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Man survives jump from Nelson bridge

Police say a 28-year-old man who jumped from the orange bridge Friday and lived was mentally ill.
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A man who jumped from the orange bridge around lunchtime Friday lived to tell the tale.

A 28-year-old man jumped from the orange bridge Friday and lived.

Police say they received a 911 call just before noon. Witnesses said the man was about a third of the way across the span when he “was observed to climb over the railing and plummet into the lake.”

Police arrived at the dock at Rotary Lakeside Park to find the man walking toward shore, apparently uninjured. He was dressed only in a t-shirt, socks, and underwear.

The Nelson man, known to suffer from mental illness, was taken by ambulance to Kootenay Lake Hospital, and after being stabilized for shock and hypothermia, transferred to Daly Pavilion in Trail for a mental health assessment.

Would-be auto thief foiled

A Nelson man accused of trying to steal a car and threatening someone with a weapon was arrested early Saturday.

Police say around 12:30 a.m. they received a 911 call of an attempted auto theft.

When a witness interrupted the crime, the suspected grabbed a cooler from the vehicle and began to run away, spilling some of the contents from the cooler on the road.

As another witness tried to recover the fallen items, the suspect returned with a machete.

He “briefly but aggressively confronted that person, then fled the scene,” according to police.

Based on a detailed description provided by witnesses, officers were able to quickly locate the suspect, and after a short chase, he was taken into custody.

The stolen property and machete were subsequently recovered.

Kevin Christopher Tarpey, 21, was held in custody over the weekend and is due in court today, charged with theft under $5,000, possession of a dangerous weapon, assault with a weapon, and attempted auto theft.