A group of campers who used a closed provincial park campground as a private retreat have been handed a series of fines in Kamloops provincial court.
Five people were sentenced Thursday under the Park Act: James Broshak and Clinton Davies pleaded guilty to illegal camping and illegal use of a vehicle; Marc Skjerpen, Alicia Davies and Derek Davies each pleaded guilty to a single count of illegal camping.
The charges and pleas are connected to an incident on a summer weekend in August 2016 at Momich Lakes Provincial Park, which is at the north end of Adams Lake, about 100 kilometres northeast of Kamloops.
Crown prosecutor Joel Gold said the offences under the provincial Park Act would typically be dealt with through tickets handed out by conservation officers, but noted these events were “aggravated.”
The enforcement officers who were tipped off about a birthday party weekend at the closed camping area spied the group using off-road vehicles on the beach. A boulder was also moved by a truck in order to get access to the closed area.
A sixth man charged is expected in court later this year facing additional counts related to firearms.
Conservation officers also seized a handgun that was used for target practice nearby.
“It’s not a common case at all,” Gold said.
The park, which has a high conservation value, was closed due to a wildfire in 2009 that caused slope instability at the campground. There are also numerous hazard trees in the park.
One of the five, Alicia Davies, complained to provincial court judge Stephen Harrison that the closure was not properly signed from the lake and river access, where some of the campers entered.
She also said a number of other people at the site were never charged by conservation officers.
Harrison noted, however, the onus is on campers to ensure they are in areas not closed.
Broshak and Clinton Davies each received fines under the act totalling $600 for the two charges. Alicia Davies was fined $250, while Skjerpen was fined $300 on the single charge.
Harrison levied a $400 fine on Derek Davies, who was celebrating his birthday that weekend and is a registered guide outfitter.
“Given your professional qualifications, you should have known better,” Harrison said.
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