Squamish RCMP are investigating the driver of a pickup truck for impaired driving and perhaps other charges after the truck allegedly slammed into two vehicles along Tantalus Road as well as a lamppost at Highway 99 and Depot Road.
A resident who witnessed the two collisions along Tantalus Road phoned police on Friday (March 18) at around 5:35 p.m., RCMP Staff Sgt. Guy Pollock said in a statement. The driver provided the location of the truck, then followed the vehicle as it turned north onto Highway 99.
"The resident lost sight of the truck when it reached estimated speeds of 160 km/hour," Pollock wrote.
The pickup truck turned around at the Alice Lake intersection and headed south, then collided with a street lamppost along Highway 99 at Depot Road. When the driver was taken to Squamish General Hospital to be treated for minor injuries, he was accompanied by an investigating RCMP officer, Pollock said.
At the hospital, the police officer made a blood alcohol demand, and "samples were obtained in co-operation with the attending physician," Pollock said. The blood samples will be sent to a forensic laboratory for analysis, he said. A report from the lab is expected next month.
Police officers documented the accident scene and took statements from "numerous witnesses," Pollock said. The investigation continues.
Speeding ticket issued
Police are urging the owners of company vehicles to discuss safe, respectful operation of the vehicles after having arrested the driver of such a vehicle for allegedly driving 150 km/h in a 90 km/h zone on Friday.
At around 9:30 a.m., a Squamish Highway Patrol member saw the company-owned pickup truck as it traveled south along Highway 99 south of the Alice Lake turnoff. The driver was ticketed for speeding ($365 fine) and the vehicle was impounded for seven days, Pollock said.
"Squamish RCMP would like to remind employers and individuals to have discussions with anyone using their vehicle(s) to do so in a safe, respectful and lawful manner," Pollock wrote. "The vehicle will not be returned [during the impound period] regardless of who owns it."
Impaired driver nabbed
Last Thursday (March 17) at 9 p.m., an off-duty RCMP officer recognized a male driving a vehicle who was known to be a prohibited driver. An on-duty officer was contacted and subsequently pulled over the vehicle on Skyline Drive.
The officer noticed a strong smell of liquor on the driver's breath and made a breath demand. The driver failed a roadside screening, then was taken to the police detachment where he blew two readings of .22 milligrams, more than twice the legal limit.
The driver faces charges of driving over .08, impaired driving and driving while prohibited. He is set to appear in court on June 1.
Cash stolen
On Saturday (March 19) at 7:30 a.m., the night manager of the Chieftain Hotel reported that someone had broken into the hotel's locked safe and stolen money. The burglary is under investigation.
Child taken into custody
On Friday at 2 p.m., police help was requested by the Ministry of Children and Family Services at a home in Valleycliffe, where child-care workers intended to check on the welfare of a child. When police and workers gained access to the home, they found the parent drunk inside the home. Child-care workers took custody of the toddler, and police remained at the scene to keep the peace, Pollock said.
Blaze prompts response
On Thursday (March 17) at 9:30 p.m., firefighters and police attended the scene of a fire at an industrial site on Mamquam Road. A trailer at the site was engulfed in flames, Pollock said. Solvents and oils used to stain wood were stored in the trailer and it's believed that they were the cause of the fire, Pollock said.
Business vandalized
On Saturday at 11:40 a.m., Squamish RCMP received a report that a cologne bottle had been thrown through the window of a business on Government Road in Brackendale the previous evening. Morning staff had handled the bottle before police attended, making it unsuitable for forensic investigators to obtain fingerprints.
Hiker located
On Saturday at 7:10 p.m., a lone hiker phoned 911 on his cellular phone from the Squaw Trail behind the Stawamus Chief. The hiker, who reported that he had lost the trail markers and was lost, said he had food, water, a compass and a trail map and was adequately dressed. However, the upper part of the trail was still covered in snow.
A police helicopter was activated to search for the hiker in the dark, using a Forward Looking Infrared instrument. The helicopter team located the hiker and relayed his whereabouts to search-and-rescue workers who escorted the hiker to safety.
Fraud suspected
On Tuesday, March 15, a woman phoned Squamish RCMP to report a probable instance of online fraud. She had set up a PayPal account to sell a diamond ring and received emails that were fake, reporting that a payment had been made. Not realizing that the emails were fake, the woman mailed the ring to an address in the U.S. The matter is under investigation.
