Estevan Police Service members issued a warning to the general public regarding a classified advertising scam where the supposed seller is attempting to rent homes and apartments.
The ads contain e-mail addresses and contact numbers. The calls begin with a dialogue with the supposed home or apartment owner who asks questions similar to those a person might be asked when applying for a mortgage or loan. This is done in an attempt to make the event appear more realistic.
The scammer hopes to get the person to send advance cash or a first-month rent to the person in exchange for the keys that will be shipped back to the hopeful renter.
The keys never arrive.
“If you see or hear any of these ads for a home for sale or rent, check with a realtor and check the accuracy of the ad,” the police said.
EPS members also report they located and arrested a 34-year-old Estevan woman on Dec. 29 who was wanted as a result of an ongoing investigation noted last week, involving drug offences in the city.
The woman was charged with being in possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. She was released from custody on several conditions and now has a Feb. 23 court date.
On the day of Dec. 30, EPS members reported that their activities were slowed substantially due to the extremely cold weather conditions. The cold weather even kept the lawbreakers inside. EPS did take one RID (report impaired drivers) call regarding a pickup entering the city on Highway 39. The vehicle in question was identified and stopped but the driver showed no signs of impairment.
The night of Dec. 31 was a different story though, cold weather or no cold weather.
A series of calls and events kept city police busy throughout New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, beginning with some charges being laid against a 41-year-old woman who refused to comply with a breathalyzer examination. Due to the previous impaired driving convictions and possession of marijuana convictions, she was held in custody and then later released after she received a court date.
A report of a man suffering from a cardiac arrest at a cabaret in the Wylie-Mitchell Air Cadet Hall, prompted police and emergency medical team response. The EMS personnel quickly determined the man’s vital signs and transported him to St. Joseph’s Hospital for examination before he was transferred to Regina General Hospital for further treatment.
A domestic dispute in the central part of the city was the next call responded to by police on Dec. 31. The dispute had, apparently, turned into a physical confrontation but police determined there were no visible signs of injury. The woman involved in the dispute was under court-ordered conditions to not consume alcohol, so she was taken into custody and lodged in cells for the night.
A lounge on the northeast side of the city was the subject of the next stop for city police that same night. They learned that a woman had fallen and struck her head in the fall and was unconscious. After emergency medical members checked her condition and cleared her, she was arrested for being intoxicated in public and was lodged in cells until sober.
The next call came from a northside lounge where a woman was refusing to leave after being asked to do so. When police arrived, she resisted their efforts to place her under arrest. Further checks on the woman revealed she had a probation order placed against her so she was charged under the Alcohol and Gaming Regulation Act as well as the Criminal Code for resisting the arrest as well as for being in breach of the probation order.
Another domestic disturbance, involving three people, drew police to the west side of the city. Two people had suffered injuries as a result of the dispute so emergency medical personnel were called to check out their condition. An investigation into the incident remains active.
On Jan. 1, EPS received a report of two young people stealing mail from residential mail boxes in the Westview area of the city. The two young people were identified and arrested and charged with multiple counts of theft of mail.
Police noted the parents of the young people involved in the events were supportive of the policing action and assisted them in locating the missing pieces of mail.
On Jan. 5, during the day shift, EPS members, acting on a report from the bylaw enforcement team, visited a property owner with instructions to remove a counch that he had discarded on a boulevard in the north central area of the city. The property owner, who lived near-by was directed to remove the couch immediately.
EPS members attended to a number of Traffic Safety Act violations as well as several Vehicle Equipment Regulation Act violations which led to charges that included drivers proceeding through an intersection against a red light, unlawful window tints and driving past a school bus while its stop arms and flashers were activated.
