Llamas, bears and cows, oh my!

Busy week for Annapolis County RCMP

ANNAPOLIS COUNTY, NS RCMP had another busy week in extreme heat in Annapolis County. Several hang up 911 calls were made from pay phones at Keji and Cornwallis, which forced officers to do a lot of driving back and forth for non-emergency situations.

July 16

- Officers responded to a two-motor vehicle collision on Highway 10 in West Dalhousie. Several thousand dollars of damage was done to both vehicles, but luckily, no one was injured.

- Over $5,000 of copper wire was stolen from a construction site in Paradise. ATV tracks could be seen at the site leading to the woods. The investigation is still ongoing.

- There was a bit of drama with a llama for the RCMP this week. Why did the Llama cross the road? RCMP are unsure, but the motorcyclist who swerved to avoid it and landed in the ditch wants to know!

July 17

- A mama bear and her cub were seen in the Bridgetown area. Officers responded and turned on the siren and scared off the bears. The public is reminded that no matter how cute the cubs are, under no circumstances should people approach them mama bear won’t be happy!

- There was a break and enter into a residence in Falkland Ridge. The house had been ransacked but the homeowner noticed that his toast had been moved from the kitchen counter to the table. The toaster, along with a copper rod that was believed to be used to pry open the windows, was seized for fingerprinting.

- Members rushed to the Needs Convenience Store in Middleton after receiving a call that the panic button had been pushed. Members attended the store and found out the employee had dropped the panic button by mistake. There was no emergency.

July 18

- RCMP responded to a call of a suspicious person in a vehicle. Upon arrival, RCMP officers found a male asleep in the car. He had been talking to his girlfriend when he fell asleep. There was no sign of impairment. Members warned him not to drive if he was still tired.

July 19

- In the same area where the bears were sited on July 17, RCMP received another bear complaint. The complainant advised he was going to leave his house when he noticed something was blocking his doorway. A bear was sitting there, eagerly awaiting his exit. RCMP notified the Department of Natural Resources, but the bear was gone upon arrival. The Annapolis RCMP are requesting the bear to come forward so he can be issued a protection of property act not to go back to this area.

- Two youth were arrested in relation to the damage done to the Annapolis East School as well as the Rotary Park. Keys clues that led to the arrest was the incorrect spelling of “police” in their spray painting of hate slurs to the police. Upon arrest, Const. Ponee advised the youth how to correctly spell “police.”

July 20

- There was a break and enter into a residence in Wilmot. Bolt cutters were found on the ground next to an open window. A craftsman lawnmower was taken from the residence. The investigation is still ongoing.

- RCMP made the long drive out to Victoria Beach to respond to an assault complaint. The complainant stated she could hear two boys yelling and one saying “help me.” Upon arrival, the officers were able to locate the youth. Both boys stated they were only play fighting and were very apologetic about causing anyone concern.

- A homeowner in Middleton came home from shopping to find a new motorcycle helmet, red in colour, sitting on a chair in his garage. He had left the garage open. The homeowner will now be leaving his garage open every time he goes shopping, in hopes he will come home to find a present.

July 21

- Officers responded to call at the start of shift about cows on the road on the 101 highway by Mt. Hanley. The Department of Highways was cleaning the brush on side of the road on Friday, and accidentally knocked over one of the fence posts, allowing the cows to go for a walk. The farmer was notified, the fence repaired and all cows are safely back home.

- The second animal complaint of the day caused officers to respond to Paradise, where two dogs in a hot vehicle definitely did not think it was Paradise. The owner felt because the car was in the shade and he “wasn’t going to be long” it was OK to do so. Due to the quick response of the police, the dogs were not there long and the owner was warned.

- The Heart of the Valley Festival showed truly, the hearts of the valley people. Even during the rain, families gathered on the streets in Middleton to support the parade.

- A house fire in Tupperville resulted in members of the RCMP and fire department having a long evening. RCMP members were on the scene immediately and conducted full road closure as the home was engulfed in flames. The investigation is still ongoing.

July 22

- A complainant contacted the RCMP to report that while driving on the 101 highway near Tupperville, a deer ran onto the road and hit the side of her car. She was hopeful that the deer just ran off and it was OK as she could not see it. RCMP arrived and found the deer was deceased. The driver was uninjured but the vehicle sustained a fair bit of damage.

Tip of the Week: Reminder to the public the purpose of 911. Dialing 911 and hanging up or for non emergency situations can result in a fines in excess of $700.