Police at a Salmon River Road property Oct. 19, 2017.

(CHARLOTTE HELSTON / iNFOnews.ca)

VERNON - Charges have been laid in relation to a violent incident in a small North Okanagan community involving a woman who said she was threatened with a weapon. 

Last week, North Okanagan RCMP reported on a mysterious incident on Salmon River Road, west of Enderby, that occurred at the end of August. That release warned of a 'risk to public safety' and specifically women in the sex trade based on an incident involving a woman who said she was threatened with a gun after setting up a meeting with a local man via a website used by escorts and sex trade workers. Police responded to the woman’s report on Aug. 28, according to the release.

According to court records, Curtis Wayne Sagmoen, born in 1980, faces six charges in connection to the Aug. 27 incident, and one related to a Sept. 5 offence. The charges include disguising face with intent to commit an offence, intentionally discharging a firearm while reckless, uttering threats, careless use or storage of a firearm, possessing weapon for a dangerous purpose and possession of a controlled substance. He remains in custody and is due for a bail hearing next week. 

Cpl. Dan Moskaluk confirmed Sagmoen was arrested and charged in relation to the August threats with a firearm case and said the investigation is ongoing. He asked anyone with information about that specific incident — or similar ones — to notify police.

The incident has only gotten more complex since then. For the past two days, including again today, Oct. 20, police have been searching 2290 Salmon River Road in large numbers, including a dog team and today, an excavator, but haven't said what they're searching for.

Sagmoen is or was recently associated to that property but RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Dan Moskaluk would not confirm that the search is related to Sagmoen or the incident. 

“We have not divulged nor are we discussing at this point in time which investigation the current search warrants being executed (on) Salmon River Road relates to,” Moskaluk says. He would only say the search is part of an ongoing investigation.

Records show that on the day the charges were sworn in Vernon Provincial Court, a warrant was issued for Sagmoen. He next appeared in court for a bail hearing on Oct. 18. According to records, he did not get bail and remains in custody. His next appearance is set for Oct. 26. 

The families of Caitlin Potts, Deanna Wertz and Ashley Simpson told iNFOnews.ca the current investigation on Salmon River Road is not related to those women, all of whom have been missing for more than a year. Two other women are also missing in the North Okanagan and Shuswap: Traci Genereaux from Vernon and Nicole Bell out of Sicamous. Cpl. Moskaluk would not say if the current investigation is related to either of those cases.

Sagmoen does not appear to have a significant history in British Columbia criminal courts.

— This story was updated at 1:30 p.m. Oct. 25, 2017 to clarify that Curtis is Sagmoen's first name and Wayne his middle name. 

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