It has been a particularly busy seven-day stretch of time for members of the Estevan Police Service with the policing activity beginning on March 24 with an investigation into a two-vehicle collision on King Street with one of the vehicles being damaged to the point it needed to be towed away. One driver was charged with driving without due care and attention.
During the March 26 night shift, EPS members checked on a restaurant patron who failed to pick up a food order that had been prepared. The issue was resolved.
The next complaint dealt with a matter of someone uttering threats during a web chat. The two people involved have been interviewed by police who are continuing their investigation.
A traffic stop in the industrial area of the city on the night of March 26 was made after a vehicle failed to stop at a red light. Police discovered the driver did not have a valid licence and had taken the vehicle without the owner's consent. The male driver was charged with two traffic offences and the issue of taking the vehicle without consent remains under investigation.
Police also responded to several false alarms throughout the city during the night and fielded a call from a motorist passing through the community who reported that he had almost hit an all terrain vehicle being driven on a southbound access road near Highway 47. The driver reported that the quad was being driven at a high speed without any lights on. Police attended the general area where the incident had occurred but were unable to locate the offending vehicle and driver.
EPS members were then dispatched to a west side residence where the home owner advised them that there was an uninvited intoxicated person in the home. When they arrived police discovered a woman in a bed in the home and the homeowner had not been present when she had entered the house. The intoxicated subject was known to police and had been in breach of court-ordered conditions to not consume alcohol so she was re-arrested and charged with being in breach of those conditions as well as unlawfully being in a dwelling.
On the night of March 27, EPS members checked on a complaint that a man was failing to comply with court ordered conditions because he was in contact with the victim and their family members. Police are not actively looking for the suspect.
An open line call from the Trojan subdivision attracted police attention on the night of March 27. A domestic dispute was in progress when police arrived so they intervened and removed one of the people involved. Alcohol was considered to be the main contributing factor to the event.
The next call on March 27, came from a local lounge regarding a fight in progress. When police arrived they arrested two men with one 24-year-old subject who had instigated the incident being housed in cells for the night while another man was taken home.
A call from an apartment complex was fielded on the night of March 27. The complaint focused on a group of young people who were running and screaming in the parking lot. The youngsters were warned about their actions and noise.
During the day shift on March 28, EPS members received a call from a north side gas station regarding a customer who had fueled up and left without paying. The man involved in the incident was located, and he advised police he thought he had paid, so he returned to the station and paid for the fuel without further incident.
On the March 29 day shift, police were asked to look into a vandalism incident at a north side convenience store as well as a check into a group of four or five young people who were observed attempting to light a fire in the northeast valley area of the city. The young people were warned about their actions.
During this same shift, police were asked to look into an incident involving damage being inflicted on a restaurant door and several violations of the Traffic Safety Act and the Vehicle Equipment Regulations Act. These incidents led to charges being laid for driving left of centre on the road, using a communications device while driving and unlawfully having tinted windows on the vehicle.
During the March 30 day shift, police checked a vehicle on the northeast side following a report that it might have been stolen. After further investigation police determined the vehicle was not stolen.
Another March 30 call came to police regarding a patron who left a northwest area service station without paying for the gas. Police located the patron and it was learned that his method of payment failed to work so the man returned to the station and made arrangements with the owner to make payment.
Police next attended to a central part of the city to a construction site to follow up on a report of damage being done to a vehicle as a result of the demolition work that was underway on the site. It was noted that minor damage had also been done to a neighbouring building. Estevan Fire Rescue personnel were called to the scene to assist with assessing the damages and steps were taken to ensure the site work was carried out in a safer manner for the benefit of the site-work as well as surrounding area.
During the night shifts from March 28 to 30, EPS members responded to numerous false alarms that included intrusion alerts at a local business and two residential locations.
Police were also called to a local lounge to investigate a report of some illegal activity. Two young men who had been confronted by staff were spat upon by the male patrons when they fled the scene. The incidents remains under investigation.
Police remained busy on March 29, responding to domestic disputes and two separate fraud incidents regarding unpaid taxi fares.
On the night of March 29, EPS members responded to a complaint from a lounge regarding two men in an illegal exchange of goods and money. One man was located by police and charged for possession of a controlled substance. He has an April 27 court date. Later that evening the second person involved in the exchange was located and brought to the station where he was not charged, but had his vehicle thoroughly searched by police.
Police also responded to a call regarding young people running from door to door, ringing door bells in a residential area on the northwest side of the city. Police made a patrol of the area but were unable to uncover the mischief-makers.
A male patron who was observed urinating in public after leaving a local lounge, was charged by police and faces a $250 fine.
On the night of March 30, EPS members spent a great deal of time attempting to track down a man who had threatened to harm himself while driving into Estevan. EPS members were joined by members of the local detachment of the RCMP in attempting to locate the male driver but were unsuccessful. The incident remains under investigation.
A complaint was registered by a local restaurant after a female in her 40s, stole property from a staff member and then left without paying her tab. The incident was looked into by police and the woman was located. The stolen keys were returned to their owner and the matter remains under investigation.
