POLICE: Missing man identified
The man who has been missing since Saturday, June 12 in the Kettle River has been identified as Dimitry Kolodka of Grand Forks. Kolodka was the operator of Dimitry’s Roofing and had an estranged wife in the area but no close family. His family in the Ukraine were notified yesterday of his disappearance said Staff Sergeant Jim Harrison of the Grand Forks RCMP Detachment. The search for Kolodka started when his friend who was also in the canoe as they took a trip down the Kettle River just south of Beaverdell made his way from the river to highway 3 and flagged down a passing motorist for help. Harrison said the search included the RCMP helicopter from Kelowna, as well as search and rescue teams from Grand Forks, Kelowna and Penticton. There were swift water technicians on the scene, but the search yielded no results. Additional swift water teams were brought in from Nelson on Monday, June 14 and while the canoe the men were travelling in was recovered from the river, there has been no success in locating Kolodka. The other man who initially survived the river accident has been arrested on an outstanding warrant of theft of a motorcycle and failure to appear in court. He appears in Grand Forks provincial court on Friday, June 18 to face charges. Police are not releasing his name at this time.