Someone looking to steal copper wire entered the West Coast Railway Heritage Park through a back fence, possibly several times, over the past few weeks and pilfered approximately $5,000 worth of copper wire from the park, Squamish RCMP reported this week.
RCMP Sgt. Wayne Pride said the theft or thefts were first reported to police on Tuesday (Feb. 28). With the price of copper having risen in recent years, the theft of copper wire has become a common occurrence in the past couple of years.
In Squamish, B.C. Hydro substations and anywhere else known to have copper on site has been targeted by thieves dozens of times. Last Thursday (Feb. 23), in fact, police received a report that copper wire had been stolen from a transformer at the B.C. Hydro substation in Furry Creek. Entry was gained by cutting through a fence sometime during the previous week, Pride said.
Anyone with information relating to this or other crimes is urged to contact the Squamish RCMP at (604) 892-6100 or by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
Impaired drivers nabbed
Police also reported at least two incidences of impaired driving during the past week, including one that also resulted in the driver being ticketed for driving without a licence, driving without insurance and failing to wear a seatbelt.
On Friday (Feb. 24) at around 2 a.m., an officer on patrol noticed a vehicle being driven erratically and stopped it on Clarke Drive near Highway 99. A 39-year-old Squamish woman was issued a 24-hour driving suspension and is facing a charge of impaired operation of a motor vehicle, Pride said.
On Sunday (Feb. 26) at around midnight, police responded to a motor vehicle accident on Diamond Head Road in Garibaldi Estates. A vehicle being driven by a 23-year-old Surrey man had struck a parked vehicle. The driver, who was treated for injuries he sustained in the crash, was issued a 24-hour driving prohibition and was ticketed for driving without a licence, no insurance and failing to wear a seatbelt. He is also facing a charge of impaired operation of a motor vehicle, Pride said.
Two face assault charges
Two Squamish men are facing assault charges after separate incidents on the weekend.
On Saturday (Feb. 25) at around 4 a.m., police responded to a report of an assault having occurred at a home in the 40000 block of Government Road. The victim had left the scene and phoned police from another location. Police went to the home and arrested a 38-year-old man for allegedly assaulting a 27-year-old female acquaintance, Pride said.
On Sunday at around 8 a.m., police answered a call about an assault in progress in the 1500 block of Highway 99 near Valleycliffe. There, police found a distraught, 33-year-old Squamish woman sitting outside a building. She told police that a man inside the building had assaulted her. Inside the home, police arrested a 27-year-old Squamish man in relation to the incident.
