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Glynn Brothen
Pedestrian hit while crossing the street downtown
KAMLOOPS - A female pedestrian was struck by a male driver while she was crossing 3 Avenue and Columbia in the crosswalk around 9 a.m. Wednesday morning. The 74-year-old male driver was turning left when the 43-year-old woman was struck according to an RCMP press release. The woman was taken to Royal Inland Hospital across...
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...
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...
Inmate found dead during morning checks at Kamloops prison
KAMLOOPS - B.C. Coroner investigators are following up on the death of an inmate at Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre which occurred last Monday, November 10. "It's still very preliminary," spokesperson for the B.C. Coroners Service, Barb McLintock said. The male was found deceased when staff conducted a morning cell check. More to come. To contact...
Name of deceased cyclist confirmed
KAMLOOPS - Sources have confirmed with InfoNews Monday morning the cyclist who died in hospital after hitting a vehicle on Springhill Drive Saturday afternoon was Robert Petersen. Petersen was a music teacher at St. Ann's Academy and at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic school. Around 3 p.m. he struck a southbound Ford Escape that...
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...
Ten break-and-enters in Sahali and Aberdeen overnight, RCMP searching for suspects
KAMLOOPS – The RCMP is investigating and tracking suspects after ten break-and-enter cases that occurred in Sahali and Aberdeen during the early Friday morning hours. A stolen white F350 pickup truck was involved in the case Cpl. Cheryl Bush said in a media release. It was later recovered in the Rogers Way area. Bush said...
Kamloops woman finally gets her wallet back—after 30 years
KAMLOOPS – An 81-year-old Kamloops woman had her wallet returned to her after it was stolen from her in the 1970s. A park ranger found the woman’s wallet in Ucluelet where the woman travelled decades ago. Identification was still in the wallet but the $100 left in it was gone. Cpl. Cheryl Bush, a spokesperson...
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...
Crown will not appeal RCMP officer’s acquittal in jail sex case
KAMLOOPS – A four-year-old case is now closed after B.C.’s Court of Appeal did not receive an application from the Crown office to challenge the acquittal of a police officer originally charged with breach of trust. Winston Sayson with the Surrey Crown office confirmed Monday afternoon that there was no appeal application made within the...
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...
When every day is Remembrance Day: A Canadian soldier’s story
KAMLOOPS – We’re taking a day to remember the fallen, but soldiers like M.Cpl. John Cumming have been remembering friends every day since witnessing their deaths on the battlefield. For Cumming, it's a day from his tour with the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry that has played in his head for almost five years. “December...
Police examining relation between stolen vehicles, hit-and-run
TWO VEHICLES STOLEN AND RECOVERED; SUSPECT STILL AT-LARGE KAMLOOPS – Police say two vehicles stolen early Sunday morning are likely related and they are investigating if a hit and run around the same time is also related. Around 1 a.m. RCMP responded to a break-and-enter at a garage on West Victoria Street. The suspect took...
Highway between Vernon and Kamloops to be closed next Monday
KAMLOOPS – Motorists looking to travel between Kamloops and Vernon are being advised Highway 97 will be closed for 12 hours overnight starting at 7 p.m., Monday, Nov. 10. The railway crossing between Monte Lake and Westwold will be replaced, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Transportation. The construction will block traffic...
Brace yourself: Cooler temperatures are on the way for North Thompson
NORTH THOMPSON - A cold snap is expected to touch down in the North Thompson and breeze through the central interior before moving onwards to Eastern B.C. according to Environment Canada. Cold dry air from the Arctic is currently hovering over Northern B.C. with snow and freezing rain forecast in the Peace region. Those cooler...
Suspect in custody following bank robbery
KAMLOOPS - RCMP officers have a 23-year-old man in custody after he allegedly robbed Interior Savings Credit Union on Landsdowne Street Friday afternoon. The suspect allegedly approached a bank teller and produced a note demanding money. After obtaining an undisclosed amount of cash, the man fled on foot. Five minutes later he was arrested near...
Cargo contents would not have exploded from contact with flames: Safety Manager
KAMLOOPS – A trucking company safety manager says dangerous cargo on a trailer would not have exploded if it came into contact with its flaming tractor only feet away on Highway 1 Thursday afternoon. Caron Transportation's Safety and Compliance Manager Lily MacInnis says the container filled with 40,000 kg of Ammonium Nitrate parked 50 feet...
Audit shows company had issues prior to crash on Coquihalla
"SERIOUS FALSE STATEMENTS, DRIVING OVER DAILY AND CUMULATIVE HOURS NEED TO BE ADDRESSED" KAMLOOPS – The company which owns the bus involved in August's multiple injury crash on the Coquihalla had a history of spotty record-keeping before the incident, according to a recently released government audit. Tourists were travelling to Vancouver on a Western Bus...
14-year-old cut with glass object during altercation
PINANTAN LAKE – Kamloops RCMP responded to a report of a 14-year-old boy cut with a glass object during an altercation in Pinantan Lake around 6 p.m. Sunday. “The youth was transported to Royal Inland Hospital where he was treated and later released,” Cpl. Cheryl Bush, a spokesperson for the RCMP said. A 16-year-old youth...
Meet your local reservists and watch them rappel off a building this weekend
KAMLOOPS – A weapons display, history lessons and soldiers rappelling off the building are a few of the sights visitors can expect when they visit Rocky Mountain Rangers’ J.R. Vicars Armoury Open House this Saturday. The Rangers are British Columbia’s Interior Reservist soldiers with companies here in Kamloops and in Prince George. Master Cpl. John...
Learn what you can do to prevent crime in Kamloops
KAMLOOPS – Local RCMP officers along with members from other crime prevention agencies in the City will host a “meet and greet” event Wednesday afternoon to honour National Crime Prevention Week. Attendees will have the opportunity to interact with members from RCMP auxiliary, Block Watch, Bylaws, the Community Safety Unit, Crime Stoppers, Graffiti Task Force,...
Conservation Officers seize hunter’s kill after illegal trespassing
KAMLOOPS – Conservation officers are advising hunters to take note of permitted hunting areas after a man was ticketed for trespassing while harvesting a California big horned ewe on private property Monday afternoon. “It was a mistake somebody made... he was very upset he had not been more diligent.” Conservation Officer Rob Armstrong says. “There...
RCMP members are searching for this woman
UPDATE 11:30 a.m. Nov. 5 : RCMP report Jessica Lynn Black has been found in the Lower Mainland. VERNON - Local RCMP members are searching for a woman who has been reported missing. Jessica Lynn Black is from the Vernon area but has been known to travel to Vancouver Island and the lower mainland of...
Police looking for information in pub break and enter
KAMLOOPS - RCMP officers are investigating a break and enter at the McCracken Station Pub in Valleyview which took place after 2 a.m. Tuesday morning. The pub's alarm was tripped after a rock was thrown through the front door window. The suspects made off with at least one large bottle of liquor. Anyone with any...