Court
Why your condo neighbours might not be allowed to smoke on their own balconies
SALMON ARM - There are strict rules in today’s world about where you can smoke and where you can’t, but as a Salmon Arm man found out through a lengthy legal battle with his strata council, there are some grey areas. Walter Peter Andrushko moved into a Salmon Arm condo for residents aged 55 and...
Man back in custody minutes after leaving Penticton court
PENTICTON - A man found sleeping in a truck filled with stolen items made a court appearance yesterday, and then was taken back into custody just minutes after leaving the court house when he was witnessed stealing a cash box. The man, who is well known to police, was arrested Dec. 23 after residents reported...
Massive gun-bust case tossed due to numerous mistakes by Kamloops Mounties
KAMLOOPS - After RCMP raided a Kamloops trailer filled with guns and ammunition in December 2013, they displayed their haul at the RCMP detachment where the city’s top cop posed for pictures and told reporters about the dangers of illegal firearms. They got multiple weapons including shotguns and chopped up, rebuilt long guns, ammunition, drugs...
Vernon mayor handed fine for improper tax filings
VERNON - Vernon mayor Akbal Mund has been ordered to pay a fine after some trouble with his taxes. The mayor pleaded guilty to one count of failing to comply with the Income Tax Act in Vernon Provincial Court Thursday, Dec. 17. A second count was stayed, and Mund was handed a $1,000 fine. “The...
Conviction thrown out for man accused of driving into Vernon firefighter
VERNON - A man convicted of dangerous driving causing bodily harm will have his case heard again due to a technicality. Ian Douglas Burns, 28, was found guilty of hitting BX/Swan Lake firefighter Stephan Hidasi with his truck, but a judge has now deemed that ruling null because court procedures weren’t followed. Crown spokesperson Neil...
Bizarre crime spree involving arson, dangerous driving nets Kamloops man four months in jail
KAMLOOPS - A local man says he was going through a ‘very traumatic year’ before he went on a bizarre crime spree which involved playing chicken with fellow drivers and setting a man’s truck on fire. Kamloops Provincial Court Judge Chris Cleaveley sentenced David Kevin Moen, 46, to roughly four months in jail after he...
Max the therapy dog keeps young witness company at Prince George trial
PRINCE GEORGE - The Victims’ Services Branch of the Prince George RCMP has a new, friendly tool to help victims feel less anxious about testifying in court. Max the therapy dog was a new addition to a Supreme Court jury trial to help a young witness in a violent assault case — a first visit...
Splatsin First Nation launches lawsuit against B.C. government
ENDERBY - A local First Nation has filed a lawsuit against the B.C. government accusing it of ignoring the band's jurisdiction over the welfare of its children. The Splatsin First Nation in Enderby served the province a notice of claim during a rally outside Premier Christy Clark’s constituency office in Kelowna Tuesday, Oct. 13. The...
Trial postponed for Armstrong man facing animal cruelty charges
VERNON - The trial of a man accused of mistreating a large herd of horses in Armstrong has been postponed. Gary Roberts, 69, was scheduled to begin a three-day trial in Vernon Provincial Court Monday, Nov. 9 on charges of causing unnecessary pain or suffering to an animal, failing to provide necessities, and uttering threats...
Lawyers deliver closing remarks on Kamloops manslaughter case before jury decides
KAMLOOPS - The case against a man accused of setting a fire which caused the death of one of his house guests has concluded and now jurors are being asked to consider if one of the key witnesses in the case was honest or started the fire himself. Crown Prosecutor Neil Flanagan and defence counsel...
Sentencing postponed for man who killed girlfriend as court examines his mental health
KAMLOOPS - A man who confessed to killing his ex-girlfriend and pleaded guilty will not be sentenced now that his lawyers have requested a hearing to determine if suffered from a mental illness at the time of the incident. Christopher Frank Butler appeared in Kamloops Supreme Court today, Oct. 30 with two lawyers to request...
Vernon man sentenced to jail time for child porn possession
VERNON - A Vernon man snared in a nation-wide child pornography investigation has been put behind bars. Rylan Sandberg, 46, was one of 150 Canadians arrested as a result of the investigation, which began in February 2014. A 49-year-old Vernon man and a 29-year-old Kelowna man were also arrested. Sandberg pleaded guilty to possession of...
Vernon man accused of murder released from custody
VERNON - An 18-year-old Vernon man accused of murder is no longer in custody. Brandon Wellington, who stands accused of second degree murder in connection with the death of Jason Hardy, was released on bail Monday, Oct. 26. His bail is set at $10,000 and he must adhere to a number of court-ordered conditions. Greater...
Man accused in Armstrong woman’s death ordered to stand trial
VERNON - The man accused of killing an Armstrong mother of two has been ordered to stand trial. Logan Scott, 31, of Salmon Arm was charged with manslaughter and theft under $5,000 in August 2014, nine months after Jillian McKinty, 27, was found dead in her Armstrong home. Following a preliminary inquiry this week in...
Dangerous driver who killed two passengers arguing charter violation negates conviction
KAMLOOPS - A man convicted of dangerous driving killing his two passengers could have his guilty verdict overturned if lawyers successfully prove key evidence in the case against him was in violation of his charter right against unreasonable search and seizure. Defence lawyers Micah Rankin and Anthony Varesi appeared in the B.C. Court of Appeal...