Residents of the King Art Apartments were temporarily displaced after a fire on Aug. 29.
The Bonnyville Fire Department was on the scene of a structure fire at 6 p.m. on Thursday.
According to Bonnyville RCMP Sgt. Kim Hillier, some preliminary investigations have been conducted, however, police are waiting for reports from the fire department before moving forward.
“The building was evacuated and the residents were directed to a nearby hotel until the fire could be put out. Apparently there is quite a bit of smoke damage as well,” she described.
The investigation into the fire is ongoing.
Impaired driver can't decide where to go
Police were called by a member of the public reporting a suspicious vehicle sitting in the middle of an intersection for over an hour.
The caller wasn't aware if there was anyone in the vehicle.
RCMP arrived and arrested the 49-year-old driver, who was charged with impaired operation and driving over .08.
Break-in in the night
A resident who's waiting for repairs on his home that was damaged by a fire is wondering who keeps breaking into his residence while he's away.
Police were called at 6:45 p.m. on Aug. 24 by a homeowner who has been the victim of two break and enters since his home was damaged during a fire.
“If anyone has any information or saw anything suspicious on the evening of Aug. 24 that might help identify who has been going into his residence, that would be greatly appreciated,” Hillier described.
The homeowner's property remains in the home, however, due to the extent of the damage, the resident isn't able to stay there.
Quad stolen
Sometime between Aug. 22 and 24 a resident's green Polaris Sportsman quad was stolen from their property in town.
Hillier asks that anyone with information about the theft contact the detachment at 780-343-7200.
Youth goes missing
Bonnyville RCMP are searching for a missing 13-year-old boy.
Dylan Moosepayo went missing from the Bonnyville Centennial Centre on Aug. 25.
Hillier said, “We believe he may be in Cold Lake. The young boy he went missing with was located in Cold Lake, but Dylan wasn’t with him at the time, or at least wasn’t located at the time."
The youth is described as indigenous, with a slim build, short black hair, and amber coloured eyes. He was last seen wearing white shirt, red shorts and high top shoes.
Anyone with information about Moosepayo's whereabouts is asked to contact the RCMP.
Suspects try, but fail, at breaking into rural property
“We had a report from a citizen that his property on Twp. Rd. 622, someone had attempted to break in and had tampered with the locks and bolts for the various outbuildings, however, it looks like they were unsuccessful,” detailed Hillier.
RCMP were called by the property owner just after midnight on Aug. 28.
Lease sites becoming a target
According to Hillier, thieves made off with batteries after breaking into a CNRL lease site.
The call came in on Aug. 29 that suspects had broken onto the property and taken some batteries.
“It seems to be an ongoing issue, batteries and wire being stolen from oil field lease sites, so if you see people driving around in the evening or they see anything odd… please contact us. We would rather go an catch them in the act than have to try and figure it out after the fact,” said Hillier.
Phone scams making the rounds
RCMP are continuing to take calls regarding phone scams.
Hillier said between Monday and Friday morning they had about four complaints relating to phone scams.
"The phone number does appear to be a legitimate number when it comes in, however, we once again remind everyone that the RCMP would not call people to give us money to dispatch a warrant, that’s just not how the criminal system works,” Hillier said about a scam where the caller pretends to be a member of the RCMP in order to get information and possibly money.
Residents are also reporting callers stating their social insurance number has been compromised and their bank accounts are being frozen.
“That’s not the case, that’s not how the Government of Canada works either,” stressed Hillier.
Police reminding the public about back to school safety
"With back-to-school season starting up next week, the Bonnyville RCMP would like to remind drivers and pedestrians alike to extra cognizant of traffic around our local schools," said S/Sgt. Sarah Parke.
Parke offered some back-to-school reminders for everyone, not only those with children heading out the door Sept. 3.
For drivers, she stressed the importance of being aware of your surroundings at all times, focus on the road, and take appropriate actions to avoid potential collisions. Paying attention to road signage, knowing the speed limit, and keeping an eye out for school and playground zones were additional suggestions.
When it comes to students, RCMP want to remind them to only cross the road in designated areas and controlled intersections, make eye contact with drivers, and ensure vehicles come to a complete stop before crossing. Staying on the sidewalk when walking to and from school and staying a safe distance from the street while waiting for the school bus are other tips they offered.
Parents are being reminded to make sure their children know the safest route to and from school, and to always park in a safe place when picking their students up from school.
Parke noted drivers are required to stop when a school bus is flashing its alternating red lights.
