Local Mounties are hoping for a quiet, crime-free Christmas after find themselves hopping from incident to incident during the run up to December 25.
It all started on Monday when a report about an abandoned vehicle at Downie Street Sawmill led to a spate of reports about 20 vehicle break-ins in Southside.
Then that same day the detachment was told about an intoxicated man in the public washrooms in Grizzly Plaza.
“The male was noted to have been sleeping in the foyers of several local businesses,” Staff Sgt. Kurt Grabinsy said in a statement released on Thursday, December 24. “At each location he was asked to move along. Later in the day he was reported to be locked in the public bathroom.”
When police and City staff showed up they found he had covered the walls with shaving cream, lodged cans in the toilet and had shattered the sink as well as other damages.
The homeless man was arrested and later released on several conditions including an order to stay out of the downtown core. no-go-zone in the core of Revelstoke. He will also be charged with two counts of mischief, as he damaged the inside of a police vehicle and one count of uttering threats, made following his arrest for the original mischief. He will appear in Provincial Court in February.
The bathroom will be closed for the time that municipal workers need to complete the repairs.
A court date is set for February.
Then that evening someone deliberately poured juice into an unattended computer keyboard at the Days Inn.
And just in case you thought it might have been safe to leave your car unlocked thieves raided several vehicles in Columbia Park.
On Thursday, December 24, Mounties were directed to several vehicles that had been entered, and had various items taken, all in the 1900 block of Laforme Boulevard.
“It appears based on the footprints that almost every vehicle on the street was approached, but only those which were unlocked were entered,” Grabinsky said in his statement. “Unfortunately a vehicle which was unlocked and also had its keys in it was stolen. The stolen vehicle is a 2008 Toyota Tacoma TRD, navy blue with a matching canopy that is missing the rear window.”
He later said RCM officers think they have located the stolen Tacoma.
“This is the second time this week that unlocked vehicles have been entered,” Grabinsky said. “The activity on Tuesday morning was in the Southside area while today was in Columbia Park.
“Police continue to encourage residents of Revelstoke to secure their vehicles, and keep valuable items out of sight. Leaving keys in a vehicle is not a recommended practice and can result in the theft of the vehicle, the inconvenience of the loss of the vehicle, and the potential criminal activity and harm that can further result.
The Revelstoke RCMP wished everyone a safe and happy holiday season, with the hope that a little prevention can go a long way!