criminal justice

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...

Why a jury found a Vernon man guilty of raping his daughter, but not of incest

VERNON - A Vernon man continues to show no remorse for years of sexual abuse on his daughter and her friend and that got him some extra time in prison. The man, who cannot be named by court order to protect the identity of his daughter, was originally charged with three counts of sexual assault—two...

Former U.S. ski coach admitted to peeping on his students

THE STORY YOU ALMOST DIDN'T GET TO READ VERNON - Jason Paur, the former Seattle ski coach arrested for secretly filming young girls while on a school trip to Silver Star, pleaded guilty to three of the counts against him on Jan. 12, 2015. But we couldn’t tell you about that until today.  When Paur...

Lumby man will stand trial for school teacher’s murder

VERNON - A Lumby man accused of murdering his girlfriend, a local school teacher, will stand trial in Supreme Court. Following a preliminary inquiry at the Vernon Courthouse last week, the judge ruled there is enough evidence to order Howard Everett Krewson, 55, to stand trial. Krewson is accused of killing Vernon school teacher Linda...

UPDATE: Matthew Foerster guilty for earlier attacks against women

KELOWNA - Seven years before Matthew Foerster murdered Armstrong teen Taylor Van Diest, he snuck into a young Cherryville woman’s home, knocked her head against a wall and told her to come with him. Details about the 2004 assault, and a subsequent attack involving a sex-trade worker in 2005, were revealed during a sentence hearing...

Vernon judge comes down hard on missionary’s ‘corrective’ child beatings

“WHEN CONDUCT BASED ON RELIGIOUS BELIEFS IS CONTRARY WITH THE CRIMINAL CODE OF CANADA, THE CRIMINAL CODE MUST PREVAIL”: JUDGE VERNON - He said he punished his kids so they would never find themselves tangled up in the criminal justice system, like he is now.  The 42-year-old, who met his wife while doing missionary work...

Former accountant handed jail time for fraud schemes in Vernon

"IT MAKES ME WONDER HOW I FELL FOR HER THE LAST TIME:" JUDGE VERNON - A former accountant who tried to cash a forged cheque grew more sophisticated in her ploys since her last court appearance for fraud, a Vernon provincial court judge said. Abigail Marie Mcelman, 36, was arrested at Vernon’s Venue Financial Centre...

HELSTON: Suspects walk without charges in high profile cases—what’s going on?

Over the course of a week, police let the suspects in two separate, serious incidents walk without charges. The first incident was a shooting in Polson Park Aug. 12. Police said multiple people were involved and several shots were fired. Later that day, one person was arrested in Vernon and three in Kelowna. The next...

Man accused of online luring, child pornography will stand trial

VERNON - A Vernon man accused of possessing child pornography and luring children has been ordered to stand trial. David Willerth, born in 1974, faces 25 charges including making or publishing child pornography, communicating via computer to to lure children under 16, and invitation to sexual touching. After a five-hour preliminary inquiry June 19, the...

Surrey man earns jail time for packing heat in Vernon

VERNON - Packing a loaded gun at a Vernon hotel earned a Lower Mainland man four years of hard time. Jonathan Alexander Brown, 23, from Surrey, was sentenced June 4 in Vernon Provincial Court for an incident dating back to 2012. Judge Robin Smith refused a Charter challenge from Brown’s lawyer on the mandatory three-year...

Judge to determine if alleged child predator will go to trial

VERNON - A Vernon man should learn today if he will be tried for a long list of sexual crimes against children. David Willerth, born in 1974, was arrested last summer on numerous child luring and child pornography charges. He faces 25 charges, including making or publishing child pornography, communicating via computer to lure a...