Trail police wound down the month of May by nabbing several impaired drivers and fining an out-of-area partier.
Impaired drivers
At dusk on May 28, a Trail RCMP officer conducted a roadside traffic stop with the driver of a Subaru Forester when he was observed driving in an erratic manner after departing a licensed establishment in Fruitvale.
During the stop, the police officer detected an odour of liquor emanating from the driver and thus began an impaired driving investigation. The 63-year old Fruitvale man allegedly failed to pass a roadside alcohol screening test. He was issued a seven-day Immediate Roadside Prohibition (IRP).
While this first reported traffic stop was underway, another Trail officer was conducting a vehicle patrol in Fruitvale when he observed a Ford pickup truck swerve across the oncoming lane and abruptly park while facing into oncoming traffic on Second Avenue.
The driver exited his vehicle and attempted to walk away from the scene before he was detained by the RCMP. The officer allegedly detected an odour of liquor emanating from the driver and began an impaired driving investigation. The Trail man, 53, failed a roadside breath test and was issued a 90-day IRP. His vehicle is impounded for at least 30 days.
Gunshots heard
Trail RCMP and BC Highway Patrol responded to a complaint about gunshots being fired near the dam on Seven Mile Dam Road the afternoon of May 29. Witnesses saw a man and a woman in an older model burgundy SUV with large tires leaving the area at a high rate of speed. Witnesses reported that more gunshots were fired out of the SUV as it drove away. A second vehicle, a white Dodge pickup, was also seen leaving the area and suspected to be involved.
Police carried out extensive patrols and located a vehicle matching the description of the SUV, with a 30-year-old Trail man behind the wheel, and his passenger, an 18-year-old Trail woman.
The pair was detained. A search of their vehicle did not locate firearms; however, a small amount of an illicit substance suspected to be methamphetamine was seized. The man was allegedly prohibited from driving a vehicle in B.C. He is slated for a first appearance in the Rossland courthouse on Aug. 19 to face one count of driving while prohibited. His vehicle was impounded for seven days.
RCMP identified the driver and owner of the white Dodge pickup truck and are investigating.
Travel violation
A BC Highway Patrol officer was conducting a patrol when he was alerted to a man in distress on Seven Mile Dam Road just after 5 p.m. on May 29. Along with the Trail RCMP, officers located a 27-year-old Vancouver man allegedly intoxicated by drugs.
The man claimed to have been at a rave and have arrived in the area on a party bus. He was transported to hospital for a medical assessment before being lodged in the Trail detachment cellblock until sober.
The man was issued a $115 fine for allegedly being intoxicated in a public place, a $575 fine for allegedly attending a non-complaint event contrary to the BC Emergency Program Act, and a $575 fine for allegedly failing to comply with travel restrictions contrary to the BC Emergency Program Act.
Trail RCMP located a number of trailers and tents in the area of the alleged rave but did not locate it or the party bus. Trail officers will continue to monitor the area for future incidents and issue fines under the Emergency Program Act as mandated.
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