Glynn Brothen
Fundraiser underway for Cpl. Jean-Rene Michaud
KAMLOOPS – Citizens who want to support Cpl. Jean-Rene Michaud’s family as he recovers from a shooting can do so by purchasing a ticket to a dinner and dance to be held next month. Nick Grabas has never met Michaud, but says the impact of the officer’s story made him decide to hold a fundraiser...
IN TWEETS: We’re all waiting for a white Christmas
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Kamloops residents woke up to a skiff of snow on Christmas Eve, but for the last two weeks, people across the Okanagan have been enjoying warmer than normal temperatures. It's been both a blessing and a curse. Not worrying about warming up your car and slipping on the ice is nice, but without...
Four local lawyers recognized with distinction
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – Four lawyers in the B.C. interior have been appointed with honourary Queen’s Counsel designations. The honour is to recognize lawyers who have demonstrated merit and contribution in the legal profession. David Michael Rush is one of the founders and partners of Rush Ihas Hardwick LLP in Kelowna and is recognized as one of...
Michaud airlifted to Lower Mainland after “complications”
KAMLOOPS - Cpl. Jean-Rene Michaud, an RCMP officer who was shot during a traffic stop on Dec. 3 has been transferred to a hospital on the Lower Mainland for further treatment after complications on Monday evening. Michaud's wife travelled with him as he was airlifted from Royal Inland Hospital. "His family wishes to express its...
Cheapest last-minute Christmas vacations on a beach
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – The spirit of Christmas is supposed to be with you wherever you go, so who says you can’t celebrate the holidays with a mojito on a beach somewhere? If you’re ill-prepared for the holidays and impulsive when it comes to travel, the top two all-inclusive locations that won’t break the bank in December...
Corduroy, double knits and extreme weather: What Christmas was like 50 years ago
KAMLOOPS – Fifty years ago in Kamloops the gifts, clothes and news were different, but the holiday spirit was just as strong as today’s. In a look back at the Kamloops Daily Sentinel from December, 1964 the hot ticket items to gift for kids were dolls for girls and trucks or model kits for boys....
Murder re-trial begins with recorded confession from accused
GRAPHIC CONTENT ADVISORY KAMLOOPS – The re-trial for a Kamloops man accused of beating his girlfriend to death began in Kamloops Supreme Court Wednesday afternoon with a confession he allegedly made to an undercover police officer posing as a crime boss. In 2007, Robert Donald Balbar met with several undercover police officers for nearly three...
UPDATE: Jury hears of body’s discovery in Thompson River in 11-year-old murder case
COARSE LANGUAGE, GRAPHIC CONTENT ADVISORY KAMLOOPS – A crime scene investigator told a Kamloops jury he observed open head wounds when he found the decomposing body of a woman in the Thompson River near Indian Point in August 2003. “There were injuries to the skull.... The body was floating and (was) up against the upstream...
Machete entered in evidence in murder trial
KAMLOOPS – The jury in a the second-degree murder trial of a Kamloops man inspected an 18-inch long machete entered in evidence in Kamloops Supreme Court Friday morning. The blade was found by retired Sgt. Steven Gehl, who investigated the forensic evidence in the death of Heather Hamill in 2003. Robert Donald Balbar is accused...
Witness in murder trial drove accused and a cooler to the river
"I NEVER LOOKED INSIDE THE COOLER AND I NEVER ASKED" KAMLOOPS – The latest witness in a murder trial told the jury Monday afternoon the man charged with second-degree murder was sketchy, anxious and not very talkative when he drove him and a five-foot-long cooler to an unmarked road near the Halston Bridge sometime in...
Undercover officer questioned suspect on criminal activity before introduction to crime boss
"I KNOW YOU KILLED HER" GRAPHIC LANGUAGE/SUBJECT MATTER KAMLOOPS – A jury heard recorded discussions between an undercover police officer posing as a criminal, who encouraged a murder suspect to speak to his fake crime boss about the murder of his girlfriend in Supreme Court Tuesday afternoon. The target was Robert Donald Balbar, who is...
Undercover officers convinced accused he was joining a gang
KAMLOOPS – A Kamloops Supreme Court jury was privy to details of elaborate and costly business dealings between undercover RCMP officers posing as criminals, trying to ensnare a murder suspect in a three-month-long Mr. Big sting. Robert Donald Balbar is charged with second-degree murder in the 2003 death of his girlfriend Heather Hamill. Court viewed...
Witness describes the cooler believed to hold victim’s remains
"THE KITCHEN DIDN'T MATCH THE REST OF THE APARTMENT IN TERMS OF APPEARANCE" KAMLOOPS – A clean kitchen next to a living room that was in “complete and utter disarray” is how a former cop described the accused’s apartment to a Kamloops Supreme Court jury Thursday morning. Connie Buckle, then a constable fresh out of...
Pathologist describes victim’s fatal head wounds
KAMLOOPS – Autopsy photos of at least nine blows to a murder victim's head were presented by a forensic pathologist in Kamloops Supreme Court Friday. Robert Donald Balbar is charged with the second-degree murder in the death of his girlfriend Heather Hamill. Earlier in the trial, court heard Balbar’s video recorded confession when he told...
Accused in murder case said he embellished confession to impress crime boss; acted in self-defense
KAMLOOPS – The man who confessed to an undercover officer posing as a crime boss said he embellished some of his facts to convince him he was was a trustworthy employee of a false criminal organization. Robert Donald Balbar is on trial for the second-degree murder of his girlfriend Heather Hamill. After Crown wrapped its...