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Glynn Brothen
UPDATE: Kamloops RCMP investigate reported needle in Halloween candy, mom faces criticism online
KAMLOOPS - RCMP are investigating a report by a Kamloops parent about finding a needle in a piece of candy their child collected while trick or treating Saturday night, Oct. 31. Cpl. Cheryl Bush says in a media release, the treat came from a residence in the Brocklehurst neighbourhood. “A parent reported they had found...
More than 10,000 people want B.C. to stop the time change
KAMLOOPS - The petition to stop Daylight Saving Time has surpassed it’s goal of 10,000 signatures, meaning the provincial government is mandated to review it. Former Kamloops Chamber of Commerce president Bob Dieno and his friend Tara Holmes began the petition and Facebook page on Monday and by 3:50 p.m. Oct. 30, the petition reached 11,000 signatures....
B.C. has highest rate of illegal cigarettes in Western Canada, study finds
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - As the province with the most contraband cigarettes in Western Canada, the amount of illegal tobacco in B.C. remains steadily high. The statistics come from the latest study commissioned by the Western Convenience Stores Association. In September researchers collected discarded cigarettes at various locations throughout the province to determine which were illegally purchased....
Time appears right for petition to dump daylight saving time
KAMLOOPS - It’s been a couple days since Bob Dieno and Tara Holmes created a petition and Facebook page asking the B.C. government to consider doing away with daylight saving time and they are getting strong support from many in the province. The petition ‘stop the time change in British Columbia’ received hundreds of signatures...
Poppy campaign kicks off this week
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - This year’s poppy campaign is expected to be underway this Friday, Oct. 30. Poppies will be available at all Legion offices and members will have them available at locations throughout the city. Funds from the poppies contribute to veterans, their families and others in need of assistance in the community. The long-standing tradition...
Trial for two youths in Salmon Arm shooting death expected next year
KAMLOOPS - The trial for a man and woman accused of gunning down a man in a Salmon Arm school yard won’t take place until next spring. Names of both accused charged with first-degree murder cannot be revealed as they were both youths at the time of the alleged offence. Their names are protected under...
Conservation officers save baby bobcat in Osoyoos
KAMLOOPS - An orphaned bobcat kitten got another chance at life after being rescued by conservation officers this summer. Officers found the kitten orphaned near Osoyoos in July and with the help of the public were able to capture it. The kitten was then transferred to the B.C. Wildlife Park in Kamloops for rehabilitation. The...
Kamloops man rallies to get Daylight Saving Time dropped in B.C.
KAMLOOPS - A local man wants the province to stop turning clocks back in favour of remaining on one standard time year-round. Former Kamloops Chamber of Commerce president and local business owner Bob Dieno no longer wants to spring forward or fall back and has created a petition to call on the province to consider...
Undercover conservation officers stumble upon butcher near Kamloops selling wild game
KAMLOOPS — When undercover conservation officers approached a Savona butcher to inquire about a man selling wild game meat, he told them to buy from him instead, making himself a new target for investigation along with their original suspect. Stuart Malcom Stephenson, 53, pleaded guilty to trafficking wildlife under the Wildlife Act and received a...
Three patients remain in hospital after violent attack near Lillooet
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Three of the original 11 people who were admitted to Interior Health hospitals after an attack at the Bridge River Indian Band office near Lillooet remain under medical care. “One patient is in serious but stable condition and two are stable and beginning their recovery,” Tracy Watson of Interior Health says. The patients...
Independent investigation of in-custody death near Lillooet dropped
LILLOOET - Independent investigators have ceased their examination of an in-custody death under the Lillooet RCMP. The Independent Investigation Office of B.C. were called to the town last week when 22-year-old David Allan Patrick James died following a rampage inside the Bridge River Indian Band Office near Lillooet. James attacked several employees, allegedly with a hammer,...
Ranch hand pleads guilty to stealing employer’s cattle and other thefts
KAMLOOPS - Selling 10 of his employer’s cows worth $35,000, wracking up a work-related credit card and stealing thousands of dollars worth of property could earn a ranch hand fraudster federal jail time. Jason John McDowell, 38, pleaded guilty to two counts of theft and one count of cattle theft in Kamloops Provincial Court today,...
Sex offender faces longer probation after failing to complete rehabilitation program
KAMLOOPS - A convicted sex offender pleaded guilty in Kamloops Provincial Court today, Oct. 16 to breaching his probation conditions after he was removed from two of his court-ordered rehabilitation sessions. Francis Desmet, 65, was convicted in 2012 of making and distributing child pornography in Kelowna and sentenced to 18 months in jail. After his...
