Police Beat – The Price we pay for Public Intoxication

Over the past 2 weeks there have been 23 reports of a drug or alcohol related nature. Out of those, 15 have been specifically for public intoxication, and of those, 7 of them have involved the same two males that are both well known by police for similar calls. One of these men has been arrested by Fort Nelson Police for public intoxication more than 200 times over the years, (7 times so far this year). Whenever there is a prisoner held in RCMP cells, a Prison Guard must be on duty. It’s not uncommon to bring an intoxicated person back to an empty cell block and have to call in a Guard, usually waking them up in the middle of the night so that they can come in and monitor an intoxicated guest while they sleep off their drunkenness.
This past January an officer was responding to one of these calls when she slipped on the ice and broke her ankle. Other officers had to take over while an ambulance was called to care for the injured member. The intoxicated male, another regular guest of the police, was combative with the officers that attended and a second officer suffered minor injuries during the arrest.
That’s two officers taken out of service and unable to respond to emergency calls due to one person drinking irresponsibly. One of those officers has not yet returned to work and will most likely require surgery. The price for mindless drunkenness is quite high indeed.
Lost / Stolen Plates and Decals:
There have been 14 reports of lost or stolen items over the past two weeks. Only 2 of those files were NOT related to lost or stolen vehicle plates and/or the validation decals that go with them. It’s fair to say that some person or persons have made a habit out of lifting plates from vehicles. Anyone with information that might lead police to a possible suspect are encouraged to contact Fort Nelson Police (250) 774-2700, or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
The Need for Speed Becomes the Need for Alternate Transportation:
At least eight people had their vehicles impounded for 7 days after being caught driving more than 40 km/h over the posted speed limit. Speeds of 152 to 170 km/hr were observed along 100 km/hr stretches of Highway 97 as well with one motorist found travelling at a rate of 130 km/hr in an 80 km/hr zone just as he left a 30 km/hr speed zone along Highway 77. These motorist will have time to ponder while they wait to get their vehicles back and pay the impound fees along with the $368.00 fine for exceeding the speed limit by 41 km/hr or more. The fine for exceeding the speed limit by more than 60 km/hr increases to $483.00.
Walking away from a Rollover:
When an Ontario resident hit a icy patch of road on Highway 97 just west of Highway 77 his trip to the Yukon took an unexpected turn, spin and roll with his truck coming to rest on it’s roof in the ditch on the opposite side of the highway. Luckily there were no other vehicles involved in the crash and, thanks to a properly worn seatbelt, the driver walked away without injury. It’s pretty amazing what a seatbelt can do! If you ever find yourself in a situation where you need your seatbelt, it’s already too late to put it on, so buckle up whenever you get in a vehicle.

Beware of “Federal Empowerment Program” Scam:
Recently, a Fort Nelson resident was nearly taken for $500.00 of hard earned cash when she received a notice via Facebook from a person going by the name of Larry Zimmerman, that she had just won $150,000 as she was a single parent earning a low income. Most people would be somewhat sceptical at this point and this woman was no different until she received a “friend request” from someone that she knew. She accepted the request, recognizing not only the friends name, but her picture on the Facebook account as well. The friend informed her that she had just won as well and that the Program was legitimate. The friend even offered to cover most of the $2,000 tax payment that was required to claim the prize money because the friend had already received her winnings. Believing that her friend was really helping her, the woman sent what she could afford, $500 to her friend, but after taking a step back this would-be victim did a little research and found that the “Federal Empowerment Program” was a known scam and when she phoned her friend to speak to her directly, she found that her friend’s Facebook page had been hacked and she had been had….. almost. The woman made another quick call and was able to cancel the money transfer before it went through.
The lesson learned here is one that we have all heard so many times, “If it seems too good to be true, it almost always is”. Another important lesson that this woman taught us is to do some research and pick up the phone because you never know who is on the other end of that Internet connection.
Officer Profile:
Constable Nathan Aspenlind came to Fort Nelson this past November from Smithers, BC via Regina Saskatchewan. Constable Aspenlind left a lasting impression at the RCMP training Centre by getting his name on the record board more than once for his athletic ability. Constable Aspenlind had his wishes for a Northern BC posting met when he was posted to Fort Nelson. A true outdoors man, Constable Aspenlind headed out into the wild before joining the RCMP, and unlike the movie (or book), walked back out 365 days later with a fresh perspective and a reinforced respect for nature. Constable Aspenlind has been an exemplary addition to the Fort Nelson RCMP. We’re grateful to have him here.
Police Beat for March 26th, 2014
By the Numbers:
Traffic related files: 40
Assist General Public or other Agency: 27
Drug/Alcohol Related: 23
Assault / Domestic disturbance: 21
Property – Lost/Found: 14
Alarm Calls: 10
Theft / Shoplifting: 7
Threats/ Harassment: 5
Breach of Probation/ Conditions: 4
Mischief: 3
Animal Related Calls: 2
Total Calls for last 2 Weeks 156