‘Prolific offender’ back behind bars

Once again, Jeffrey Pelly is behind bars. Pelly was arrested Wednesday night in Osoyoos after the Regional Targeted Enforcement Unit (TEU) found him at an unnamed property.

At the time, Pelly was wanted on two separate search warrants, one for allegedly fleeing police in a stolen pick-up truck on Aug. 21 after a hit-andrun that left Highway 3 shut down for nearly two hours.

Pelly is well known to police and media for his repeat offences, as well as for his infamous arrest 12 minutes after his release from the Penticton bail office from court in December 2015.

He was caught smashing a window of a vehicle in order to steal a box containing money. He was sentenced to 18 months in jail. Pelly, described by police as a prolific offender, is accountable for multiple break ins in the Osoyoos and Penticton areas.

In early 2017, he was pulled over by police after caught speeding on Highway 3 where a variety of illegal drugs were found in his vehicle that displayed an incorrect license plate.

Pelly had also attempted to trick officers with a false identity at the time.

He was apprehended, but released on a $1,000 bail and required to re-appear in court shortly after.

His latest arrest on Wednesday comes as a relief to the TEU team.

“Very good to have him back in jail,” Const. Liam Mccready wrote in a press release on Thursday. “Habitual offenders such as Pelly create a lot of crime and use a lot of resources.”

He commended the team for their coordinated effort and intelligence to make this arrest possible.

Pelly appeared in court on Thursday and will remain in custody until his next appearance on Sept. 26.