BC RCMP have arrested a suspect believed to responsible for a hotel fire in Kamloops last month.

RCMP Traffic Services Cpl. Mike Halskov says RCMP in Kelowna were notified of a black Dodge pickup truck with Alberta licence plates driving erratically. The vehicle matched the description of a vehicle seen fleeing the scene of the hotel fire in Kamloops on Jan. 30.

“The vehicle was located, however the driver fled when police attempted to pull it over,” said Halskov. “At that time, it was learned that the vehicle was registered to a man wanted on a Canada-wide for parole violations.”

Later that same day, Halskov says RCMP in Greenwood received complaints involving the same Dodge pickup truck.

“With the assistance of Midway and Grand Forks RCMP, police located the pickup abandoned in Grand Forks with no sign of its driver,” he noted. “All police officers in the Grand Forks area were alerted to be on the lookout for the suspect driver.”

Halskov says an officer with the West Kootenay Traffic Services (WKTS) called for backup after she noticed a person who matched the suspect’s description walking down a street in Grand Forks. She immediately called for assistance from another officer from her Unit and the pair stopped the suspect to ask him for identification.

“When [police] called the suspect by name, he asked why police asked for identification if they already knew who he was,” said Cst. Wolfram of WKTS. “He was arrested without incident and transported to the Grand Forks RCMP Detachment and held for court on numerous outstanding charges and parole violations.”

Police haven’t released the suspect’s name at this time and Halskov says Correctional Services Canada is dealing with the parole violations, while noting that additional charges related to the fire in Kamloops may be pending.

More to come.