A 35-year old man in custody following breach of court-imposed conditions

The Vernon North Okanagan RCMP Crime Reduction Unit was out on patrol Thursday evening noticed an unattended fire. On Thursday March 21st, 2024 at approximately 9:30 pm, a Crime Reduction Unit officer on patrol in the 2600 block of Hwy 6 in Vernon when the officer observed flames near a building and an individual walking away from the area. The officer was able to douse the fire to prevent it from spreading and immediately contacted addition officers to the scene to locate the possible suspect. A short distance away, police located the man crouched over as he attempted to start another fire with a butane torch. The Crime Reduction officers immediately recognized the man and knew he was bound by court-imposed conditions not to possess any incendiary devices.

The Crime Reduction unit consists of plain clothes officers driving unmarked police vehicles. states Cpl Tania Finn, Media Relations Officer for the Vernon North Okanagan RCMP. Since they blend in, these officers are often in a position to observe criminal activity that a suspect would not normally attempt in front of a police officer.

A 35-year old man from Vernon was taken into custody and charged with fail to comply with a probation order.