A Trail man tried but failed to outswim the long arm of the law.
Police say last Thursday afternoon, they located the 34-year-old man near the Victoria Street bridge and told him he was under arrest on an outstanding warrant.
However, he jumped into the Columbia River. Officers tried to convince him to come back on shore, but he refused. They say he appeared to be floating neck deep in water, but realized that wasn’t the case when he suddenly stood up.
They say the man started throwing away what they believe to be illicit drugs. At that point, officers waded into the river and arrested him.
The man, who was in the water for about 10 minutes, is expected to face a charge of resisting arrest as well as drug possession.
Police chase driver with homemade plate
That was the second incident that day where police chased someone.
That morning, they say an officer spotted a 44-year-old Fruitvale man on Columbia Avenue in Trail driving a truck with a homemade license plate.
The officer believed the man had an outstanding warrant and was prohibited from driving. But when he tried to pull the man over, he refused to stop.
Other officers set up a roadblock to stop the man as he headed toward Carnation Drive and Highway 3B. Upon seeing the road ahead blocked by police vehicles, the man stopped and was arrested.
Police are recommending charges of fleeing from police and driving while prohibited. The man will be in court in Rossland on Aug. 18.
“I commend the all of the RCMP officers who remained calm and professional while bringing this incident to a safe conclusion,” Sgt. Mike Wicentowich said in a news release.
