VANCOUVER - A check of a tent on public property in Port Coquitlam Thursday led to the arrest of a man who has been wanted for nearly two years.
Coquitlam RCMP discovered a tent near a "no trespassing" sign, underneath an overpass in a wooded area at Lougheed Highway and Shaughnessy Street.
One of the occupants camping out was also smoking a cigarette, in violation of a smoking bylaw.
Police arrested Joseph Bullerwell after he refused to tell them his name.
After getting his fingerprints tested, they linked the 43 year-old man to an arrest warrant that was issued in February of 2018.
"Checks of tents and temporary structures on public property are done for good reasons," said Cpl. Michael McLaughlin, with Coquitlam RCMP, in a news release.
"First of all, we are checking the well-being of the people inside, but it's also common to find people who are wanted or violating their court-ordered conditions."
Bullerwell is being detained until he appears before a judge on a warrant for failure to comply with probation.
