Drug bust
A sheriff pulling a vehicle over for speeding on July 6 ended up leading to the discovery of drugs and an illegal immigrant.
At about 11 p.m. a sheriff pulled over a vehicle for speeding on the QEII. The male driver had no licence and the sheriff noticed the smell of marijuana, so the RCMP were called.
The RCMP discovered two bags of marijuana, three cellphones and over $5,000 in cash. The male driver and female passengers are facing multiple joint charges, including possession of the proceeds of crime, and possession of drugs for the purposes of trafficking. The male was charged with obstruction of justice after he gave a false name to police. His true identity was confirmed via fingerprints and it was discovered he was illegally in Canada and wanted on several warrants.
Copper thefts
After two recent copper thefts the Innisfail RCMP are reminding individuals and businesses to secure their property.
Both thefts took place on commercial or industrial properties in the rural area of Innisfail. The value of the copper stolen was significant.
“They're stripping every piece of copper they can find,” said Cpl. Jeff Hildebrandt.
On July 6, $6,500 worth of property damage was done while the thiefs took every bit of copper, even cutting out pipe set up between buildings. Tire tracks were seen leading away from the site.
On July 9, two males were seen slipping under the fence to a site. Earlier in the week suspicious people had been seen in the area.
“We're looking for information from the public,” Hildebrandt said.
Online fraud foiled
On July 9, a local man reported that he'd almost been defrauded during a purchase of jewelry via an online site such as Kijiji.
“We receive these routinely,” said Hildebrandt, reminding the public to always be careful when purchasing goods online.
The man became suspicious after he continued to receive unusual emails from the jewelry seller. He stopped the transfer of money and managed to avoid being defrauded.
Impaired drivers
On July 8, an RCMP officer patrolling in Spruce View noticed a vehicle pulling a doughnut and spinning gravel as it came out of a gas station.
The officer pulled the vehicle over and ended up investigating the driver for impaired driving. The driver allegedly had a blood-alcohol level that was twice the legal limit.
The driver was charged with impaired driving and driving with a blood-alcohol level over the legal limit.
On July 10, three complaints came in about a driver who was travelling southbound in a northbound lane on the QEII.
The calls came in around 2 a.m. The driver was located and arrested, allegedly blowing twice the legal limit.
The driver is now facing charges of impaired driving and driving with a blood-alcohol level over the legal limit.
Domestic assault
A man was charged after a woman reported a domestic assault on July 7.
At about 1 a.m. a female in a vehicle said she had been assaulted by the male driver.
The pair was located at a residence and the suspect was arrested and charged. When police arrived the suspect was already on the street with his hands in the air.
