By Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle
Police have identified a suspect they believe was responsible for the robbery of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) branch in Osoyoos in early December.
Osoyoos RCMP commander Sgt. Jason Bayda told the Times Chronicle that the individual – who is not local – is currently in custody over a different matter.
“We’re pretty confident we know who it is,” Bayda said, adding that the person in custody is on an outstanding warrant from another unrelated matter.
The Dec. 5 robbery saw a lone male wearing a surgical mask and dressed in black, including a black hoodie pulled over his head, making off with an undisclosed amount of cash.
Police ask assistance in identifying bank robber
The robber had demanded cash from one of the tellers but did not threaten that he had any kind of weapon nor did he visibly wield one.
The RCMP are currently preparing their investigation for the next stage involving the BC Prosecution Service.
Meanwhile, the suspect in the July 1 White Sands beach shooting – Steven Marlo Gallagher – remains in custody as his case wends its way through Provincial Court in Penticton.
That incident on the 2022 Canada Day long weekend saw a 22-year-old from Maple Ridge receive emergency treatment for gunshot wounds to his hip after an altercation on Osoyoos Indian Band property on the eastern shore of Osoyoos Lake.
And no charges were laid in the election sign tampering incident that occurred during the municipal election in Osoyoos on Oct. 11, 2022. Marcel St. Louis was captured on video removing an election campaign sign of mayoral contender Dustin Sikora.
St. Louis claimed he was only playing a practical joke and pleaded ignorance to the fact it is a serious offence to tamper with election signs. Potential penalties include a fine of $10,000 or imprisonment for a term not longer than one year or both.
According to Bayda, it was “not in the public interest” to pursue the matter. He added, “it’s one of those lessons-learned situations.”
And finally, the cyber-attack on the Osoyoos Farmers’ Market (OFM) website on Oct. 20 remains unsolved with Bayda saying RCMP were unable to track down who was responsible for the attack.
“We’ve discussed with them security measures and different ways to help prevent that in the future.”
He also highlighted that the problem with social media is that people can easily get information about individuals from it as well as hack into accounts. “It’s a lot easier than a secure website for business,” he said.
