Wednesday, August 29, 2018 | Your community newspaper since 1916
Peeping tom gets 18 months probation Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca
CITIZEN PHOTO BY BRENT BRAATEN
Closed to traffic Winnipeg Street is now closed to traffic at Carney Street to allow work to be done to repair a large sink hole.
Motel’s business licence at stake in special meeting Citizen staff City council will hold a special meeting next week to decide whether to uphold a staff decision to revoke the business licence of Queensway Court Motel. No further details were provided in a notice sent out Tuesday but the motel was the scene of a shooting earlier this year and licences have been pulled in the past for businesses RCMP have found to be magnets for crime. That very thing happened to the Connaught Motor Inn in July 2016. In the 18 months prior to the move, RCMP had received more than 700 calls for service at the motel, most related to drugs, prostitution and theft. A dramatic drop in crime was noticed in the aftermath. The motel has since been reopened under new ownership and a different name. It also no longer allows month-long stays. In contrast, RCMP have described Queensway Court as a “rental motel.” The special meeting is set for Sept. 5 start-
CITIZEN PHOTO BY BRENT BRAATEN
The Queensway Court Motel is seen on Tuesday. Next week, city council will hold a special meeting to decide whether to revokes the motel’s business permit. ing at 6 p.m. It’s open to the public and will be streamed live on the city hall website, princegeorge.ca. The motel’s ownership will have an opportunity to plead its case at the meeting.
Donald Justin Johnny Baker, 23, remains in custody on eight charges including attempted murder with a firearm from the May 1 incident at the 1616 Queensway location.
Police investigating alleged drugging Citizen staff Prince George RCMP are investigating a possible drugging at a nightspot in the city and are asking anyone else who may have been a victim to contact police. Since Sunday, the detachment has received “more than one report from women who believe they may have been drugged while socializing at a local licenced establishment in our community.”
Today’s Weather Hi +15° Low +9° See page 2 for more details and short-term forecasts
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RCMP said they are also aware of recent social media posts indicating more people may have been targeted and are also asking them to come forward. The same goes for anyone who may have seen something suspicious. They are also asking people to take precautions if they are out for the night. Suggestions include always attending with a trusted friend, never leaving a friend behind, never leaving a drink unattended, never accepting a drink from someone you don’t know
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or trust, always arranging a safe ride home and letting those you know and trust of your plans. “If you experience symptoms that leave you to believe that you may have been drugged, attend the hospital immediately,” RCMP said. “Discuss with medical staff and, if warranted, call police.” Reports can be made at the detachment, located at 455 Victoria Street, or by calling the non-emergency line at 250-561-3300.
Polar bear kills hunter
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A Prince George man was sentenced Tuesday to 18 months probation for secretly video recording a woman through an apartment window. Kevin James Mortenson, 45, was arrested on the night of June 7, 2017 after a woman called Prince George RCMP to report a man in a pickup truck near the corner of 15th Avenue and Liard Drive with a camera pointed towards a nearby building. An RCMP officer arrived to find a pickup truck matching her description with Mortenson sitting alone in the driver’s seat. When asked why he was there, Mortenson initially claimed he was waiting for a friend but was unable to provide any contact information. Meanwhile, a second officer had arrived on the scene and did a search for Mortenson on the RCMP’s database which revealed he had been the cause of a similar complaint in 2012. A subsequent search of the truck uncovered a camera tucked in the flap behind the passenger seat, along with a pair of binoculars and a charger for the camera from the centre console. As he was being arrested, Mortenson told police “there is stuff on there” and that he would be talking to a lawyer. When police contacted Mortenson’s subject, the woman said she was unaware she was being recorded and noted that at no point was she naked. The woman was a “random person” he did not know, the court was told. A number of other recordings were also found, including images of two females sitting on a cement barrier with close-ups of their genital areas. Mortenson pleaded guilty to a count of secretly recording a person in a private place with a reasonable intent of recording nudity at the first opportunity. As well, the court was told Mortenson made it clear he knows what he did was wrong but was unable to say why he did it and wants to get psychological counselling. Getting that counselling is among the terms and conditions Mortenson must live up to while on probation. He is also prohibited from possession of any cameras or video recording equipment outside his home with the exception of a smartphone – and no recordings can be found on it. The probation order comes with a suspended sentence, so that if he violates the terms he could be brought back before a judge and ordered to spend the rest of the term in jail.
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