Friday, September 14, 2018 | Your community newspaper since 1916
Women jailed for vendetta attack
Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca
CITIZEN PHOTO BY BRENT BRAATEN
Cats commemoration
Gary Samis, with the Cougars, David Shuvera, from Canadian Tire, and Cougars vice president of business Andy Beesley check out a new commemorative installation in CN Centre. The Prince George Cougars and Canadian Tire unveiled a new trophy and photo display in Section C on the CN Centre concourse. The display features their team photos from all 25 seasons and the team awards. The Cougars will play their final exhibition game against the Kamloops Blazers on Saturday at CN Centre.
Property crime spikes along 15th Avenue Citizen staff Homes and businesses along and near 15th Avenue have suffered a spike in property crime. Over the past two weeks, RCMP have received 40 reports of break and enters, thefts and mischief along the corridor from Victoria Street to Foothills Boulevard, police said Thursday. There have been spikes in other areas too, notably along Spruce Street between 15th Avenue and 20th Avenue while many thefts from
vehicles are occurring around downtown with hotel patrons appearing to be targeted. Sheds and garages throughout the city are being targeted too, police added. And at least six motorcycles have been stolen over the same period, with three of them going missing from the vicinity of Fifth Avenue and Tabor Boulevard. Four of the motorcycles have yet to be recovered: • 2008 White Honda CBR 125R with Alberta licence plate LFL16. • 2007 Black Yamaha Moped with B.C. licence
plate L32014. • 2015 Green and black Kawasaki KLR 600 with Alberta licence plate QY424. • 2016 Black Suzuki VR650 with B.C. licence plate Y36207. “Police would like to remind the public to take the time, effort and expense if necessary, to secure your property and prevent yourself from becoming a victim of crime,” RCMP said. “Many of these property crimes could have been prevented if property was properly secured and stored.”
UBCM calls on province, feds to provide Greyhound replacement Jennifer SALTMAN Vancouver Sun B.C. municipalities are asking the provincial and federal governments to come together to find transportation solutions to replace Greyhound when the company ends its service in the province later this year. Elected officials from across B.C. unanimously endorsed a special resolution at the Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM) conference on Wednesday that calls on the two levels of government to work with local governments, public regulators and operators to come up with “new, affordable and coordinated transportation services” that will keep people and freight moving.
Today’s Weather Hi +6° Low -1° See page 2 for more details and short-term forecasts
LOCAL HOROSCOPE OPINION NEWS SPORTS A&E
“The loss of bus service will be significant for B.C. communities – especially those in more rural and remote places, where there are no airports or other modes of transportation,” said Art Kaehn, chair of the Fraser-Fort George Regional District, speaking to delegates on behalf of the UBCM executive. “Local governments have expressed concern on behalf of passengers and businesses who have come to rely on Greyhound.” After making a series of service cuts, Greyhound announced last month that it will pull out of B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and northern Ontario on Oct. 31. According to Greyhound, the company had suffered millions of dollars in losses from a
1-3 2 4 5-6 7-9 10-11
COMICS CROSSWORD KIDSCOOP LIFESTYLES CLASSIFIEDS MONEY
11 11 12 13 14-17 18
46-per-cent drop in ridership since 2010. As a short-term solution, B.C. Transit, with funding from the province, is operating B.C. Bus North as a pilot project, with buses running twice weekly on routes in northern B.C. Lillooet has proposed, in a resolution, reopening the former B.C. Rail corridor between North Vancouver and Prince George to passenger trains, in an effort to mitigate the loss of Greyhound. McBride and the Central Kootenay Regional District have also put forward resolutions that mention Greyhound – one about addressing the “vital passenger transportation void” in northern B.C. and the other regarding patient transfers in rural areas.
Universities look to butt out LIFESTYLES 13
www.pgcitizen.ca
Significant sentences have been issued to three women for a December 2016 confinement and “vendatta-based” attack on a woman. Mandi Lee Zacharuk, 30, was sentenced to a further 575 days in jail, while both Terilyn Rose Haskell, 29, and Celia Anne Robinson, 35, must serve a further 545 days for the attack. The terms were issued Sept. 4. In March, Ollie James Henyu, 36, was sentenced to time served of 368 days in custody for attempting to prevent the victim from telling her story to police. During that sentencing hearing, the court heard the victim had shown up at a 1700-block Pearson Avenue home to buy crack cocaine and was recognized as the perpetrator of a kidnapping of one of the other women in the home. After the victim had smoked the cocaine, four women turned on her to settle the score. Despite her claim that she was only a bystander to the kidnapping, she was repeatedly punched and kicked while the music was turned up to drown out her screams. Then she was dragged into the bathroom, put in the bathtub and told she might be killed. One of the attackers then brought a sawed-off shotgun into the bathroom, told the victim it was loaded and she was going to pull the trigger. She placed the barrel in the victim’s mouth, then struck her in the head with the gun while the others continued to hit her. Her mouth was then ducttaped after a rag was put in to keep her quiet and Henyu, whose relation to the others was not made clear during the hearing, was called for advice on next steps. Henyu arrived at the home shortly after and told the woman to tell police she had been jumped by two men on the street and if she gave the real story, she would be killed. The top portion of the victim’s hair was then cut off and her cellphone taken before she was let go. She went to a neighbouring home where an ambulance was called and she was taken to hospital. The victim suffered a concussion, a broken nose, several cuts and a burn to her chest consistent with being singed with a cigarette. When RCMP arrived at the hospital, she initially told the story Henyu had ordered her to tell. But she then said she had been assaulted at a home but was afraid to provide any further details for fear she would be attacked again. But RCMP found a piece of paper with the home’s address on her and, after she was released from hospital, the victim provided two further statements. The four were arrested at the home and evidence consistent with the story police had been given was collected. Henyu, meanwhile, was apprehended a few days later.
Contact Us
Newsstand $2.00 incl. tax Home Delivered 95¢/day
CLASSIFIED: 250-562-6666 READER SALES: 250-562-3301 SWITCHBOARD: 250-562-2441
0
58307
00200
5