Ten people injured, one suspect dead after violent altercation in Lillooet band office
LILLOOET - An incident at Lillooet’s Bridge River Indian Band office has left 10 people injured and a male suspect dead. Cpl. Janelle Shoihet, a media spokesperson for the RCMP E-Division, says the incident happened before 8:30 a.m. this morning, Oct. 14. A male entered the band office and used weapons to assault three people....
Kamloops RCMP helicopter is officially moving north
KAMLOOPS - The RCMP helicopter is officially leaving the Kamloops hangar, with a spring 2016 move planned. The local helicopter, which currently covers the Southeast district, will fly to the North District. The move is based on human resources, cost and operational requirements according to Staff Sgt. Rob Vermeulen, a media relations officer for the...
TAYLOR TRIAL: Case wraps, fate of accused in jury’s hands
KAMLOOPS - It's now up to a jury to determine whether or not a Terrace couple's meth-infused multi-day bender ended with Damien Taylor murdering his 16-year-old girlfriend, CJ Fowler in Kamloops nearly three years ago. Taylor’s lawyer Don Campbell and Crown prosecutor Alex Janse each gave their closing submissions to the 11-person jury in Kamloops...
Court delays force judge to stay charge against Kamloops hunter
KAMLOOPS - A Kamloops judge determined a hunter killed outside of his permitted area, but stayed the charge because lengthy delays meant he wasn't getting a fair trial. Abraham John Norman Dougan’s case took over 800 days to wind its way through the court system after the charge was laid in September 2012. Despite determining...
This Salmon Arm artist’s project took her to the Jim Henson studios
SALMON ARM - For her family, it’s getting used to seeing pieces of fluff all over the house, but for Melissa Nasby, being a fibre artist is about seeing what adventure is down the road. In the last six years, Nasby has been working with felt as her medium to create a host of different...
TAYLOR TRIAL: Jurors will hear final arguments next week before deliberating verdict
KAMLOOPS - Both the Crown and the defence have finished presenting their evidence in the Damien Taylor murder trial in Kamloops and jurors will hear closing submissions from lawyers next week. Taylor is charged with second-degree murder in the death of his girlfriend CJ Fowler. The 16-year-old’s body was found December 5, 2012 near a...
This Logan Lake man chose to wait for death instead of an organ transplant: Here’s why
LOGAN LAKE - Family and friends are not happy with Kent MacInnes’ decision to stop pursuing a much-needed organ transplant — a surgery which would buy them more time with him. But the Logan Lake man considered the toll and the cost of recovering from the surgery — no less than $50,000 — and can’t...
Mother accused of murdering infant son in Kamloops to undergo psychiatric assessment
KAMLOOPS - A woman charged with murdering her newborn son will undergo a psychiatric assessment to determine her mental state at the time of the alleged offence. Courtney Fawn Saul made a brief apperance in Kamloops Provincial Court this morning, Oct. 8. She is charged with second degree murder in the death of her infant...
TAYLOR TRIAL: Accused pretended to be hallucinating during psychiatric exam: Psychiatrist
KAMLOOPS — The forensic psychiatrist who examined the man accused of murdering his girlfriend said he could have suffered from psychosis caused by drug use at the time of the 16-year-old’s death, despite the accused pretending to be schizophrenic during their meetings. Dr. Sunette Lessing conducted eight hours of interviews with Damien Taylor, 24, at...
TAYLOR TRIAL UPDATE: Accused says he made a ‘false confession’ to killing girlfriend
"I WAS JUST TRYING TO SCARE HER IN A FUNNY WAY BUT IT DIDN'T TURN OUT THAT WAY. SHE WAS BLEEDING OUT OF HER THROAT" KAMLOOPS — After his arrest in 2014, Damien Taylor told Kamloops RCMP investigators he killed his 16-year-old girlfriend CJ Fowler, a Crown prosecutor revealed today. But in front of his...
UPDATE: Missing 16-year-old Kamloops girl found
UPDATE: 6:37 a.m., Oct. 5, 2015 KAMLOOPS - Kamloops RCMP say Shelby Copping, 16, has been safely located. 2:53 p.m., Oct. 1, 2015 KAMLOOPS - Police are searching for a 16-year-old girl who was reported missing by her family yesterday. Shelby Copping is 5’10” tall, has brown hair and green eyes and weighs approximately 155...