Weekly Media Release - Trail and Greater District RCMP - March 4, 2024

Trail and Greater District

2024-03-04 13:09 PST

Local resident looking to smoke out a thief

File # 2024-741

On Thursday, February 29, 2024, at 2:21 a.m. a frontline Trail and Greater District RCMP officer received a report that a can of cigarette butts, an ashtray, and a snow shovel had been stolen from a porch of a residence in the 2000 block of Sixth Avenue, in Trail, BC. The complainant reported that this was the fifth ashtray stolen from her porch this month. The officer recommended she secure anything that she considered valuable inside her residence and provided some additional security recommendations for her property.

Inflation has really caught up with everyone, said Sgt. Wicentowich.

Street racers caught in downtown Trail

File # 2024-755

On Thursday, February 29, 2024, at 9:25 p.m. a frontline Trail and Greater District RCMP officer was on a routine patrol in a marked vehicle when he observed a 24-year-old Nelson woman driving a 2006 Subaru Outback and a 29-year-old Castlegar man driving a 2016 Audi allegedly street racing eastbound on Victoria Street in downtown Trail. The officer believed that both vehicles were travelling at a speed over 90 km/h in the posted 50 km/h speed zone. The officer detained both drivers and vehicles roadside.

The woman allegedly admitted to the officer that she was racing the other car, and the man allegedly admitted to speeding.

The 29-year-old Castlegar man received a $138 fine for Speed against Highway Sign contrary to Section 146(3) of the British Columbia Motor Vehicle Act. The woman received $845 in fines for Speed Against Highway Sign contrary to Section 146(3) BC MVA, Failure to Display ‘N’ contrary to Section 30.10(4) of the BC Motor Vehicle Act Regulations, and No Insurance contrary to Section 24(3) of the BC MVA. Both vehicles were impounded for up to 7 days.

Racing is defined under the BC Motor Vehicle Act under Section 250 as:

Circumstances in which, taking into account the condition of the highway, traffic, visibility and weather, the driver or operator of a motor vehicle is driving or operating the motor vehicle without reasonable consideration for other persons using the highway or in a manner that may cause harm to an individual by doing any of the following:


  1. Outdistancing or attempting to outdistance one or more other motor vehicles;
  2. Preventing or attempting to prevent one or more other motor vehicles from passing;
  3. Driving at excessive speed in order to arrive at or attempt to arrive at a given destination ahead of one or more other motor vehicles. 

A police officer can impound a vehicle if they have reasonable grounds to believe that a person has driven or operated a motor vehicle on a highway in a race and the peace officer intends to charge the person with certain BC Motor Vehicle Act offences, as in this case. The drivers are responsible for the cost of the tow and impound fee, and any other associated costs, said Sgt. Wicentowich, Street racing is a very dangerous, and can be a very expensive endeavour.

Police intervention saves distraught woman

On Friday, March 1, 2024, at 7:12 p.m. frontline Trail and Greater District RCMP officers responded to report of a distraught 33-year-old Trail woman on the Victoria Street Bridge, in downtown Trail, BC.

An officer responded and arrived quickly on scene. The officer located the woman holding onto the outside of the pedestrian deck railing and was able to get close enough to the woman to physically prevent her from falling. Once physically secured, he convinced her to climb back over the railing and return to the safety of the bridge deck sidewalk.

Although apparently uninjured, the RCMP officer transported the woman to a local hospital for any medical treatment she might require.

Thanks to this officer for his quick thinking and action which prevented a tragedy, said Sgt. Wicentowich.

Released by:

S/Sgt. Kris Clark
Senior Media Relations Officer
BC RCMP Communication Services
14200 Green Timbers Way, Surrey, BC V3T 6P3 - Mailstop #1608
Office: 778-290-3961
Cell: 778-228-7857

Email: kris.clark@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

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