Squamish RCMP this week issued a warning to parents and youngsters after a local teenager reported having received unwelcome comments of a sexual nature from a "friend" on Facebook.
Last Wednesday (June 15), police received a complaint that a teen had received a friend request from someone presenting him or herself as a male who was unknown to the teenager, RCMP Sgt. Pat Mulhall said in a statement.
After the male teenager accepted the request, the "friend" changed his or her own profile picture by replacing it with the teen's picture. The conversation then became sexual on the part of the "friend," and the teen discontinued the conversation and blocked the "friend." Facebook officials were also notified so that they could block the account.
Mulhall said inquiries with local schools failed to locate anyone who might have been responsible.
"It is unknown if this was a prank by a fellow student or an attempt to lure the teen," Mulhall said. "Parents are reminded to speak to their children about not accepting 'friend' requests from persons who are not known to them, and the RCMP would like to encourage people to report similar incidents."
Bear, cougar incidents reported
Police this week dealt with at least three incidents involving people coming in close proximity to wildlife -two involving bears and one involving a cougar.
Last Wednesday at 6:45 a.m., a bear was reported to be wandering through yards, rooting through recycling and garbage that had been left out in Garibaldi Highlands. The bear did not appear to be afraid of humans, and several garbage totes were knocked over. Later that morning, a bear was seen sitting on top of someone's vehicle. "Please remember to keep garbage secured until as close to pickup time as possible," Mulhall said.
Early last Thursday (June 16), a cougar was spotted on Tantalus Road between Garibaldi Way and Diamond Road. The cougar did not exhibit aggressive behaviour, and conservation officers were advised. Muhall reminded citizens that cougars can be a threat, especially to young children.
On Sunday (June 19) at 9:21 p.m., police received a report of people having stopped their vehicle and approached a bear at Government and Mamquam roads. Mulhall reminded residents that not only is it dangerous to approach bears, stopping along roadways to view wildlife can impede traffic and be dangerous to both motorists and pedestrians, particularly along Highway 99. Stopping along a roadway to view wildlife is also a ticketable offence under the Motor Vehicle Act, he said.
Snowmobiler found
On Sunday, Squamish RCMP received a report of a lost snowmobiler in the area near the Brohm Ridge Chateau. The 23-year-old man had left the chateau at about 3 a.m., crashed, and tried to walk back to the chateau, Mulhall said.
Squamish Search and Rescue was mobilized, and later that evening, found the man walking in the wrong direction. He had suffered minor injuries in the crash and was suffering from hypothermia, Mulhall said. Alcohol is believed to have been a factor in the incident, he said.
Numerous items stolen
On Saturday (June 18), a break-in was reported at a Squamish condominium storage facility. A number of storage units were broken into and a variety of items were stolen. Those with information about the incident are asked to contact Squamish RCMP at (604) 892-6100 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
Police also received numerous reports of items having been stolen from vehicles in the past week. Citizens are reminded to lock their vehicles and not to leave valuables inside vehicles when left unattended.
