Alcohol fuels ‘above average’ New Year’s Eve lawlessness in Revelstoke

Revelstoke RCMP say they received an “above average” volume of calls for service over the New Year’s weekend, and several people are facing court dates for incidents they’re not going to be proud of once they sober up.

The events started early on Dec. 30 when police responded to complaints of a man urinating in public in downtown Revelstoke and “performing an indecent act by exposing himself and yelling obscene statements to people,” said RCMP in a media release.
The intoxicated man was located downtown on First Street where police say he was yelling at pedestrians. He was arrested for causing a disturbance and for performing an indecent act, and was eventually released from jail on a promise to appear in court in February. He’s been banned from downtown Revelstoke in the interim.

The RCMP crest.

Police dealt with a number of alcohol-related events on New Year’s Eve. Police listed “two impaired driving investigations, a missing skier on Mount Mackenzie, two abandoned vehicles, a mischief to property and an issue under the Mental Health Act,” as incidents they dealt with before midnight.

“After midnight noise bylaws, causing a disturbance and impaired driving became the most consistent demand for police,” the RCMP said in  Jan. 4 media release.

A total of four people got locked up for intoxication, and two men wound up in hospital after a fight witnessed by about 150 people milling around a local bar after closing. A window was shattered downtown, and another male required medical attention outside another bar.

The hostilities didn’t end after the big party night.

On Jan. 1, police attended to “several mischiefs to property, a domestic violence assault, found property, lost property, uttering threats against a person, driving complaints, vagrancy, several noise bylaw complaints and several intoxicated persons in public.”

On Jan. 2. police dealt with “multiple false alarms, more found property, driving complaints, abandoned 911 calls and another assault. As of today the call volume has returned to normal levels.”

In their Jan. 4 media release, Revelstoke RCMP thanked residents who assisted with the calls and those who chose to use a designated driver.