RCMP: What not to do after stealing a car
By Kyra Hoggan
Castlegar police are working on a file that serves as a cautionary tale for would-be criminals:
If you’re going to steal a bunch of stuff, including a car, you’d do well to avoid having a couple of drinks before toodling aimlessly around town at 2:45 a.m. in said stolen car, which happens to contain a bunch of other stuff you’ve stolen, too. “At 2:45 a.m., everything seems a little suspicious,” said Castlegar RCMP detachment commander Sgt. Laurel Mathew. “Especially when you’re driving around, but don’t really seem to be going anywhere.” Mathew said it was this sort of odd behaviour that prompted police to stop a black Pontiac Grand Prix on Aug. 21. “Investigation into the driver and the vehicle revealed that the car had been stolen from Kamloops, and the licence plates were also stolen,” she said. “Several other items located inside the car had also been reported stolen from a residence in Rossland.” Barrie Friesen, 51, of the Kamloops area has been charged with four counts of possession of stolen property. He has also been charged with refusing to comply with a breath demand, and possession of a prohibited weapon, in this case, nanchucks. Friesen was held in custody and is appearing before a judge in Grand Forks on Aug. 23.
