Two people arrested after back country search

A man and a woman were arrested after an intensive search through inclement weather and snow covered terrain Monday near Kelowna.

RCMP received a report on Nov. 7 that a white 2004 F350 had been stolen overnight in the Kelowna area.

On Nov. 9 at 1:00 p.m., members of the Kelowna RCMP Target Team spotted the stolen vehicle being driven in the Rutland area. The assistance of RCMP Air Services was used to track the vehicle as it proceeded to drive to a forest service road in the Myra Canyon area.

The truck was subsequently abandoned and the male driver and female passenger fled into the woods on foot.

“Front line officers, who grew increasingly concerned for the couple’s well-being, launched a ground search of the back country for the man and woman who did not appear to be prepared for the adverse weather conditions, with darkness setting in,” stated Cpl. Jocelyn Noseworthy, spokeswoman for the Kelowna RCMP.

“That search intensified with the added assistance from Kelowna RCMP Police Dog Services and RCMP Air Services from the Kelowna airport.”

At approximately 9:00 p.m., the man and woman were located in the woods and taken into custody without further incident. Despite suffering from mild exposure to the elements, the two were uninjured.

A 26-year-old Kelowna woman has been released from custody for a future court date, and a 36-year-old Kelowna man has been held to appear in court today. The matter has been referred to BC Prosecution Services for charge approval.

“This was a long and intensive search,” says Cpl. Guillaume Tanguay of the Kelowna RCMP Target Team. “Because of the coordinated effort, we were able to bring this to a safe conclusion for everyone involved.”