POLICE BEAT: Loose change and valuables continue to be stolen from unlocked vehicles
By Erin Perkins
It’s been about three weeks since the first complaints began rolling in about someone who is picking through the contents of unlocked vehicles parked along Grand Forks streets and the Grand Forks RCMP are still not sure who is responsible for these crimes.
Last week Grand Forks RCMP responded to another rash of the same thing, only now the thief or thieves are getting more daring by targeting vehicles that are parked in carports and taking insurance papers out of glove boxes to see if there’s any banking information contained in the envelopes.
On Tuesday, November 20 police responded to several incidents including one that was reported at 12:01 p.m. The incident likely happened on the evening of Thursday, November 15, said Grand Forks RCMP Corporal Richard Lanz.
Three vehicles were entered while they were parked in a carport at a home on Kettle Valley Road in Grand Forks. They were all unlocked and the thief got away with change, a gold locket and two watches, said Lanz.
The next incident happened on Friday, November 23 were another vehicle that was parked in a carport at a Central Avenue home was entered through the unlocked door and a Canon digital camera, GPS and CDs were stolen from it.
Sometime that same night a thief entered another unlocked vehicle parked on Yale Crescent in Grand Forks and stole the ICBC insurance papers from the glove compartment of the vehicle. The owner originally thought their wallet had been stolen from the vehicle, but it was later found inside, said Lanz.
“This is a reminder for everyone that they should not keep any documents in their vehicles with any kind of banking information on them,” said Lanz.
The thief likely thought they could do a repeat performance with the ICBC insurance papers when on the same evening the same thing happened to a vehicle parked on 18th Street in Grand Forks. Again the contents of the glove compartment were rifled through. The ICBC papers were taken, but later found abandoned down the road because they didn’t contain any pre-payment plan information.
“Lock your vehicles and remove any valuables,” reminds Lanz. “If you see anyone strange hanging around carports or parked vehicles, don’t’ hesitate to call us.”
To report a crime or provide information please call the Grand Forks RCMP detachment at 250-442-8288 or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
Accident on Paulson a reminder that the roads are slippery
A Grand Forks couple is lucky to have gotten away with only a few minor scrapes and bruises after they were trapped in their overturned truck on Highway 3 over the weekend.
Grand Forks RCMP and the Christina Lake Fire Rescue Department responded to the scene, which was reported on Sunday, November 25 at 1:10 p.m.
The accident happened about five kilometers west of the Paulson Bridge.
The couple, who recently moved to Grand Forks from Prince George, were on their way to Creston when the driver was accelerating around a corner and hit some black ice, said Christina Lake fire chief Ken Gresley-Jones.
“They spun around, went right on their roof in the ditch and their truck was totaled,” said Gresley-Jones.
The couple was extracted from the vehicle and sent to the Boundary Regional Hospital by ambulance were they were later released with minor injuries, said Lanz.
“The roads were very icy and on a curve,” said Lanz of the conditions.
“This is just a reminder that the roads can look good but black ice is out there, so slow down,” said Gresley-Jones.
Rock thrown through house window
Grand Forks RCMP are looking for the person responsible for throwing a rock through the window of a home on Central Avenue in Grand Forks.
The incident happened on Tuesday, November 20 to a residence on Central Avenue in Grand Forks. A small front door window was broken by an unknown assailant who threw a rock through it but no entry was gained, said Lanz.
The rock caused $100 in damages.
Arrested for one crime, only to be found guilty of another
Grand Forks RCMP went to arrest a man for stealing building materials from the Winnipeg Hotel demolition site, only to find he was in violation of his parole.
The Grand Forks man was found on the hotel site taking building materials from it at 1:35 a.m. on Wednesday, November 21, said Lanz.
Police arrested him, but found out he in fact had permission to remove the materials. What he did not have permission to do was to breach the conditions of his parole, which included being out past his curfew, so he was arrested for that violation instead.
A light-fingered thief steals from Pharmasave
Police are looking for a man who shoplifted from the Grand Forks Pharmasave.
The man entered the store on Tuesday, November 27 just after lunch. Heshifted some merchandise into his coat and then left the store. An employee who saw him stealing ran after him but the man got away, said Lanz.
Don’t leave your purse unattended
A purse containing an iPod, cell phone and some cash went missing from an outside table at the Grand Forks Bottle Depot on Donaldson Drive.
Police were called out at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, November 23 when the woman left her purse on a table on the outside of the bottle depot building for only a moment and returned to find it had been taken, said Lanz.
“The matter is being investigated,” said Lanz.
A Christina Lake road hazard
A bus struck an obstacle that someone laid out across the Christina Creek Bridge in Christina Lake.
Grand Forks RCMP were called out to the scene at 11:50 p.m. on Friday, November 23. Someone had placed several bright orange traffic cones and a pole laid across the top of them across the Highway 3 were it crosses the bridge, said Lanz. The bus, not seeing the obstacle in the dark until the last minute, struck the pole but caused no damage and no one was hurt.
“It was very hazardous and it could have caused some serious injuries,” said Lanz.
