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At least one attendee at what was termed a “full-moon party” in the Callaghan Valley on the weekend was treated for what police suspect was a drug overdose, Whistler RCMP said this week.
Police spent several hours checking vehicles for open alcohol and dealing with other issues after having received a call about the informal, rave-style gathering on Friday (July 23) on a forest service road in the Callaghan, RCMP Sgt. Shawn LeMay said on Tuesday (July 27).
“Due to the dangers associated with these types of events, police resources were required to keep post at the entrance just off (Highway 99) for over three hours,” LeMay said in a statement.
Most vehicles stopped by police had alcohol inside, and it was being transported to a place where alcohol consumption is illegal, LeMay said. It was either seized or poured out on the spot, he said.
On Saturday (July 24) at around 4 a.m., a man attending the party called police to ask for their help with his girlfriend who appeared to have overdosed on drugs, LeMay said.
When officers arrived, the woman in her 20s was conscious but showed “gross signs of impairment by drugs,” he said.
Short on resources, police put the woman in a taxi and directed the driver to take her to the Whistler Health Care Centre for treatment, LeMay said. The woman’s condition is not known, he said.
LeMay said large bush parties of the type that occurred on Friday-Saturday present police and other emergency crews with significant challenges.
“Emergency services, if and when things go wrong, their response time is a huge factor,” he told The Question. “When you have a party of that nature, that far away, it’s a huge concern.”
While he couldn’t say definitively whether it was a factor in this case, LeMay said Whistler RCMP have been concerned about the recent reappearance of a drug called ketamine, sometimes called Special K, in Whistler.
The effects of the drug are similar to those of GHB or rohypnol, two drugs most commonly referred to as “date-rape” drugs.
“It is a huge interest and concern to us that this drug (ketamine) has apparently reappeared on the streets of Whistler,” LeMay said.
Alleged thief arrested
Police arrested a man inside the Whistler Public Library on Monday (July 26) after the theft of a laptop computer just outside the facility.
The laptop’s owner, a woman, had set it down momentarily when she and a male who was with her were walking in the Main Street area, LeMay said. After it was snatched away, the woman’s companion helped police determine that the thief had probably gone inside the library. The alleged thief “was attempting to use (the computer) at the time of the arrest,” LeMay said.
After the arrest, the suspect was found to have outstanding warrants related to earlier incidents in Whistler, including at least one assault. He was released on conditions and is set to appear in North Vancouver Provincial Court on Oct. 13.
Man faces multiple charges
A Penticton man, 42, faces impaired-driving and break-and-enter charges after a pair of related incidents in Pemberton on Saturday.
Police received a report of a vehicle possibly being driven by an impaired driver northbound near the Whistler Heliport at around 5:30 p.m. Police located the vehicle on Highway 99 as it entered Pemberton. The driver subsequently blew two readings of .13 on a breathalyzer, and faces charges of driving over .08 and impaired driving, LeMay said.
He was released on a promise to appear in court. Shortly thereafter, though, the man was arrested again for attempting to break into the impound yard in Pemberton to retrieve his car. He faces a charge of break-and-enter charge in relation to the latter incident.
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