Homeless man wanted on warrant arrested in Port Coquitlam during check on tent on public property

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      When police checked on a tent on public property in Port Coquitlam, officers located a man wanted on a warrant for almost two years.

      Around 2 p.m. on October 24, Coquitlam RCMP were on foot patrol under an overpass in a wooded area near Lougheed Highway and Shaughnessy Street.

      When they came across a tent pitched beneath a “No trespassing” sign, they also saw that a male occupant of the tent was smoking a cigarette in violation of a local smoking bylaw.

      The man who was smoking refused to give his name to police.

      Consequently, RCMP arrested him and when they obtained his fingerprints, they found that he was wanted on an arrest warrant that had been issued in February 2018.

      Joseph Bullerwell, a 43-year-old man of no fixed address, is in custody and will remain there until he appears in court for failure to comply with probation.

      Coquitlam RCMP Cpl. Michael McLaughlin explained in a news release that there are specific reasons for police checks on tents and temporary structures on public property.

      “First of all, we are checking the well-being of the people inside,” he said, “but it’s also common to find people who are wanted or violating their court-ordered conditions.”

      Bullerwell has a history of appearing in B.C. courts dating back to 2002 in Prince George, Williams Lake, Surrey, New Westminster, North Vancouver, and Vancouver to face charges including theft, production and possession of a controlled substance, breach of probation, resisting a peace officer, and more.

      You can follow Craig Takeuchi on Twitter at @cinecraig or on Facebook

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