Thursday September 5, 2013 (Vol. ol. 38 No. 72)
V O I C E
O F
W H I T E
R O C K
A N D
S O U T H
S U R R E Y
w w w. p e a c e a r c h n e w s . c o m
Instant classic: Dozens of rare and exoticc cars and motorcycles from m around the province weree on display at Blackie Spit Park arkk over the long weekend. i see page 111
Police standoff as officers search for weapons
Front-yard brawl closes King George Tracy Holmes Staff Reporter
A busy South Surrey road was closed for hours Sunday evening after a fight outside a home in the 2600-block of King George Boulevard. A man and a woman were taken to hospital after suffering minor injuries in the altercation. What triggered the brawl and exactly who was involved remains unclear. “We’re still trying to clarify a lot of the stories we’re getting, or not getting,” Cpl. Bert Paquet
said Wednesday, noting three “persons of interest” have been identified. Police were alerted to the trouble around 6:45 p.m. by residents who called 911 to report a fight – possibly involving weapons – in the front yard of a two-storey home. Several people were taken into custody, however, a standoff ensued when one person ran back into the house. Officers with the Emergency Response Team surrounded the home. Witnesses reported seeing a man on his knees in the front yard. Video
footage shows officers order a shirtless man to crawl to them, at which point he was cuffed. Paquet said alcohol was a factor. “This is not being pursued as a drug case, but more of potentially an assault or weaponsrelated investigation,” he said. King George was closed between 24 Avenue and 152 Street, and police secured the scene overnight to obtain a search warrant. While weapons were a focus of the search, investigators would not disclose if any were recovered.
Mike Mackichan photo
Police take one man into custody.
Questions at U.S. border
International confusion
Marijuana disclosure blocks entry
Liberal leader ‘inadmissible’ Jeff Nagel Black Press
Alex Browne Staff Reporter
It seems honesty is not always the best policy for B.C. residents attempting to cross the border into the U.S. So says White Rock’s Jessica Goldstein, who was told she was “inadmissible” after she and some friends – headed to see the Dave Matthews Band at the Gorge – tried to enter the U.S. at the Pacific Highway crossing on Saturday. When asked by a female customs officer ❝I have been asked “have you used drugs, ever?” Goldthe question before, stein fessed up and I’ve always been that she’d smoked honest… They’ve marijuana the week always let us go.❞ before. While representaJessica Goldstein tives of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will not speak specifically to her case, it’s evident the admission was enough to fall afoul of beefedup federal enforcement of U.S. marijuana laws in the wake of successful state initiatives in Washington and Colorado legalizing possession of small amounts of pot. The White Rock-born-and-raised Goldstein, 30, said her honest answer prompted “three hours of interrogation and background checks.” She said that even though her truck was searched and nothing was found, she was denied entry because she had admitted she had smoked marijuana in the past.
Alex Browne photo
Jessica Goldstein says her honesty about marijuana use has come at a great price at the border. “I wasn’t hiding anything – I wasn’t breaking the law,” she said. “I have no previous charges or criminal record.” CBP public-affairs officer Michael Milne, in
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a statement to media emailed Wednesday, said privacy laws prevent discussion of specific cases and individuals. i see page 4
Federal Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau’s admission he smoked marijuana after becoming an MP – and the ensuing flurry of similar disclosures by other Canadian politicians – has a U.S. immigration lawyer shaking his head. “I couldn’t believe it when I saw him admit to it,” said Len Saunders. The Blaine, Wash. lawyer says Trudeau and any other admitted Canadian pot smokers – high profile or not – should expect to be refused entry to the U.S. “Justin Trudeau is inadmissable to the United States,” Saunders said. “He’s admitted to use of an illegal substance. If he’s elected prime minister, he can’t come into the U.S. Justin Trudeau pot admission without a waiver.” Saunders warned that earlier this year he was seeing large numbers of B.C. residents permanently denied entry to the U.S. after they admitted to past marijuana use when questioned by American border agents. Washington State’s vote in late 2012 to legalize, tax and sell marijuana has created confusion, leading some B.C. residents to believe pot is now a nonissue when heading south. In fact, Saunders said, the drug remains illegal under U.S. federal law, and someone with no criminal record i see page 5