A thief who stole an American passport, money and various personal items from a Tofino tourist two weeks ago was arrested in Campbell River three days later.
As was reported in the Westerly News, a tourist had allowed a person to sleep in their hotel room because the person was too drunk to drive home but when the tourist awoke the next morning, they discovered they had been robbed.
After the thief was arrested, the RCMP detachments in Campbell River and Tofino worked together to return some of the victim’s items, according to Cpl. Therese Cochlin of the Tofino RCMP.
“The victim of this crime was thrilled that the person had been caught, very happy to be getting his passport back and quite appreciative of the work of the Campbell River and Tofino RCMP,” Cochlin said.
Beware of fake money in Tofino
A counterfeit $50 bill was discovered circulating around Tofino.
The bill was taken out of circulation when a local bank flagged it as a fake on Aug. 19, according to Cpl. Cochlin.
“The $50 bill was used at a local business and then identified by the bank when the business completed their daily deposit,” she said.
Local businesses are advised to be diligent in ensuring they do accept fake money and Cochlin is urging merchants to practice extra caution during busy times.
She said high-denomination bills like $50’s and $100’s are more likely to be phonies and anyone who believes they are holding a fake bill should record the bill’s serial number as well as a description of the person who gave it to them.
“Give the suspicious banknote to the police and request a receipt. If the note is genuine, it will be returned to you,” Cochlin said.
“Remember, someone passing a counterfeit banknote may not be aware of it. He or she could be the innocent victim of a crime.”
Police extinguish late night fires
MacKenzie Beach was swarmed with illegal campfires on Aug. 21.
Tofino’s burning bylaw stipulates all campfires must be out by 11 p.m. but police joined Tofino’s bylaw enforcement team on a joint-patrol of the beach and came across a significant number of late-night fires.
“Approximately 50 different groups were warned and a substantial quantity of open liquor was poured out,” Cochlin said.
“The majority of groups were very cooperative and extinguished their fires and left the beach.”
Drunk driver detained
Tofino police nabbed an impaired driver on MacKenzie Beach Road.
The driver was spotted traveling significantly slowly and erratically around 1 a.m. on Aug. 22.
Police pulled the vehicle over and discovered the driver was impaired.
The driver was issued an immediate 90-day driving prohibition and their vehicle was impounded for 30 days.
“If this driver had called a taxi, walked home or called a sober friend for a ride he would still have his driver's licence and his vehicle,” Cpl. Cochlin said.
Andrew.bailey@westerlynews.ca