doing so, the resident learned from his bank that the cheque was forged. The file is under investigation.
Theft from Vehicle
• Overnight on March 20, an unknown suspect gained entry to an unlocked vehicle parked in the 6000 block of Sandy Hook Road, and stole some clip-over sunglasses and the vehicle operating manual. No other theft or damage to the vehicle was reported.
Theft
• On the afternoon of March 23, a witness reported a suspicious male in a parking lot in the 5700 block of Wharf Avenue, Sechelt, trying to enter vehicles and possibly stealing items from them. Police located the male at a nearby business and he turned over an iPod and a cell phone that he admitted he’d taken from vehicles in the parking lot. The male was arrested for theft from motor vehicles under $5,000 and taken to the detachment for processing. He was released on a promise to appear, but then shortly afterwards was caught on surveillance video shoplifting at a business in the 5500 block of Trail Avenue. The male was rearrested for shoplifting under $5,000. The files are still under investigation.
• Between March 10 and 17, a thief stole a homemade 10-foot-tall green-painted wooden ladder from a residence in the 800 block of Fisher Road, Gibsons. Anyone with information about this theft is asked to contact RCMP, reference file 2018-1809.
Collision
• Late on March 26, police attended a two-vehicle incident in the 13200 block of Highway 101, Garden Bay, after a vehicle went off the roadway, into a tree and then slid into the back of a parked, unoccupied vehicle. The driver, who was not impaired and was able to exit the vehicle on his own, advised police he’d swerved to avoid hitting a deer that had jumped out in front of him, and as he tried to correct the vehicle, realized he was going too fast to navigate the curve in the road. The vehicle sustained extensive damage and had to be towed from the scene but the parked vehicle only sustained minor damage. The matter has been referred to ICBC.
– Sunshine Coast RCMP
