On the evening of December 15th into the morning of the 16th, the Kelowna Proactive Enforcement (PEU), Police Dog Services (PDS) and General Duty Policing recovered three vehicles in the Kelowna area that had been recently reported stolen.
Just after midnight on December 16th, PEU members conducting proactive patrols located a Ford F350 that had been reported stolen a few hours prior from the Kelowna Airport long term parking lot. PEU and PDS members were able to arrest the driver safely in the area of Elliott Avenue in Kelowna. It was subsequently determined that the F350 had collided with a parked vehicle a short distance away causing extensive damage to both vehicles and fled the scene. A 27-year-old male from Nanaimo, appeared in court on December 16th, 2022 and has been charged with possession of stolen property over $5000, failure to stop at the scene of an accident, possession of break-in instruments, breach of release order and driving while prohibited. The male also had three outstanding warrants from various jurisdictions in the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island. The male has been held in custody with a court appearance scheduled for December 20, 2022.
Minutes after the arrest, General Duty Policing, PDS and PEU members located an abandoned GMC Sierra parked in an alley in the area of the Kelowna General Hospital. The licence plate didn’t match the vehicle which was subsequently found to have been stolen from the Rutland area earlier that morning while it was left unattended and running in the owner’s driveway. The investigation is ongoing.
Earlier in the evening, PEU members located a vehicle with no plates parked behind an apartment complex on Pandosy Street. The Nissan Maxima matched a vehicle reported stolen on December 7th from West Kelowna after it was left running at a commercial building. The vehicle was confirmed as the stolen Maxima and subsequently recovered and returned to its owner.
“The Kelowna Detachment has made countering property crime a top priority. All levels including patrol officers as well as specialized units are focused on reducing this type of crime,” said Cpl. Guillaume Tanguay of the Kelowna RCMP Prolific Offenders Unit. Stolen vehicles are usually used in the commission of further property crime offences.
Kelowna RCMP are reminding the public that criminals will jump on easy targets like vehicles left unsecure while warming up and unattended by their owners.