TREMENDOUS POTENTIAL Silverdale lands could be sold as smaller parcels.
OUTLAWS OUSTED
Mission still has a shot at provincial hockey title.
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Friday, April 3, 2015
House fire considered suspicious
Kevin Mills
MISSION RECORD
The Mission RCMP is continuing its investigation into a suspected arson case. On March 25, firefighters were called out to a suspicious residential blaze. At about 8 p.m., a 911 call came in regarding a fire in the 32000 block of 14th Avenue. When crews arrived they discovered the home was fully involved. “There was fire coming out from the front and rear of the building and through the roof,” said fire chief Larry Watkinson. Firefighters managed to contain the blaze quickly and no one was hurt in the incident. The chief said no one was home at the time of the fire. The structure did have extensive damage due to the blaze. More than 30 firefighters and six pieces of apparatus were on scene. “We did find that there had been forcible entry and there was sources of hydrocarbons detected. So the fire was fueled by some kind of hydrocarbon that was left inside the structure,” said Watkinson. “So the fire is suspicious and malicious in nature,” he added. The investigation was turned over to the RCMP but so far no charges have been filed in the incident.
SERVING MISSION SINCE 1908
Convicted murderer on the loose The search continues for a convicted murderer who went missing from Mission Institution’s minimum security facility. On March 31, staff members at the institution discovered that Shawn William Merrick was not accounted for. Merrick is 43 years old, measures 173 cm (5’8”) in height and weighs 64 kg (141 pounds). He has a fair complexion, blue eyes and brown hair.
He has a burn scar all over his right forearm and a two inch scar on his neck. He also has a tattoo of skulls on his left upper arm, a heart with the name “Jade” on his right upper back, a dragon on his right upper arm and on the left side of his chest he has a skull. He is currently serving an indeterminate sentence for the second degree murder of Shelley Lynn DeVoe. Her body was found in Coquitlam in 2006.
MERRICK He has also served sentences for robbery, and import/export of a schedule I/II substance.
The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) immediately contacted the Mission RCMP and a warrant for his arrest has been issued. Mission Mayor Randy Hawes didn’t call Merrick’s disappearance an “escape.” “I call it a walk away,” said Hawes, noting anyone who is in minimum security unit of Mission Institution is nearing the end of their sentence and are usually not a risk to the public. He isn’t concerned about
security at the unit because there is “virtually no security” there. Inmates at the former Ferndale Institution live in houses, not cells, Hawes added. But Merrick will be a topic of discussion when Hawes meets with the warden at Mission Institution this week. “Clearly this is one issue to bring up,” said Hawes. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Merrick should call police.
AIRLIFTED TO HOSPITAL A Mission man was flown by helicopter to Royal Columbian Hospital after being struck by a motor vehicle on Wednesday afternoon. The accident occurred at approximately 4 p.m. on Hurd Street, close to Lamont Avenue. The 64-year-old victim was riding a bicycle when he was struck by a Nissan Altima driven by a 35-yearold man. The cyclist, who was not wearing a helmet, suffered a head injury and was taken by ambulance to Mission Raceway, where the air ambulance was able to land. The injured man was placed on a stretcher and loaded into the helicopter. There were no updates on his condition or his name at press time. KEVIN MILLS PHOTO
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