Court
Armstrong man’s story “did not ring true” in sexual assault trial: Judge
ARMSTRONG - What began as a cordial conversation between two strangers hiding out from the rain at an Armstrong church took a sinister turn when the man pinned the woman against a wall, sexually assaulted her, and threatened to strangle her if she resisted. The woman, in her early 20s, was scared and hesitant at...
WASELENKOFF TRIAL: UPDATE: Computer expert recovered deleted child porn links
KAMLOOPS – Two investigators who examined compact disks and a laptop allegedly belonging to a retired teacher found elements of child pornography on both, according to testimony in Kamloops Supreme Court today, May 11. Cpl. Barry Salt searched Jerry Waselenkoff’s laptop for child pornography after police seized it from the accused's apartment on McGill road...
Vernon dirt biker reported missing wanted to avoid arrest: Lawyer
VERNON - The Vernon man police and three Search and Rescue organizations scoured the Commonage for last week was afraid to go home because he didn’t want to get arrested, court heard today, April 29. Kyle Macinnes, 25, was reported missing by his worried family after he went for a dirt bike ride in the...
Man stuck with fine for illegal dock work on Okanagan Lake
VERNON - If you’re a waterfront property owner who’s ever built a dock on the lake, a B.C. Supreme Court Judge says you need a permit for that. It’s a rule cottage owner Laurent Desautels didn’t know about in March 2013, when he hired Okanagan Pile Driving Inc. to install piles into Okanagan Lake as...
Crown appealing sentence for man who fooled police and lawyers with fake name
KAMLOOPS - It’s common for criminals to operate under an alias, but it’s very unusual for someone to be tried, convicted and sentenced under a fake name. That’s what happened with Eric Bradley Charlie, born 1983, who told police in 2013 he was James Rocky Whitford, born 1990, one of 18 known aliases on his...
Judge dismisses Crown appeal on fake name case, cites lengthy delays
KAMLOOPS - Police and prosecutors failed to confirm the identity of a man who was charged, tried, convicted and sentenced under the wrong name and now one more failure is on the books. A Supreme Court Justice denied the Kamloops Crown an opportunity to fix its mistakes because they waited too long to bring it...
Traffic court on its way out with new e-ticketing system
WILL THE DECISION RELIEVE BACKED UP PROVINCIAL COURTS AND SAVE MONEY OR WILL IT STRIP YOU OF YOUR RIGHTS? KAMLOOPS - A critic of a new amendment to the Motor Vehicle Act — which will introduce driving notices instead of tickets and remove provincial traffic courts for disputes — calls the move unconstitutional and plans...
Woman charged in connection with Vernon ATM theft
VERNON - She was caught on camera allegedly stealing cash out of someone else’s bank account, and now six months later, she’s been caught by authorities. Glenda Joan Daku, 53, from the North Okanagan has been charged with one count of theft under $5,000 in connection with the October 2014 offence, which was recorded on...
Crime spree nets Vernon man more time behind bars
VERNON - A Vernon man says he was denied detox services for the third time shortly before attempting to carjack a woman’s vehicle and breaking into a nearby home. David Arthur Bruno Sammartino, born in 1984, was sentenced in Vernon Provincial Court Wednesday, April 1, on two charges of breaking and entering, and one of...
District seeks court permission to euthanize “dangerous” dog
KELOWNA – A local couple will find out next week if their dog will be euthanized for what has been called a “severe” attack, which left a Kelowna woman with deep cuts to her legs and arm. A four day trial in Kelowna court concluded this week and Judge Jane Cartwright will decide Wednesday, April...
Trial begins for man accused in Princeton double homicide
PENTICTON - The trial of a man accused of a double homicide and attempted murder of a third individual near Princeton in 2013 begins in Penticton this morning. The jury trial of John Ike Koopmans is slated to get underway in Penticton Supreme Court this morning, Feb.16. Koopmans was charged in 2013 with two counts...
Court delays put brakes on drunk driving case
CLEARWATER – A judge acquitted a woman of her impaired driving charges after her lawyer argued the case violated her charter right to be tried within a reasonable amount of time —a problem in the small town of Clearwater where court time is unpredictable. Last week, Provincial Court Judge Len Marchand said delays due to...
Former Vernon Mountie to stand trial this summer on child porn charges
VERNON - A former Vernon mountie charged with possession of child pornography will stand trial this summer. Ryan Hampton, 37, was scheduled to start his trial Mar. 2 in Vernon Supreme Court but his case has now been put over until July. It has also been moved to the Kelowna courthouse. Hampton, a former police...
This little piggy dug up the neighbour’s yard, this one went on the highway, this piggy’s owner went all the way to court
KAMLOOPS – If pigs could fly, a 77-year-old farmer and his neighbours probably wouldn't be in the predicament that landed them in Kamloops Provincial Court this month. Pig farmer Paul Peter Sabyan received numerous complaints from neighbours about his livestock breaking its barrier and destroying land adjacent to his Louis Creek property, south of Barriere. ...
Accused in murder case to get psych evaluation; claims he ‘slaughtered a demon’
KAMLOOPS – A man accused of killing a woman in a Cherry Avenue apartment last year will get a psychiatric evaluation before trial after he told a Kamloops provincial court judge there’s “nothing on the law books for slaughtering a demon” at a hearing Tuesday morning. Christopher Frank Butler appeared on his own behalf when...