Mountie headed to court on scam charge
A local Mountie accused of scamming a Kamloops big-box retailer to the tune of about $1,000 will make his first court appearance next week.
RCMP Const. Trent Wessner is facing one count of fraud under $5,000 after allegedly ripping off the local Costco store in the summer of 2010.
Police allege the 32-year-old purchased about $1,000 worth of stereo equipment from the store, then lied to Costco staff about returning it.
He somehow wound up with the returned cash and the equipment, investigators said.
The offence is alleged to have taken place between Aug. 25, 2010, and Sept. 15, 2010.
Wessner is stationed with the RCMP’s highway patrol in Kamloops.
He is not a member with the Kamloops RCMP’s city or rural detachments.
The charge against Wessner was sworn on April 16.
RCMP Supt. Randy Kolibaba, the head of the Mounties’ traffic services in south-eastern B.C., called the incident “very concerning.”
Wessner has been suspended with pay, but Kolibaba said B.C. RCMP brass have applied to Ottawa to have his status changed to suspended without pay.
B.C. RCMP spokesman Sgt. Rob Vermeulen told KTW this week there is no update on Wessner’s suspension status.
In addition to the suspension, which was implemented last fall, Wessner has also had his access to all RCMP facilities revoked and has lost all police privileges.
He is scheduled to appear in Kamloops provincial court for a first appearance on Monday, May 14.
COMMENTS
Let's keep comments:
We ask that all participants own their words by logging in with their Facebook account. It's a simple process that will take seconds and helps keep our comments free of trolls, cranks, and “drive-by” commenters.
We reserve the right to remove comments from anyone using screen names, pseudonyms or false identities. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.