Around 2:30 a.m. on Mar. 11, members of the Bonnyville RCMP Detachment responded to a fire in a camper style trailer. When police arrived on scene the trailer, which was located near Hwy 660 and RR 464, was fully engulfed with flames.
“The owner believes that he may have left the refrigerator plugged in and that could have led to the electrical issue,” said Constable Laura Carroll.
The Bonnyville Fire Authority arrived to extinguish the flames. No one was inside the trailer at the time and no suspicious activity was noted.
Man caught urinating in public
On Mar. 10, just after midnight, a Bonnyville RCMP constable was on patrol in the Town of Bonnyville when they observed a man urinating in the Sobey's parking lot. The 44-year-old Bonnyville resident was spoken to by the Constable and issued a $115 violation ticket for improper disposal of waste.
Liquor store theft
On Mar. 11 around 8 p.m. the Bonnyville RCMP Detachment received a complaint about a theft from a local liquor store. A Constable located the suspect who was then arrested for theft. Following police checks, it was found that the 44-year-old resident of Kehewin had previous warrants issued by the Bonnyville detachment.
“This male was also wanted out of the Bonnyville RCMP Detachment for impaired operation of a motor vehicle and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle along with two traffic safety act charges including driving with no insurance,” said Carroll.
In addition to being charged with theft, the man was also charged with failing to comply with conditions stemming from his previous charges, which Carroll said included the condition he not be in possession of alcohol. The man remains in custody at the Bonnyville RCMP Detachment.
Impaired driver in Bonnyville
Approximately 24 hours later, on Mar. 12 around 8 p.m., the Bonnyville RCMP Detachment received a complaint of a male driving around town intoxicated. The suspect vehicle was located by a Bonnyville RCMP Constable and the man driving was found to show signs of impairment.
The 32-year-old resident of Sherwood Park was arrested and transported to the Bonnyville RCMP Detachment where he was demanded to provide samples of his breath. Readings from the breath sample were found to be well over twice the legal limit. The man was released after being charged with Impaired Operation of a Motor Vehicle with a driver's license suspension.
Fraud Prevention Month
March is Fraud Prevention Month. The Canadian-Anti Fraud Centre hopes to raise awareness about fraud crimes in hopes of preventing more Canadians from becoming victims. Carroll said members of the Bonnyville RCMP Detachment are no strangers to these types of crimes.
“This year we've received 10 complaints of fraud, four were referred to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and one we cleared by way of what we call departmental discretion.”
That particular file, Carroll noted, happened on Feb. 24 when the detachment received a complaint from a local resident who had purchased a monitor through an online Kijiji ad. The complainant had sent an e-transfer to the seller but had not received the monitor as promised.
The seller was a 27-year-old resident of Grande Prairie. Through police involvement, the funds were returned to the complainant and no charges were pursued due to the fact the seller had no previous related police files.
Carroll added that five files are still being investigated by the detachment, but fraud files take a lot of time and work by the officers. Bonnyville residents have been the victims of several types of fraud including vacation scams, service scams and emergency scams. Last year, Carroll explained she had a women come to her saying she received a call from someone claiming to be her granddaughter. The call informed the senior citizen that she was and jail and needed money quickly.
Carroll said the grandmother went to Western Union to send money but was told to go to the police, where they were then able to get in contact with the woman's real granddaughter and confirm it had been a scam.
“The best plan is to come to us and talk to us…if they have been a victim of crime they should definitely come and report it to the police.”
