Estevan Police Service (EPS) members thought they might have a shoplifter to process on Jan. 8 when they paid a visit to a retail outlet in the Shoppers Mall. A man who had been identified by staff members as a possible shoplifting thief replaced the item(s) in question in the store before leaving, thus nullifying any potential policing action since he had not left the store with the items in his possession.
Police were asked to look into two separate and unrelated complaints of uttering threats, though, and investigations into those incidents remain open.
On Jan. 8, EPS members attended to a local lounge to deal with a disgruntled customer who disappeared prior to their arrival. No further action was required.
Police also made an appearance at the scene of a street fight that was underway on the night of Jan. 8. The two men were located and police learned that they were brothers and the younger brother, who was more sober than the older brother, had been attempting to help sober up the elder sibling when an argument broke out that escalated into a fight. The elder brother was arrested and charged with being intoxicated in public and was held in custody until he regained sobriety.
Police also visited an apartment complex in the city during the night in response to a noise complaint. The person responsible for the noise was informed of the city's noise bylaw, and no further action was required.
On the night of Jan. 10, the EPS K-9 unit was called upon to deal with a vehicle that was stuck in the ditch on the northeast side of the city. The police service dog Harvey was on the scene, and while the occupants of the vehicle were being checked to ensure there were no injuries, it was learned that the vehicle was unregistered and marijuana was detected and located in the vehicle. The occupants of the vehicle were dealt with separately and transported back into the city while the unregistered vehicle was towed to a holding compound.
The next item on the police agenda on Jan. 10 was a hit-and-run complaint coming from the Willow Park Greens mobile home park. An investigation was established into the incident.
Police were next called to a north side lounge where it was reported that a vehicle had arrived in the parking lot, and the female driver had exited and thrown up. When police investigated the incident they learned that alcohol was not involved and, in fact, the driver was pregnant, and that was the cause of her nausea.
The next two response items for EPS members on Jan. 10 involved 911 calls they received regarding a fight underway at a local residence.
When they arrived, police arrested two men but later released one of them at the scene after they learned that he had been attempting to calm down the other intoxicated subject. That man was arrested and lodged in cells and released into the care of his parents the next day.
The next call received by police involved a domestic dispute on the south side of the city. The caller noted that a woman was hanging onto the exterior of a vehicle as it traveled along a street. Police learned that no injuries had been inflicted on the woman as a result of her actions and neither she nor the male subject involved in the incident cared to speak to police about the event or provide any co-operation, so the matter, from a policing perspective, was concluded.
On the night of Jan. 11, EPS members checked out two vehicles in a remote area on the east side industrial section of the city. Police found five young people in the vehicles along with some marijuana. One youth took ownership of the controlled substance and was dealt with accordingly.
That same night, EPS members stopped and checked another driver who was travelling on the grid road north of the hospital. It turned out that the man's driving licence had been suspended. The man passed a roadside breathalyzer test that would record any presence of alcohol, but he was also found to be in possession of cannabis resin, so he too, was dealt with accordingly.
The next call for police was to the central part of the city where they attended to a residence in response to a report of a man who had exposed himself to a female resident. Police gathered evidence at the scene and were able to obtain the identity of the suspect so their investigation into the incident continues.
A complaint of an assault that was taking place in the north end of the city prompted police action later that same night. A man was arrested and later released but the investigation is ongoing since police have received several statements from witnesses.
On the night of Jan. 12, EPS members along with Estevan Fire Rescue Services personnel, attended to the north side of the city in response to an activated smoke alarm. It was learned the four young people who were present in the home, were smoking marijuana, and that is what set off the alarm. The marijuana was seized and the investigation into the event continues.
