Nanaimo RCMP arrest allegedly impaired paddlers who attempted slow getaway

Nanaimo RCMP arrest allegedly impaired paddlers who attempted slow getaway
CHEK

Nanaimo RCMP says two allegedly drunk people paddling in a dinghy were arrested after attempting a “very slow and frantic” getaway from responding officers.

Police say a security officer noticed the boaters heading up a channel near Saysutshun Island, formerly Newcastle Island, in the waters off Nanaimo at around 2:30 a.m. Monday, Sept. 5.

The security guard reported the paddlers to RCMP, noting they weren’t wearing lifejackets and had no lights on the dinghy — adding there had been recent thefts from boats in the area.

When officers arrived they yelled at the boaters to pull ashore but received back “a barrage of alcohol-fueled responses,” RCMP said in a Friday news release.

That’s when the boaters attempted to slowly paddle away from the scene, according to police.

“With both oars slapping the water, the chase was on,” said RCMP in the news release. “With police vehicle lights strategically positioned from shore to capture their movements, the two were easily tracked to a nearby boat where they were seen crawling onboard.”

Officers then found the pair hiding in the boat, saying they were also determined to be “extremely intoxicated,” and arrested them on charges of causing a disturbance and public intoxication.

The boaters were taken to the Nanaimo RCMP detachment to sober up, police said.

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