Columbia Valley RCMP is investigating mischief in Invermere after a dumpster fire and graffiti at David Thompson Secondary School as well asĀ other related vandalism at J A Laird Elementary School.
Hearing of the dumpster fire, Columbia Valley RCMP responded to David Thompson Secondary School in the early morning hours on Friday, July 12, 2019.
“When we arrived, the dumpster was still on fire,” said Cpl. Louis-Philippe Gendron-Fafard with Columbia Valley RCMP. “Shortly after the Invermere Fire Department arrived and extinguished the fire, the investigative member realized that there was fresh graffiti in and around the school, the dumpsters.”
Gendron-Fafard said the graffiti was on the dumpster, the front school doors, the school’s walls, an enclosed trailer and a pole.
The following day, Gendron-Fafard said they then learned about other graffiti present at J A Laird Elementary School.Ā The graffiti was reportedlyĀ similar in nature, connecting both incidents of mischief and vandalism.
“The School District, in this instance, indicated that this was almost $1,000 to clean up, not including the damage to the dumpsters, they don’t belong to them,” Gendron-Fafard told MyEastKootenayNow.com. “It’s quite heavy on the school and obviously the taxpayers of the District of Invermere. Every time there is an event like this, it comes straight out of taxpayers money, so we want to put an end to this.”
Columbia Valley RCMP is in the process of reviewing video footage from the area, as well as analyzing thems that were discarded and left behind by the suspect or suspects responsible.
Gendron-Fafard said they are also looking back at similar instances over the past number of months and reviewing similar cases to see if there’s a connection.
Columbia Valley RCMP is asking for any and all assistance from the public in order to identify and locate those responsible for the mischief and vandalism, asking those to phone the detachment at 250-342-9292 or Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477.