Revelstoke Times Review, January 08, 2014

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Revelstoke Highway Rescue looking for new vehicle after crashing truck – 3

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Concern grows for missing man

Family, RCMP say there has been no trace of Joshua Jeffs, 23, since Dec. 19 when he ran from police into the bush after the stolen car he was driving crashed at 12 Mile. As of Jan. 2, RCMP officially listed him as missing. Aaron Orlando

editor@revelstoketimesreview.com

Friends and family of Joshua Jeffs are increasingly concerned about his well-being after not hearing from him since December 19, when he ditched out of the stolen car he was driving at 12 Mile south of Revelstoke. Revelstoke RCMP followed the young Manitoba man from Revelstoke starting at about 5:30 that morning, after police checked the plates of the Hyundai Sonata he was driving and found it was listed as stolen. The car ended up at 12 Mile, where it became stuck at the end of the road at remote riverside recreation area. Police apprehended a female occupant, but Jeffs evaded police. The RCMP set up a perimeter that morning from 6 a.m. to noon, but didn’t locate him. On Jan. 2, RCMP officially listed Jeffs, 23, as missing, after family members contacted police with concerns. They said they haven’t heard anything from the young man since the incident. Revelstoke RCMP spokesperson Staff-Sgt. Kurt Grabinsky told the Times Review police simply don’t know where Jeffs is. “We have no substantial evidence to say he is anywhere,” Grabinsky said. His cell phone was found in the stolen car, and they haven’t been able to turn up any evidence he escaped the area and is doing fine somewhere else – such as transactions using his bank or credit card. Grabinsky said two possibilities are likely: he evaded the roadblocks and search and left town, and is now laying low, “or he succumbed to the elements.” Barb Thorassie is the mother of the 22-year-old woman who was in the vehicle with Joshua Jeffs. In a

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Polar bear swim – 16

Stakeholders disappointed after government ends Revelstoke-based conservation officer

Missing man Joshua Jeffs, 23, is 187 centimetres tall, weights 81 kilograms, has hazel eyes and brown hair. He was last seen at the 12-Mile area near Revelstoke. Revelstoke RCMP image

phone call from Manitoba, she said Jeffs had not contacted her daughter (his girlfriend) since the incident, which she said was unusual. Their concern is growing, and they urged police to resume searching at cabins or other places Jeffs could be taking refuge. Staff-Sgt. Grabinsky said the RCMP decision to list Jeffs as missing (in addition to the warrant for his arrest arising from the Dec. 19 incident) resulted from contact from the family in early January expressing concern. Grabinsky defended police actions. He said the ‘chase’ to the area was a more of a ‘follow.’ He said an officer had observed the pair prior to the incident, but that the search was impeded by a lack of co-operation by the female who was arrested. Grabinsky said she didn’t co-operate with police for about 30 hours after her arrest. Police searched for Jeffs on Dec. 19, but relatively low snow cover in

the area made the search difficult. “There was very minimal snow in the area and footprints weren’t obvious,” Grabinsky said. Two days later, on Dec. 21, police launched a more extensive search that involved Revelstoke Search & Rescue, an RCMP helicopter and an RCMP canine search team. Snow had fallen since then, and searchers turned up no signs of Jeffs, such as footprints. “We did a very effective search over those two days,” Grabinsky said. “We covered a huge area.” Since then, RCMP have asked helicopter companies and area residents to be on the lookout. Thorassie is especially concerned. An initial police description said Jeffs was wearing a jacket when he ran from the car, but she believes he was only wearing a T-shirt. Grabinsky said it was possible, as Jeffs’ clothing description was based on earlier police observation in the dark before dawn.

The B.C. Ministry of Environment has transferred the Revelstoke-based conservation officer position to Golden, meaning there is no longer an officer based here. Aaron Orlando/Revelstoke Times Review file photo

Aaron Orlando

editor@revelstoketimesreview.com

Drive across the Columbia River Bridge on the Trans-Canada Highway in Revelstoke and look upstream. If you see someone fishing there, they are breaking the law. As local fisherman know, the Columbia River is closed to fishing from the bridge to the Revelstoke Dam. Yet, despite the prohibition and plain view from the highway, from time to time, anglers try their luck with the fish and the Conservation Officer Service. Frustration with perceived lack of enforcement, a bear incident in town in December, and news that the current Revelstoke-based conservation officer position would not be renewed after a December retirement drew a response from the Revelstoke Rod & Gun Club. Club president Gary Krestinsky wrote a letter saying Revelstoke should have two, not just one conservation officer. Noting ongoing poaching and conservation law violations, he urged the ministry to maintain services. In response to the letter and questions from the Revelstoke Times Review, B.C. Minister of Environment Mary Polak responded with

Conservation officer, page 5

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