By Sgt. Grant Simpson
Clearwater RCMP responded to 38 calls for service this past week.
On Oct. 14 at 3:15 p.m. a 62-year-old local man called the RCMP to report a fraud that had occurred in the 300 block of Helmcken Street in Clearwater, B.C.
The complainant called the detachment to report that he fell victim to an online fraud worth $175,000 between Sept 6 and Oct. 13.
It started with an Ontario politician’s platform he bought into to gain Bitcoins and led to him talking to investors. He gave the investors access to his bank account (debit, credit card and line of credit) with a local financial institution however the ‘investors’ had already cleaned out his accounts.
He realized that he was frauded when they ignored his repeated attempts to contact them. The complainant contacted the local financial institution who have opened up a bank action file. He blocked his credit card as a precaution. The complainant has 60 different phone numbers used over the past month and had spoken with Nigerian and East Asian people through out this process. He will also contact the Anti-Fraud Centre to report the Cryptocurrency Scam. Const. Meyer provided him the phone number to facilitate this. This matter is still under investigation.
On Saturday, Oct. 15 at 12:42 a.m., Clearwater RCMP received a call from a 30-year-old Surrey man advising of a rolled over pickup on Highway 5 near Harwood Rd, Clearwater, B.C.
Const. Van Woudenberg attended and located the truck, a grey 2019 Chev Silverado, on its side with the driver still belted into his seat.
Const. Van Woudenberg spoke to a passerby, who was there, trying to help the driver, a 66-year-old Valemount man get out of his seatbelt and the truck. He was uninjured and managed to undo the seatbelt and get out through the driver’s window. BC Ambulance paramedics assessed the driver and released him shortly thereafter.
The driver advised he’d pulled a U-turn, overshot it and ended up in the ditch. The driver exhibited noticeable staggering and stumbling while walking and smelled heavily of liquor.
An Alcohol Screening Device demand was read to him and he provided two samples of breath both of which resulted in fails. The truck was impounded and towed by a local tow company to their compound for 30 days. A 90-day prohibition from driving was served upon the driver. The driver was then provided a lift to his residence by Const. Van Woudenberg. The driver is working in town for the pipeline expansion project. He advised he had come from a local campground and had eight beers before leaving.
On Saturday, Oct. 15 at 23:35 hours, Clearwater RCMP received a call from a local female stating she saw two people get out of a blue truck, and run into the bushes beside her property. Const. Van Woudenberg called the complainant who advised they’d gone into the bushes and then moments later, ran across the street into the DOC community field. Const. Van Woudenberg made patrols in the area, locating the truck pulling out from Riverview Crescent. A traffic stop conducted on a blue Ford F150, registered to a local man whose son was driving with two others, friends in the truck.
When questioned regarding what they were doing and advised of the call, they started laughing and stated the two passengers had been hiding from the driver. They admitted to being in the woods and running into the field. They were just departing when pulled over by Const. Van Woudenberg who advised them to continue on and he’d let the caller know everything was good.
Sgt. Grant D. Simpson is the detachment commander of the Clearwater RCMP Detachment.
newsroom@clearwatertimes.com
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