On Christmas day, during the late evening, Nelson Police were called to a disturbance in a basement suite in Uphill. Upon arrival, the officers discovered a male and female, well known to police, had been drinking alcohol.
Although the male was not overly intoxicated, the female was out of control. She had become delusional and accused her partner of taking the keys to her car. The female does not own a car.
Happy to have police on scene, the male told police he had been running away from his partner for five minutes. Officers saw he was perspiring and out of breath from running laps around the chesterfield.
After a short discussion with officers, the female decided she was going to leave the suite. She was not properly dressed and was in no condition to be left alone. She was taken into custody and transported to police cells. After a few hours, the female was sober enough to care for herself and was released.
Once released, the female requested she be transported to Kootenay Lake Hospital for treatment of an undisclosed ailment.
During the early evening of Boxing Day, the NPD stopped a grey Subaru downtown after minor traffic infractions. The vehicle had out of province license plates.
As the investigation ensued, officers noted that the driver had obviously been drinking. Two breath samples were obtained which resulted in the driver receiving a 90-day Immediate Roadside Prohibition and the car was impounded for 30 days. Police then transported the occupants of the vehicle, the driver and his 10-year-old daughter, to a destination of their request.
Officers continued to investigate as the driver held both British Columbia and out-of-province driver’s licenses. Police established the driver was actually prohibited from driving under his British Columbia driver’s license. The driver may now face a provincial charge of Driving While Prohibited and was served with a Provincial Appearance Notice with a court date in early 2013. The driver signed the legal document with an obscenity.
The Nelson Police Department reminds people the consequences of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol are uncompromising. They urge people to make arrangements prior to becoming impaired. Think ahead. Think safety.
Police were inundated with calls regarding the further abuse of alcohol and other drugs that evening as Boxing Day revelry got out of hand. Over the 24-hour period, officers answered 28 calls for service in addition to attending to many other police incidents.
Police say Boxing Day has long been recognized as an opportunity for young adults and teens of Nelson to gather at the town’s bars and party. This year was of no exception.
Crowds gathered by approximately nine in the evening, as most of the bars in town were filled to capacity.
Numerous fights reported – fortunately, no serious injuries resulted. Two youths and three adults were lodged in cells for various reasons, all of which were related to the over consumption of alcohol.
Officers opted to transport some intoxicated people to residences into the care of sober people when the opportunity arose. Many people elected to openly drink alcohol on the streets. Some of them were charged under the Liquor Act and face fines of $230 or more.
In other police business, the NPD serves as the area’s provincial jail and a number of people living in the West Kootenays, from time to time, serve intermittent sentences over weekends.
On Dec. 28, a local male reported to the police department to serve a portion of his custodial sentence. When the male was booked, an officer could smell alcohol on his breath. On his way into the cell block the male stumbled.
Although the officers are clearly accustomed to interacting with intoxicated people, they rarely have people showing up to serve their sentences while drunk. The male submitted to a breath test that is generally used to detect drunk drivers. The male’s blood alcohol reading was three times the legal limit to operate a motor vehicle.
As a result of his indiscretion the male is now facing additional criminal charges.