A 29-year-old Cranbrook resident was declared deceased, following a UTV incident at Lake Koocanusa in July.
Elk Valley RCMP found the man in the water on July 30, trapped underneath a submerged and overturned UTV, near Kikomun and Newgate Rd. The driver of the vehicle was 35-year-old Alberta resident Daniel Antcil and police say they spoke to him at the scene, where they learned that the deceased man was a passenger.
Sgt. Svend Nielsen said Antcil was transported to the Fernie RCMP office where he was provided with a warned statement and released by way of an undertaking, which was later nullified due to the length of the ongoing investigation, which involved executing a search warrant and obtaining statements from multiple witnesses.
On Aug. 8, one count of criminal negligence was sworn against Daniel Antcil by B.C Crown Counsel. Nielsen said a summons was requested and served on Anctil, who will make his first appearance in Fernie Law Courts on Sept. 12.
Elk Valley RCMP is completing regular boat patrols on Lake Koocanusa and in Grasmere and the south country this summer, conducting boat checks to catch impaired drivers and to ensure compliance with Transport Canada safety regulations, and federal and provincial liquor laws.
Land patrols are targeting high risk areas along the south country traffic corridors.
