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Couple saved with Vanderhoof compassion

A young Aboriginal couple was seen in distress by the side of the highway and a Vanderhoof RCMP constable was compelled to help them.

On September 19, a Fort St. John resident traveling through Vanderhoof reported a young Aboriginal couple hitchhiking on Highway 16 who appeared to be in distress.

Vanderhoof RCMP investigated and discovered that the 28 year old male and his 19 year old pregnant wife were soaked and freezing from the rain.

The couple told the RCMP officer that they had been hitchhiking from Vancouver to Haida Gwaii since Sunday, September 15 and hadn't eaten since the previous day. They are going to live with the man's aunt.

But the couple did not have the finances or equipment to travel unaided across that distance and had been forced to sleep outside in Prince George the previous evening.

So the RCMP constable insisted on supporting the couple, he took them to a local motel and obtained food and lodging for them. Then the constable contacted a local church group who donated two bus tickets and a gift card for Tim Horton's so the couple could make the rest of the journey.

"I'm very proud of Constable Jason Baird," said Sergeant Jason Keays, Vanderhoof RCMP Detachment Commander. "One of the RCMP's core values is compassion and this is just one more example of our members showing compassion and concern for our indigenous people."

Sgt. Keays would like to acknowledge the Sojourners Group managed by NeighbourLink as well as the Nechako Community Church for their support.