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A 25-year-old woman is due in court on February 15 to speak on a series of gun-related charges.

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RCMP say the unnamed woman passed out in a chair at a house on 18th Street in Oliver in the early hours of January 8.

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When police showed up at 3:20 a.m., the woman was reportedly asleep in a chair and her hand appeared to be holding a gun protected by a large purse.

The officer at the scene grabbed a sawed-off .22 caliber rifle and handcuffed the woman, who still hadn’t woken up.

The woman was unknown to people living in the house and later claimed she believed it was her ex-husband’s house and entered through an unlocked front door.

Police say residents of the home were never threatened by the woman and only discovered her sleeping after her dogs alerted her to the situation.

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The firearm in his possession was found to be inoperative.

The suspect was released later that day on a promise to appear in Penticton Provincial Court on February 15.

The following fees are recommended:

• Breaking into the residence,

• Unauthorized possession of prohibited weapons,

• possession of weapons for dangerous purposes,

• Use of a firearm during the commission of a criminal offence,

• Possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking, contrary to section 5(2) of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.

“This is a very disturbing incident for all involved which fortunately ended safely for the family, the police present and the accused,” said spokesman Sergeant Don Oliver RCMP’s Wrigglesworth, in a statement.

“The amount of fentanyl allegedly found on her was consistent with drug trafficking. Where there are drugs there is a greater likelihood of violence and often firearms are involved.

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