It’s been a busy couple of weeks for the Lake Cowichan RCMP.
In what could be called a mini crime wave throughout the Cowichan Lake area, police have been responding to calls to everything from vandalism to suspicious fires.
On Sept. 1, police arrested a suspicious looking individual after the Lake Cowichan Fire Department was called to two brush fires.
The first fire occurred on the hillside approximately 100 meters east of the Highway 18 and Youbou Highway junction. The fire department was called out to the fire at approximately 7 p.m.
“While RCMP members were making patrols for the suspicious male, a second fire was discovered on the Old Lake Cowichan Road near Greendale Road,” reads the RCMP’s press release.
“While the fires were being put out by the Lake Cowichan Fire Department the suspicious male was located and arrested for arson. The male was later released without process, but remains a person of interest in the fire,” the statement continues.
Doug Knott, the fire chief for the Lake Cowichan Fire Department, spotted the male on Old Cowichan Lake Road, and informed the RCMP.
“We were looking for him because he’s obviously suspicious at this point, and Doug actually saw him and pointed us in the right direction,” said Corp. Warren Potter.
“So we went and had a chat with him,” explained Potter, and added that the evidence they have against the man is circumstantial.
“So we couldn’t charge him. At this point it’s still under investigation. I know that we are going to check a bit of video.”
Other long weekend activities include the following.
• At around 1:27 p.m. on Sept. 1, emergency crews responded to a report of a motorcycle that lost control and crashed off the right side of the road.
The off -road motorcycle was traveling eastbound on the dirt portion of North Shore Road (outside of Youbou) lost control and crashed into the ditch. The driver of a KTM motorcycle, a 30-year-old Victoria man, was air lifted to Victoria General Hospital and was pronounced dead on Sept. 3.
Off duty fire fighters from the Colwood area, along with the Youbou Fire department, B.C. Ambulance service, and Lake Cowichan RCMP attended to the scene. It is believed that speed was a factor in the incident.
• Sometime between Sept. 1 and 3, someone threw a brick through the Irly Building Centre sign which is located above the front door of the business resulting in a crack. Damage estimated at $2,000.
• In the Bremner Road area of Youbou, sometime between Sept. 3 and Sept. 4, a number of vehicles were entered and cash and other various items were stolen.
• A break, enter, and theft occurred sometime between Aug. 30 and 31. Individuals broke into a home on Fern Road in Lake Cowichan while the owner was away. Once in the home culprit(s) stole two television sets and a black mountain bike.
• Sometime between Aug. 25 and 27, a motocross helmet, riding gear, various CDs and some tools were taken from a vehicle parked on Cowichan Avenue in Lake Cowichan.
• Sometime during the night of Aug. 18, a black men’s CCM Supercycle mountain bike was stolen from the Mayo Road. area of Lake Cowichan.
RCMP remind the public to keep their vehicles locked and keep valuables out of sight in order to prevent these types of crimes.
• Between the evening of Aug. 10 and the early morning of Aug. 11, campers staying at the Gordon Bay Provincial Campground in Honeymoon Bay had their 12 foot HF360 inflatable boat, named Fish Hunter, stolen from the beach. The green and yellow striped vessel had a grey plywood floor, small black/yellow dingy oars, and an all black, electric duamax 1.5 horse power motor.
• On Aug. 19, at approximately 11:20 p.m. an individual or individuals walked behind Palsson Elementary School in Lake Cowichan and broke four large windows. It appears the windows were smashed with a rock.
Two other incidents, which police are taking quite seriously, are two separate acts of vandalism of local vehicles.
The first occurred on Aug. 27, at approximately 2 a.m.. An individual, or individuals, attended a residence on Willow road in Youbou, and damaged a blue 1997 Honda Prelude. The vehicle had its windshield smashed, its driver side front and rear tires punctured and its hood and front bumper keyed.
The damage is estimated at $1,000.
The second incident occurred on Sept. 6, at 8:42 p.m. A Youbou resident had a red fireman’s pickaxe thrown through the front windshield of their vehicle parked in their driveway. The axe handle, which had several bullet holes in it, also had a message written on it for the intended victim.
Anyone with information on any of these incidents is asked to call the Lake Cowichan RCMP at 250-749-6668 or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.