Tuesday September 11, 2012 (Vol. 37 No. 73) 3) 3)
V O I C E
O F
W H I T E
R O C K
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S O U T H
S U R R E Y
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Zombie slayer: Ron McCall has turned his years rs of experience on horror movie setss to create a ghoulish zombie-themed ed paintball park in South Surrey. see page ge 11
Letter carrier told accused of concerns over pet’s treatment
Judge scolds woman who stole dogs Tracy Holmes Staff Reporter
A Surrey woman who pleaded guilty to stealing two dogs will not receive a criminal record for the acts – provided she behaves herself for the next year. Louise Mary Alice Reid, 60, was given the conditional discharge in Surrey Provincial Court last week for taking a 74-year-old Surrey man’s American Staffordshire sometime between March 1 and July 31, 2011,
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and for her role in the Nov. 21, 2011, theft of an English bulldog named Samson from a Coquitlam backyard. In rendering his sentence, Judge Peder Gulbransen made no bones that the offence is a serious one. “The consequences of these kinds of thefts can be way worse than stealing a car,” Gulbransen said. “People love their dogs. (Such a theft) breaks their heart completely… especially when it’s done in an arrogant fashion.”
Reid, a driver with Coast Mountain Bus Company and a volunteer with A Better Life Dog Rescue, was one of two women arrested Nov. 21 in connection with an extensive investigation. White Rock resident Janet Olson was also arrested and now faces 36 charges, ranging from theft and fraud to break-andenter in connection with incidents across the Lower Mainland dating back to 2006. Four other women – Diane Young Hale, Michaela Schnittker, Christine Carter and
Natalia Borojevic – have also been charged. In addressing the court Friday, prosecutor Michelle Wray outlined how Reid had learned of the 74-year-old’s dog, Mercedes, through his mail carrier. The postal worker had called Reid with concerns about the dog, asking her to rescue it, Wray said. Reid met the senior – a retired veterinarian who uses a motorized wheelchair – and offered to help him by walking Mercedes. see page 2
Boaz Joseph photos
Felines packed South Surrey’s Pacific Inn last weekend for the Cat Fanciers of B.C.’s A Black Tie Affair. (Clockwise from bottom left) Judge Mike Hammond moves a meowing kitty; a Singapura checks out a visitor; more than 100 cats were judged Saturday; Mr. Batsy waits for competition; and Makoto pauses to say hi.
Independent office launches in Surrey City Centre
Civilian investigators prepare to study police Tom Fletcher Black Press
Richard Rosenthal civilian director
Surrey is home to B.C.’s new police independent oversight office, a group of professional investigators and civilians investigating police. The Independent Investigation Office (IIO) will be called into action when a police incident results in serious injury or death. Former U.S. prosecutor Richard Rosenthal was hired last year for the
new office, after establishing similar services in Denver and Portland. Rosenthal told a news conference in Surrey City Centre Monday that he has hired 30 of 36 investigators for four teams, who are now on call to oversee investigation of any major incident involving B.C. police. None of the investigators have previously worked in B.C. Rosenthal and Justice Minister Shirley Bond said police experience is required because teams will secure crime scenes,
interview witnesses and investigate incidents involving off-duty officers. The IIO is the fourth of its kind in Canada and has the largest civilian presence of any in the world, he said. B.C. committed to a civilian-led agency after a string of incidents involving RCMP and city police forces. It was recommended by inquiries into the 2007 death of Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski at Vancouver airport, and the 1998 death of Frank Paul, who was
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removed from a Vancouver Police drunk tank and left unconscious in an alley. The 2005 gunshot death of Ian Bush at the RCMP detachment in Houston, B.C. also pushed the province to end the practice of police incidents being investigated by other police forces. The IIO will also bring B.C. RCMP officers under civilian oversight – a move Bond said police asked for. B.C. Police Complaints Commissioner continues to handle public complaints.
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